New Colors marks trumpeter Freddie Hubbard's return to record after a long absence. In the early 1990s his lip was damaged by overwork and cancer, which put him out of commission for about a decade. Here, on flugelhorn, and backed by the cutting-edge New Composers Octet, he recaptures much of the freshness and attack he displayed with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. His new tunes, the gospel-funk number "Blues for Miles" and the majestic Latin-tinged "Dizzy's Connotations", pay tribute to his trumpet idols. The CD also boasts soulful and swinging renditions of classic Hubbard compositions, such as the fast-paced "One of Another Kind" from Hubbard's VSOP days with Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams and his dynamic Blue Note-era numbers, including the waltz-like "Blue Spirits" and the danceable "Osie Mae". The highlight of the set is the rhythmic reincarnation of Hubbard's 1970s soul fusion hit "Red Clay" which is reborn in rousing fashion by Hubbard's articulate improvisational flights. There's also sterling work by saxophonists Kenny Garrett and Javon Jackson. --Eugene Holley Jr.
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