Kirk Lightsey Trio featuring Freddie Hubbard - Temptation (Timeless/Baystate, 1988)

This post is by Scott and Dan

Kirk Lightsey (p); Freddie Hubbard (tr); Santi Debriano (b); Eddie Gladden (d); Jerry Gonzalez (perc, "Gibraltar" only)

Recorded on May 5 - 6 and June 6, 1987

Jazz listeners might be forgiven for writing off Freddie Hubbard after the prolific beginning of his career. Between 1960 and 1965 he was constantly in Blue Note and Impulse! recording sessions, leading nine albums and appearing on dozens more, including a long stint with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. 

He then shifted to a more commercial style of soul jazz, which he maintained well into the 1980s. The latter period produced some gems, such as Red Clay (CTI, 1970) and The Hub of Hubbard (MPS, 1970), but many of his records were overproduced and simply not what "purists" expected. But Hubbard and many other jazz artists of the day reached a new audience during the 1970s and sold more records than ever before. Who could blame them?

By the 1980s, Hubbard had returned to playing in more straight-ahead settings. Outpost (Enja, 1981), A Little Night Music (Fantasy, 1983), and others co-mingled with the patchy Life Flight (Blue Note, 1987) and a couple of two-trumpet pairings with Woody Shaw (Double Take, Blue Note, 1985; The Eternal Triangle, Blue Note, 1988). As Blue Note strived to reestablish the label's prowess, its former stars often misfired. Fortunately, other labels were available to record straight-ahead jazz sessions.

Jointly released by the Japanese Baystate label and the Dutch Timeless label, Temptation defied critics' expectations by delivering one of the best jazz albums of the entire decade. Led by Kirk Lightsey and featuring Hubbard, Temptation is still not on many people's radar screens (Wikipedia excludes the album from Lightsey's discography). It should be better known because it's outstanding in every respect.

Both Lightsey and Hubbard are in excellent form. The set kicks off with the astounding 10:27 minutes of "Gibraltar," reprised from Stanley Turrentine's Salt Song (CTI, 1970). It features Jerry Gonzalez's relentless Latin percussion throughout and wonderful solos by Lightsey and Hubbard. "Society Red," mistakenly listed as composed by Hubbard (it was written by Dexter Gordon), is taken at a medium groove with Hubbard soaring soulfully on open horn. "Temptation," another long tune at just over 11 minutes, is another highlight that features Hubbard on muted horn. "Brigitte," a gentle ballad Hubbard composed for his wife, brings the album to a close. 

Freddie Hubbard died in 2008 at age 70. Kirk Lightsey, now 85, has lived and worked in Paris since 2000. He is cited twice in our blog as a sideman. He has also built a solid reputation among jazz insiders for his many leadership dates and recent duets with Italian vocalist Marilena Paradisi (Some Place Called Where, Losen, 2017). He deserves more widespread recognition than he is accorded.