Freddie Hubbard: Here's That Rainy Day

Freddie Hubbard is famous for his fiery trumpet solos, but he was also a standout ballad player. This is my favorite of his ballad performances, and it has all the ingredients of greatness -- marvelous tone control, fresh improvised lines, a gloriously languorous rhythmic pulse -- even a perfectly wrought coda. Guitarist George Benson offers a sensitive accompaniment from the rubato opening to the final chord. But Hubbard is the star here, putting his stamp on on song that many have tackled, but few have claimed with such authority.