Hubbard At His Best,
October 28, 2001
Reviewer: Kurt Harding "bon vivant" (Boerne TX) - See all my reviews

I have been waiting for the re-issue of SWEET RETURN, for years, and for years, I have haunted the stores and scoured the internet in what had been a futile search. Finally the moment I knew had to come arrived.

I own a number of Freddie Hubbard albums, but I consider Sweet Return to be Hubbard at his best. I first bought it on cassette back in 1983 when it was originally issued, immediately liked it and wore out the tape as the years went by.

Hubbard is ably backed on Sweet Return by jazz giants Lew Tabackin on tenor sax and flute, Joanne Brackeen on piano, and Eddie Gomez on bass. The music ranges from frenetic on Calypso Fred, to smooth and romantic on the jazz classic Misty. My favorites are the title cut, which is a magnificent showcase of Hubbard's virtuosity, Whistling Away In The Dark, The Night Has A Thousand Eyes, and the Brackeen composition, Heidi-B, which showcases her stunning piano play, provides a vehicle for Tabackin to show off on his flute and gives Hubbard a launching pad from which to take us soaring to the musical stratosphere.

Since this CD arrived, I have played it over and over again, enjoying it just as much as I did when I first heard it nearly twenty years ago. This is one CD that belongs in every serious jazz lover's collection.

A 'SWEET RETURN' FOR FREDDIE HUBBARD FANS - I BELIEVE WHEN HUBBARD MADE THIS SESSION HE HAD FINALLY GIVEN UP ON ROCK AND ROLL. HENCE THE TITLE, "SWEET RETURN." IT'S ABOUT TIME SOMEONE FINALLY DUG OUT THESE TAPES AND MADE THEM AVAILABLE AGAIN. A REALLY GREAT SESSION. Submitted by a reviewer in STEPHENVILLE, TX

BUY SWEET RETURN
at www.CDUniverse.com and www.Oldies.com

Majestic!
Each tune on this album is majestic! Freddie's Calypso will makes you want to dance. Joanne's Heidi B, written about her cat, is dynamic. Hubbard takes Erroll Garner's Misty and Mancini's Whispering Away the Darkness other plateaus. Tabackin and Hubbard give majestic solos on Sweet Return! A classic recording we're happy to see back on the rack. Submitted by a reviewer in Atlanta, GA

HEAR JOAN CARTWRIGHT’S COMPOSITION “Sweet Return” BY FREDDIE HUBBARD