TODD HERBERT, Captain Hubs

On his fourth album as a soloist, veteran saxophonist pays wildly adventurous, hard boppin’, and soulfully smooth homage to Captain Hubs, aka trumpet legend Freddie Hubbard, whose quintet he played in for two years somewhere between his time with the Charles Earland Quartet and his move to NYC in 1997.

Starting with the fiery and furious original title track, Herbert makes this an emotionally charged, rhythmically diverse and improvisation filled tribute, complementing his five colorful originals with contributions by two members of the quartet assembled for the project – 2023 master drummer Louis Hayes (the hip, bluesy romp “Lou’s Idea”) and pianist David Hazeltine (the stylish, hard-swingin’ “In the Moment”). Herbert’s hard-jammin’ ensemble also features bassist John Webber.

While Herbert tunes like the infectious, blues-drenched “Temple of Silence” and the easy flowing, then suddenly high-spirited jam “Prophet’s Oracle” offer expansive showcases for each member’s improv skills, it’s also inspiring to hear them tackle classics by Wayne Shorter (“Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum”) and John Coltrane (“Straight Street” at the end of this hard-burning, emotionally evocative set.