One of my favorite things to do when I was in the dumps was to take myself to Vintage Vinyl in Fords, New Jersey, before they closed down, and flip through bins of vinyl in hopes of finding a gem. I tried supporting local record stores when I could, and I find the jazz genre to always have some deep cut gems I’d never know about if I wasn’t flipping through bins. I got put on to Freddie Hubbard in college when I was taking jazz classes. I heard his legendary CTI run which included Red Clay, Straight Life, and First Light, but i wasn’t familiar with his fusion era right after. I took a picture of the album and went home to listen to it. After 2 songs, I immediately raced back to Vintage and grabbed this gem. This is a record you don’t want to miss.
Freddie is an amazing trumpeter. Of course, when people think of jazz trumpeters, they’ll think of Miles Davis, but Freddie had an acclaimed career in his own right. Liquid Love sees him going into a different direction than his prior works. Synths and electronic elements come into play, courtesy of the clavinet performances of George Gables, Moog Synth performances of Ian Underwood, and vibrant percussion by Myuto Correa and Buck Clark on percussion and congas respectively. They add a very lively feel to what is already a powerhouse of music between Henry Franklin on bass (with an appearance by Chuck Rainey on bass) and Carl Burnett on the drums. The soundscapes are frenetic at times, groovy throughout, and driving. You feel like you’re constantly on the run. “Lost Dreams” is a great example of this. The song takes you on wild journey throughout and bases you around a catchy melody, surrounded by chaos. In a way, this song sounds like a response to the psychedelic era that became popular in the 60’s. This felt like Freddie and George were channeling their inner Hendrix and Grateful Dead, in the best way.
This album definitely isn’t for everyone, and it very well might be one of Freddie’s lesser known works, but to me, it’s a masterpiece of energy and exploration in a way I’ve not heard from many artists.
Memories In Wax 
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