Compact disc technology allows us to enjoy the music Freddie Hubbard and his band made at Keystone Korner in 1981 in its “natural” state, without edits or interruptions of performances to accommodate the time limitations of the long-playing record. The music heard here represents the complete Fantasy LP A Little Night Music, plus two tracks from Keystone Bop, and features a feisty rhythm section (led by then-unknown pianist Billy Childs) plus Hubbard’s special guests and longtime collaborators Joe Henderson and Bobby Hutcherson. The group is especially impressive on “Birdlike,” Hubbard’s classic blues from the Sixties, and two of his signature tunes from the Seventies, “Sky Dive” and “The Intrepid Fox.”

with Joe Henderson, Bobby Hutcherson, Billy Childs, Larry Klein, Steve Houghton