Ghosthouse, re the Blue Note Concert video and your observations:
****I'd like to know, at the very end, what they are kind of laughing about. He has an almost apologetic look on his face as he turns to Joe Henderson after the finish. The ending on his second solo is a little (anti-climactic?) if not down right odd. Hancock is kind of laughing a little too. ****
First of all, I agree that Hubbard'soloing is insane; as usual. He is definitely a player worth exploring and has been covered here fairly well. Most would agree that he was one of the greatest; he is my favorite. My interpretation of your observations are these:
Great performance. Masters at work. There is also a subtle sense of "seriousness" in this performance. Imo, this is a result of their knowledge that this will be recorded and videotaped; their demeanor is pretty controlled and even their attire immaculate. These guys had played this tune probably countless times; together and in other lineups. They know the tune inside out and I suspect that the prep for the performance was not much more than discussing the order of the solos and establishing that the tune will end with a long fade-out, as in the original recording; and, possibly a (partial?) runthrough at the soundcheck. The laughter you notice is probably not so much humor as much as approval of what has just happened; perhaps with, in fact, a bit of humor over the fact that Freddie and Joe decided to play during the fade-out. In the original version only the rhythm section plays during the fade-out. In situations like these, with a tune without a more structured ending, the band is not always quite sure how the tune will end and is left to the spirit of the moment; a good thing, imo. I don't think that it's Freddie's solo that is anticlimactic as much as the fact that fade-outs tend to be anticlimactic.
Check out this version with a different lineup and a VERY different feel and attitude. Notice how they are having a lot of FUN with lots of unabashed laughter all the way around (put aside for a moment the inferior audio/video and the fact that you are not a fan of the soprano). The feel-good attitude is infectious (love Omar Hakim!). This version does have a "written" ending; no fade-out. I am not suggesting that this is a "better" performance at all; just different. Also notice how the tempo of this version is quite a bit faster than the Blue Note Concert version. Interestingly, they are both slower than the original:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JixfzsQWZ8c
Original:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8B1oIXGX0Io
****I'd like to know, at the very end, what they are kind of laughing about. He has an almost apologetic look on his face as he turns to Joe Henderson after the finish. The ending on his second solo is a little (anti-climactic?) if not down right odd. Hancock is kind of laughing a little too. ****
First of all, I agree that Hubbard'soloing is insane; as usual. He is definitely a player worth exploring and has been covered here fairly well. Most would agree that he was one of the greatest; he is my favorite. My interpretation of your observations are these:
Great performance. Masters at work. There is also a subtle sense of "seriousness" in this performance. Imo, this is a result of their knowledge that this will be recorded and videotaped; their demeanor is pretty controlled and even their attire immaculate. These guys had played this tune probably countless times; together and in other lineups. They know the tune inside out and I suspect that the prep for the performance was not much more than discussing the order of the solos and establishing that the tune will end with a long fade-out, as in the original recording; and, possibly a (partial?) runthrough at the soundcheck. The laughter you notice is probably not so much humor as much as approval of what has just happened; perhaps with, in fact, a bit of humor over the fact that Freddie and Joe decided to play during the fade-out. In the original version only the rhythm section plays during the fade-out. In situations like these, with a tune without a more structured ending, the band is not always quite sure how the tune will end and is left to the spirit of the moment; a good thing, imo. I don't think that it's Freddie's solo that is anticlimactic as much as the fact that fade-outs tend to be anticlimactic.
Check out this version with a different lineup and a VERY different feel and attitude. Notice how they are having a lot of FUN with lots of unabashed laughter all the way around (put aside for a moment the inferior audio/video and the fact that you are not a fan of the soprano). The feel-good attitude is infectious (love Omar Hakim!). This version does have a "written" ending; no fade-out. I am not suggesting that this is a "better" performance at all; just different. Also notice how the tempo of this version is quite a bit faster than the Blue Note Concert version. Interestingly, they are both slower than the original:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JixfzsQWZ8c
Original:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8B1oIXGX0Io