AMG Review of Bundle of Joy

Scott Yanow
All Music Guide

Freddie Hubbard's string of commercial albums for Columbia in the mid-to-late '70s ruined the trumpeter's reputation. This particular LP is not as bad as some (at least his duet with harpist Dorothy Ashby on "Portrait of Jenny" is pretty and Ernie Watts gets a good tenor solo on "Rahsaan") but it is not one of his finer moments either. With an oversized funky rhythm section, a string section and five "background" vocalists, Hubbard had little to do. Skip this and get his CTI and Blue Note albums instead.