Hubbard to Get Birthday Treat From Old Pal

Trombonist Phil Ranelin recalls the first solo he heard trumpeter Freddie Hubbard perform when both were band students at Arsenal Technical High School in Indianapolis.

“There was a school concert and the band director had written the solo out that he wanted him to play,” Ranelin says. “But Freddie decided to discard that solo and play what he wanted. The director didn’t think too highly of that. But I thought he sounded kind of hip.”

Hubbard laughs hearing the story. “I always wanted to improvise,” he says. “They threw me out of the Jordan Conservatory [at Butler University in Indianapolis] because I’d always improvise on the music.”

Ranelin, who’s heard on Hubbard’s 1979 Columbia recording “Skagly,” has kept in touch with the trumpeter over the years. When the two were talking late last month, Ranelin reminded Hubbard he’d be turning 60 in April. From that conversation came the idea for Hub in the Hood, a concert in honor of Hubbard’s birthday on April 7, 1938. At the event, Hubbard is expected to join Ranelin’s Jazz Ensemble for a performance of his signature tune “Little Sunflower” (the same arrangement is heard on Ranelin’s CD “A Close Encounter of the Very Best Kind”). It will be held at the Vision Theatre in Leimert Park on April 5.

Hubbard, who’s suffered from lip problems over the last several years, has slowly been mounting a comeback. He completed three nights in New York earlier this month at Birdland with saxophonist Javon Jackson, pianist John Hicks, bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Louis Hayes.

“This has been the most miserable time of my life,” Hubbard laments. “I can play now, but I can’t play hard like I did before. I’ve had to change my whole embouchure and have been taking some lessons trying to get it back together.”

Says Ranelin, “It’s a frustrating thing for him not to be able to play at the level he’d like. He still has hopes of getting it back, but he has a long road ahead of him.”

Otherwise, Hubbard feels great. “I can’t believe I’m turning 60,” he marvels. “It’s really weird.”

Drummer Billy Higgins will also guest with Ranelin’s ensemble of pianist Jeff Babko, saxophonist George E. Harper Jr. and percussionist Taumbu. In addition, pianist Horace Tapscott, who turns 64 on April 6, will lead his quintet. The event will benefit a variety of local arts organizations, including Build Crenshaw Arts and the World Stage.

* Hub in the Hood with the Phil Ranelin Jazz Ensemble, Vision Theatre, 3341 W. 43rd Place; April 5, 6 p.m. Advance tickets: $15; $25 per couple; students and seniors, $5. Tickets at the door: $20; $30 per couple. Children 12 and under, free with adult. (213) 291-6878.

Great Days: “A Great Day in Harlem,” filmmaker Jean Bach’s documentary of the day in 1958 when photographer Art Kane assembled 57 of the world’s greatest jazz musicians for an Esquire magazine cover, will come to life when trumpeter Art Farmer, seen in the movie, leads his quintet in concert after a showing of the film at Pepperdine University’s Smothers Theatre on Friday and at the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert on April 9.

The film includes interviews with Art Blakey, Dizzy Gillespie and others, as well as rare footage taken by bassist Milt Hinton on the day the photo was taken. Farmer was 29 years old when he showed up that summer morning along with Count Basie, Thelonious Monk, Coleman Hawkins, Marian McPartland and dozens of others for the historic picture. Farmer’s quintet at Pepperdine is scheduled to include saxophonist Ron Blake, pianist Ted Rosenthal, bassist Kenny Davis and drummer Yoron Israel.

* “A Great Day in Harlem” and the Art Farmer Quintet, Smothers Theatre, Pepperdine University, 24255 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu; Friday, 8 p.m. $27. (310) 456-4522. Also at McCallum Theatre, 73000 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert, April 9, 8 p.m. 760 340-2787

Big Bands: Saxophonist Teddy Edwards brings his uniquely orchestrated Brass String Ensemble to the Luckman Theater tonight in a performance that includes vocalists Ernie Andrews and Barbara Morrison. Edwards has orchestrated some of the music from his current High Note album “Midnight Creeper,” including his song “Don’t Touch Me,” popularized by Ernestine Anderson, for the ensemble’s lineup of five strings, five brass, harp, Latin percussion and saxophone. The event is a benefit for the Luckman’s jazz programs and the Pacoima Junior Golf Assn.

Edwards will celebrate his birthday with three days of appearances in a variety of ensembles at the Serengeti Ballroom in his adopted hometown of Detroit, April 24-26. The saxophonist was born in Jackson, Miss., on April 26, 1924.

* Teddy Edwards and Friends, Luckman Theater, Cal State L.A., 5151 State University Drive; tonight, 8 p.m. $27.50-$32.50; students and seniors, $15. (213) 343-6600.

Ode to Monterey: Gerald Wilson’s five-part suite “Theme for Monterey” will be performed at the Moonlight Supper Club on Tuesday. The performance of the piece is only its second since its premiere at the Monterey Jazz Festival last September. Most of the musicians who play on Wilson’s recently released MAMA label recording of the piece, including Wilson’s son, guitarist Anthony Wilson, will be on hand. (Anthony Wilson’s ensemble will play a free concert at the Veterans Wadsworth Theater on April 5.) Moonlight information: (818) 788-2000.

The 79-year-old Wilson, who says that the reception the suite garnered at Monterey gave him a lot of confidence, is preparing to write music for a commission from the Carnegie Hall Jazz Orchestra to perform at a New York concert he’ll conduct in November.

Coming in April: The USC Jazz Studies program’s annual Jazz City festival takes place April 13-16, with noon and 5 p.m. concerts outdoors at Alumni Park each day and concerts at 7 each night at Bovard Auditorium. Highlights include the April 13 performances of trumpeter Wallace Roney’s band at 7 p.m. and the Ernie Watts Quartet at 5 p.m.; the Kenny Garrett Quartet and the Michael Wolff Quartet play at 7 p.m., April 14; B Sharp Jazz Quartet plays at 7 p.m., April 15; and a band with Jon Faddis, Slide Hampton and Jimmy Heath appears at 7 p.m., April 16. All concerts are free. Full lineup and information: (213) 740-2167.