Hubbard was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and associated in his youth with various musicians in Indianapolis, including Wes Montgomery and Montgomery's brothers. Chet Baker was an early influence, although Hubbard soon aligned himself with the approach of Clifford Brown (and his forebears: Fats Navarro and Dizzy Gillespie).
Hubbard's jazz career began in earnest after moving to New York City in 1958. While there, he worked with Sonny Rollins, Slide Hampton, J. J. Johnson, Philly Joe Jones, Oliver Nelson, and Quincy Jones, among others. He gained attention while playing with the seminal hard bop ensemble Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, appearing on such albums as Mosaic, Buhaina's Delight, and Free For All. He left the Messengers in 1964 to lead his own groups and from that time maintained a high profile as a bandleader or featured as a special guest, but never merely a sideman.
Along with two other trumpeters also born in 1938, Lee Morgan (d. 1971) and Booker Little (d. 1961), Hubbard exerted a strong force on the direction of 1960s jazz. He recorded extensively for Blue Note Records: eight albums as a bandleader, and twenty-eight as a sideman. Most of these recordings are regarded as classics. Hubbard appeared on a few early avant-garde landmarks (Ornette Coleman's Free Jazz, Eric Dolphy's Out to Lunch and John Coltrane's Ascension), but Hubbard never fully embraced free jazz, though it did influence his playing.
After leaving Blue Note, Hubbard recorded for the Atlantic label and moved toward a more commercial style. His next label was CTI Records where he recorded his best-known works, Red Clay, First Light, and Sky Dive. By 1970, his fiery, melodic improvisation and phenomenal technique established him as perhaps the leading trumpeter of his day, but a series of commercially oriented smooth jazz albums spawned some negative criticism. After signing with Columbia Records, Hubbard's albums were almost exclusively in a commercial vein. However, in 1976, Hubbard toured and recorded with V.S.O.P., led by Herbie Hancock which presented unadulterated jazz in the style of the 1960s Miles Davis Quintet (with Hubbard taking the place of Davis).
1980s projects moved between straight-ahead and commercial styles, and Hubbard recorded for several different labels including Atlantic, Pablo, Fantasy, Elektra/Musician, and the revived Blue Note label. The slightly younger Woody Shaw was Hubbard's main jazz competitor during the 1970s and 1980s, and the two eventually recorded together on three occasions. Hubbard participated in the short-lived Griffith Park Collective, which also included Joe Henderson, Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, and Lenny White.
Following a long setback of health problems and a serious lip injury in 1992, Hubbard played and recorded occasionally, but not at the high level that he set for himself during his earlier career.
On December 29, 2008, Hubbard's hometown newspaper, Hubbard died from complications from a heart attack suffered on November 26 of the same year.
The Intrepid Fox
Freddie Hubbard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No I never met someone shy
Until I seen your eyes
Still I had to try, yeah
Oh yes, let me get my words right and then approach you
Woman I treat you like a man is suppose to
You never have to cry, no
And she's royal, yeah so royal
And, I want her in my life.
I never knew anyone so one-of-a-kind, no
The way she move to her own beat
She has the qualites of a queen, she's a queen
Ooo ooo what a natural beauty
No need no make-up to be a cutie
She's a queen, she's a queen
And when they ask what a good woman's made of
She's not afraid and ashamed of
Who she is,
She's royal yeh, so royal,
And I need her in my life,
I never knew anyone, so one of a kind
Until the night that I seen your eyes
Oooww nubian queen, my queen
Oooww nubian queen, my queen soo supreme
I can see it in her eyes, the way she smiles
Eh yes iyuhni, I know the king an queen crown same time
So I neva leave yuh side, juss stick wit me tru di trial times
If she seh she no mind, cuh right ya now,good man is hard tuh find
Cuz she tell dem nuh badda join nuh line, dats why she has no ties at this time
I know many men are tryin, but she needs 2 be more than wine and dined becuz
She's royal, yeah so royal
And, I want her in my life.
I never knew anyone so divine, no
The way she move to her own beat
She has the qualites of a queen, so supreme
Ooo ooo what a natural beauty
No need no make-up to be a cutie
She's a queen, so supreme
And when they ask what a good woman's made of
She's not afraid and ashamed of
Who she is,
She's royal, yeah so royal
And, I want her in my life.
I never knew anyone so one of a kind, no, no
The way she move to her own beat
She has the qualities of a queen, my nubian queen
Ooo ooo what a natural beauty
The lyrics of Freddie Hubbard's song The Intrepid Fox are actually from a different song called She's Royal by Tarrus Riley. The song is a tribute to a woman who is confident and unapologetically herself, known for her natural beauty and unique personality. The singer of the song is immediately drawn to this woman, describing her as a queen with qualities that set her apart from others. Despite her confidence and regal nature, the woman is not afraid to be vulnerable and show her emotions.
The singer promises to treat her well and be by her side through both good times and bad. He acknowledges that many other men are trying to win her affections, but knows that to truly win her heart, he needs to appreciate her for more than just her physical beauty. The song celebrates the strength and individuality of women, and emphasizes the importance of treating them with respect and admiration.
Line by Line Meaning
Ooo ooo, natural beauty, she is
The woman being referred to is a natural beauty.
No I never met someone shy
The singer has never met someone who is shy before, until he saw the woman's eyes.
Until I seen your eyes
The singer was only able to meet someone who is shy after seeing the woman's eyes.
Still I had to try, yeah
Despite the woman's shyness, the singer still wanted to approach her.
Oh yes, let me get my words right and then approach you
The singer wants to ensure that he chooses the right words before approaching the woman.
Woman I treat you like a man is suppose to
The singer intends to treat the woman with respect and dignity, as a man should.
You never have to cry, no
The singer promises the woman that she will never have to cry.
I know everyone can relate to when they find that special someone
The singer knows that everyone is familiar with the feeling of finding a special person.
And she's royal, yeah so royal
The woman is very special and unique, like royalty.
And, I want her in my life.
The singer wishes to have the woman in his life.
I never knew anyone so one-of-a-kind, no
The singer has never met someone as unique and exceptional as the woman in question.
The way she move to her own beat
The woman dances to her own tune and follows her own path.
She has the qualites of a queen, she's a queen
The woman has the qualities of a queen and is therefore a queen herself.
No need no make-up to be a cutie
The woman is naturally beautiful and does not require makeup to look cute.
And when they ask what a good woman's made of
When people inquire about the qualities of a good woman...
She's not afraid and ashamed of
... the woman is not afraid or ashamed of herself.
Who she is,
She is not ashamed to be herself.
Oooww nubian queen, my queen
The woman is referred to as a nubian queen.
Oooww nubian queen, my queen soo supreme
The woman is a supreme nubian queen.
I can see it in her eyes, the way she smiles
The woman's eyes and smile give away how extraordinary she is.
Eh yes iyuhni, I know the king an queen crown same time
The singer acknowledges that he and the woman are on equal footing, as if sharing a king and queen crown.
So I neva leave yuh side, juss stick wit me tru di trial times
The singer promises to never leave the woman's side and to stand by her through good and difficult times.
If she seh she no mind, cuh right ya now,good man is hard tuh find
If the woman says she does not mind, it is because it is hard to find a good man nowadays.
Cuz she tell dem nuh badda join nuh line, dats why she has no ties at this time
The woman tells other men not to bother pursuing her, which is why she does not have any ties at the moment.
I know many men are tryin, but she needs 2 be more than wine and dined becuz
Many men are trying to pursue the woman, but the singer knows that she needs more than just being courted to be won over.
She has the qualites of a queen, so supreme
The woman possesses the qualities of a supreme queen.
And when they ask what a good woman's made of
When people inquire about what makes a good woman...
She's not afraid and ashamed of
... the woman is not afraid or ashamed of herself.
Who she is,
She is not ashamed to be herself.
And, I want her in my life.
The singer wants the woman to be a part of his life.
I never knew anyone so one of a kind, no, no
The singer has never met someone as exceptional and unique as the woman.
She has the qualities of a queen, my nubian queen
The woman has the regal qualities of a queen and is the singer's nubian queen.
Ooo ooo what a natural beauty
The woman being described is a natural beauty.
Lyrics © GOPAM ENTERPRISES INC
Written by: FREDDIE HUBBARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@markbridwell8972
Once again here's Joe Henderson , the hardest working and most talented tenor ever (in my opinion) RIP JH .
@intrepidpooch
They are several live Freddie albums from the early 80s recorded live at Keystone Korner where Joe absolutely rips this tune to shreds!
@woah284
Joe is definitely up there (top 5 all time IMO) but there's no way he's better than Coltrane
@JamesSpeiser
he had his own unique style and didn't play like anybody else
@FrankLukeAudiophile
I agree.Although Wayne Shorter wasn't exactly chopped liver :) I like Joe Henderson's energy and love his tunes Inner Urge, Recordame etc.
@johnburke568
Many of my favorite tunes Henderson is on. Love what he brought to sessions
@jasonpfinch
Recorded two months before I was born, released two months after I was born. Not that I think the whole world revolves around me, obviously. Amazing stuff from a bunch of musicians at the absolute peak of their powers.
@markbridwell8972
Compassionately and expertly stated . Thanks &
God bless you
@edwardmorris3610
Best song of the whole album
@WELCOME2PATSPLACE
I like Red Clay best but The Intrepid Fox is a darn close second!