Hubert Laws
Elegant, fluid jazz flute that bridges the gap between classical precision and soulful groove. Sophisticated music for quiet mornings and thoughtful evenings.
Elegant, fluid jazz flute that bridges the gap between classical precision and soulful groove. Sophisticated music for quiet mornings and thoughtful evenings.
Hubert Laws is a foundational figure in the elevation of the flute as a lead instrument in jazz. Emerging from a rigorous classical background, Laws became a central figure in the 1970s CTI Records stable, where producer Creed Taylor utilized his technical precision to create a sophisticated blend of jazz, soul, and classical music.
His career arc is defined by a refusal to be pigeonholed; he has performed with the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra while simultaneously recording some of the most sampled flute breaks in hip-hop history. His sound identity is built on a 'clean' approach to the instrument, avoiding the vocalized growls of contemporaries like Roland Kirk in favor of a shimmering, vibrato-rich tone. Critically, he is viewed as the bridge between the hard bop era and the smoother, more produced sounds of the late 70s and 80s. His influence is felt in any artist who treats the flute with orchestral gravity within a contemporary rhythmic framework.
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