Today (Feb 4, 2025) marks the 80th anniversary of John Stubblefield’s birth. Stubbs is one of my favorite saxophonists and in a sense an exemplar of the “lost generation” of folks like Victor Lewis and James Williams who, while beloved within the jazz community, fell in the cracks in the 1980s landscape of straight-ahead jazz’s popularity resurgence, too old to be “young lions” and too young to be “legends.” But my goodness could he play, bringing copious fire and having the sensitivity and versatility to adapt to many situations. Every time I saw him with Kenny Barron’s quintet it was revelatory and this doesn’t even address his evocative composing – for example, he never even recorded his classic “Baby Man” (popularized by Mary Lou Williams and later recorded by Playdate, a collective ensemble of which I was fortunate to be a part). Thankfully we have his rich legacy, enhanced recently through the publication of his sister Joyce Patillo’s book “Yours Truly, John.”

Here are some personal favorites, presented in chronological order and compressed here into a 25 year stretch prior to his illness and premature death. There are some records it was hard to omit here, both Stubbs’s own and music in particular by Billy Hart, Nat Adderley, and Larry Willis, as well as the Mingus Big Band (and Charles Mingus himself), McCoy Tyner Mario Rivera, Pheeroan akLaff, Lester Bowie, Hilton Ruiz, Abdullah Ibrahim, Victor Lewis, Anthony Braxton, and Paul “PB” Brown. But this should give folks some smiles, whether it’s longtime fans reexamining his work or newbies enjoying their initiation.

1 ) “The Last Prophet” from Ethnic Expressions by Roy Brooks (1973)

There’s no way to make this statement with a quantifiable sense of credibility, but to my ear this record is where I first hear Stubbs sounding appropriately featured and fully developed as a soloist. This burning track by drummer Roy Brooks (John’s bandmate in Charles Mingus’s band) also features gnarly solos by Sonny Fortune on alto saxophone, Cecil Bridgewater on trumpet, and Hilton Ruiz on electric piano. 

2 ) “Little Prince” from Prelude (1976)

For such a muscular player, John’s lyrical side was also noteworthy. Here, on his debut album as a leader, we get to hear an early example of his work as a soprano saxophone soloist (a few months after he was featured as such on several tracks each on two Nat Adderley records alongside Makanda McIntyre) on an original slow waltz tune, with pianist Onaje Allan Gumbs and bassist Cecil McBee also prominently featured. 

3 ) “No One Gets to Transcend Anything (No One Except Oil Company Executives)” from Coup de Tete by Kip Hanrahan (1981)

“Offbeat, witty, and grooving Kip Hanrahan recording” is perhaps redundant, but nonetheless accurate. A cadre of great percussionists (including Ignacio Berroa and future Stubbs employer Jerry Gonzalez) and bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma lay down a nasty Latin funk groove and after Kip’s spoken word bit, Stubbs comes in and tears it up.

4 ) “Confessin’” from Confessin’ (1984)

This medium-tempo but gnarly swinger from John’s pen evokes the 1960s work of another John, Mr. Coltrane. This is another soprano feature, and his wailing is buoyed by the grooving work of Mulgrew Miller, Rufus Reid, and Eddie Gladden.

5 ) “My Ideal” from Countin’ on the Blues (1987)

Here is Mulgrew again, this time in a duo performance. While there are some lovely original compositions on this record, “My Ideal” offers a chance to hear him taking on a standard ballad as well as the highly sympathetic interplay between these two masters.

6 ) “Bushman Song” from The Crawl by Louis Hayes (1989)

While the original versions of this tune from John’s album of the same title (both a quasi-fusion version featuring Geri Allen on DX7 synthesizer and Charnett Moffett on electric bass and an acoustic version where Victor Lewis and Mino Cinelu get into a different groove) are both fun, they are sadly out of print. Fortunately, this all-star sextet offers another important reading of the tune, one with an altered and more elaborate chord progression. In addition to Hayes and Stubbs, there are great solos by Gary Bartz, Charles Tolliver, and Mickey Tucker, who recorded the tune on his own Blues in Five Dimensions album a few months prior. 

7 ) “Big Girls” from Quickstep by Kenny Barron (1991)

Hyperbole alert: John’s soloing on this track is one of the greatest recorded performances I have ever hear, period. We’re talking desert island level. If you don’t have patience for the full 16 minute track (note to my students: this excludes you!) then at least listen to the melody of this Victor Lewis tune and then John’s full solo, which illustrates both passion and whisper-to-a-scream intensity building to a superlative degree. All five of Kenny’s quintet albums with John (of which this is #4 and the second of three to feature the iconic frontline of John and Eddie Henderson) are wonderful, but if I have to limit myself to one track, this has to be it.

8 ) “Here and There” from Morning Song (1993)

This jaunty, relaxed tune of John’s also appears on Kenny’s Quickstep album with John on tenor. Here he plays soprano, with Victor Lewis swinging like crazy and George Cables and Clint Houston doing wonderful work both as soloists and accompanists.

9 ) “Midnight Train” from Pensativo by Jerry Gonzalez & The Fort Apache Band (1995)

To my awareness, this is John’s only composing credit among the four Fort Apache records on which he plays it, but boy does he make it count. The rhythm section of Larry Willis, Steve Berrios, and Andy Gonzalez throws down and John, Jerry, and Joe Ford respond in kind.

10 ) “Blue Rol” from Songs of Rahsaan Roland Kirk by Haunted Melodies (1998)

This leader-less assemblage of great musicians playing Rahsaan Roland Kirk material has a significant multi-generational component. On this slow blues, the reeds of Stubbs and James Spaulding represent the elders. If it were just for the tenor solo this would be a noteworthy document, but what’s particularly so is his truly nasty clarinet solo that precedes it, to my awareness marking his only recorded performance on that instrument and a fitting testament to his soul and versatility.

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