This album's title and cover welcome the listener to trumpeter Freddie Hubbard's initial outing as a bandleader, and it's a fine Blue Note debut. (Prior to this release, ... Full DescriptionHubbard had played with many East Coast jazz luminaries, most notably Sonny Rollins and Eric Dolphy.) Recorded in 1960, OPEN SESAME features a stellar band that includes pianist McCoy Tyner and saxophonist Tina Brooks.

The swinging title track, penned by Brooks, showcases the horns, but it also allows the rest of the band to get into a tight groove. The following tune finds the ensemble easing into Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke's classic ballad "But Beautiful," with Hubbard and Tyner taking center stage for much of the song. An outstanding first album, OPEN SESAME stands up to Hubbard's excellent latter-day recordings.

This is part of Blue Note Records "Rudy Van Gelder Editions" series.

Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on June 19, 1960. Includes liner notes by Ira Gitler and Bob Blumenthal.