Richard Boulger

On his critically acclaimed 2007 recording Blues Twilight, Richard Boulger included in his liner notes a quote from his teacher and longtime friend, the legendary Freddie Hubbard, who called the project by the renowned trumpeter and flugelhorn player "truly inspirational." Hubbard passed away late in 2008, but there's no doubt he would use the same words to describe his protégée's latest collection. While the jazz electronica, old school funk and world music fusion Boulger creates with keyboardist Dario Boente on his latest collection marks a dramatic shift from his hard bop leanings of the past, Boulger pays homage even more directly to Hubbard, using a phone message from the trumpet great as the intro to the opening title track. Hubbard's words say it all: "Things are Lookin Up."

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