Hubert Laws | |
|---|---|
 Laws in 2007 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1939-11-10)November 10, 1939 (age 86) |
| Origin | Houston, Texas, United States |
| Genres | Jazz,classical |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Flute,piccolo |
| Years active | 1964–present |
| Labels | RKO/Unique,Sony, Music Masters Jazz,CTI,Columbia |
| Website | HubertLaws.com |
Hubert Laws (born November 10, 1939)[1] is an Americanflutist,piccoloist andsaxophonist with a career spanning over 50 years injazz,classical, and other music genres. Laws is one of the few classical artists who has also masteredjazz,pop, andrhythm-and-blues genres, moving effortlessly from one repertory to another.[2] He has three Grammy nominations.[3]
Hubert Laws, Jr. was born November 10, 1939, in the Studewood section ofHouston, Texas, the second of eight children to Hubert Laws, Sr. and Miola Luverta Donahue.[1][4][5][6][7] Many of his siblings also entered the music industry, including saxophonistRonnie and vocalistsEloise,Debra, and Johnnie Laws. He began playing flute in high school after volunteering to substitute for the school orchestra's regular flutist. He became adept at jazz improvisation by playing in the Houston-area jazz group the Swingsters, which eventually evolved into the Modern Jazz Sextet, the Night Hawks, andThe Crusaders. At the age of 15, he was a member of the early Jazz Crusaders while in Texas (1954–60), and also played classical music during those years.
Winning a scholarship to New York'sJuilliard School of Music in 1960, he studied music both in the classroom and with master flutistJulius Baker, and played with both theNew York Metropolitan Opera Orchestra (member) and theNew York Philharmonic Orchestra through 1969–72. In this period, his renditions of classical compositions by Gabriel Fauré, Stravinsky, Debussy, and Bach on the 1971CTI recordingRite of Spring—with a string section and such jazz stalwarts asAirto Moreira,Jack DeJohnette,Bob James, andRon Carter—earned him an audience of classical music aficionados. Laws would return to this genre in 1976 with a recording ofTchaikovsky'sRomeo and Juliet.
While at Juilliard, Laws played flute during the evenings with several acts, includingMongo Santamaría through 1963–67 where he also was featured on tenor saxophone, and in 1964 began recording as a bandleader for Atlantic where he released the albumsThe Laws of Jazz,Flute By-Laws, andLaws Cause. He appeared on albums byAshford & Simpson,Chet Baker,George Benson, andMoondog. He recorded with his younger brother Ronnie on the albumThe Laws in the early 1970s. He played flute onGil Scott-Heron's 1971 albumPieces of a Man, which featured the jazz poem "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised". During the 1970s, Laws was a member of theNew York Jazz Quartet. He can also be heard playingtenor saxophone on some records from the 1970s.[8][9]
In 1981, Laws produced the albumVery Special by Debra Laws.[10]
In the 1990s, Laws resumed his career, playing on the 1991Spirituals in Concert recording by opera singersKathleen Battle andJessye Norman. His albums on the Music Masters Jazz label—My Time Will Come in 1990 and, more particularly,Storm Then Calm in 1994—are regarded by critics as a return to the form he exhibited on his early 1970s albums. He also recorded a tribute album to jazz pianist and pop-music vocalistNat King Cole,Hubert Laws Remembers the Unforgettable Nat King Cole, which received critical accolades. Among the many artists he has played and recorded with areHerbie Hancock,Chick Corea,McCoy Tyner,Nancy Wilson,Quincy Jones,Paul McCartney,Paul Simon,Aretha Franklin,Ella Fitzgerald,Sarah Vaughan,Lena Horne,Leonard Bernstein,James Moody,Jaco Pastorius,Sérgio Mendes,Steve Barta,Bob James,Carly Simon,Grant Green,George Benson,Freddie Hubbard,Clark Terry,Stevie Wonder,J. J. Johnson, andThe Rascals.[11] In 1998, Laws recorded withMorcheeba for theRed Hot Organization's compilation albumRed Hot + Rhapsody, a tribute toGeorge Gershwin, which raised money for various charities devoted to increasingAIDS awareness and fighting the disease.
The 2006 videoHubert Laws Live 30-year Video Retrospective includes "Red Hot & Cool" with Nancy Wilson, Performance in Brazil,The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Appearance, The 1975Down Beat Reader's Poll Awards, Performance in Japan, and Performance in Germany.
In June 2010, Laws received a lifetime achievement award from theNational Endowment for the Arts in the field of jazz.[12]
Laws is a recipient of the 2011NEA Jazz Masters Award.[13]
Hubert Laws has received the following nominations at theGrammy Awards:
| Year | Title | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Morning Star | Best Jazz Performance by a Soloist | Nominated[14] |
| 1974 | In the Beginning | Best Jazz Performance by a Soloist | Nominated[14] |
| 1979 | Land of Passion | Best R&B Instrumental Performance | Nominated[14] |
