November 10, 1939

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Flutist and saxophonist Hubert Laws was born on November 10, 1939 in Houston, Texas.

Laws’s musical endeavors encompass a wide array of genres; at various points in his career, he worked with classical orchestras, small jazz combos, and even the jazz poet Gil-Scott Heron.

Laws, along with Herbie Mann and Eric Dolphy, is regarded as one of modern jazz’s best flute players.

In 1960, he won a scholarship to the Juilliard School of Music. He played with both the New York Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.

While at Juilliard, he played gigs with Mongo Santamaria and others and began his own recording career as a leader in 1964 for Atlantic Records.

Here’s a short list of the artists he’s worked with over the years: Herbie Hancock, 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, Bob James, Carly Simon, George Benson, Clark Terry, Stevie Wonder, J. J. Johnson, and The Rascals.

Personnel:

Hubert Laws, flute
David Budway, piano
Rob Mullins, keyboards
John Leftwich, bass
Ralph Penland, drums

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