Hubert Laws

Hubert Laws stands out as a Grammy-nominated and award-winning performer on flute and saxophone, whose wide-ranging tastes encompass classical music, jazz, R&B, pop, and Broadway scores.

Raised in Houston amid a family steeped in music, he benefited from a mother who sang, a grandfather who played instruments, and siblings—including brother Ronnie Laws—who largely built professional careers in the field. Laws began with piano lessons, moved to mellophone, and took up flute while still in high school. From 1954 to 1960, the period in which he earned a Juilliard scholarship, he belonged to the early Jazz Crusaders. At Juilliard he trained under Julius Baker and performed as a bonded member of the New York Metropolitan Opera Orchestra while also appearing with the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein. Jazz gigs supplemented his schedule, placing him alongside figures such as Mongo Santamaria, Benny Golson, Jim Hall, James Moody, and Clark Terry.

Atlantic released his debut, The Laws of Jazz, in 1964 after he signed with the label; Flute By-Laws followed in 1966 and Laws Cause in 1969. Joining Creed Taylor’s CTI imprint, he delivered the soul-jazz album Crying Song, a hit that lifted his visibility above that of longtime leading jazz flutist Herbie Mann. Afro-Classic appeared in 1970 and presented a jazz reading of James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain” alongside classical works by Bach and Mozart as well as a film theme by Francis Lai, revealing a fresh facet of the musician. Rite of Spring in 1972 consisted entirely of classical repertoire performed with sidemen including Airto, Bob James, Ron Carter, and Jack DeJohnette; critics hailed the recording as a jazz classic and ranked it among the year’s finest releases even though Laws also issued Wild Flower, his last Atlantic title, and the provocative Morning Star on CTI. The latter placed him in a funky soul-jazz context with an expansive ensemble and lush string and horn arrangements by Don Sebesky. He stayed with CTI until 1978, issuing In the Beginning and The Chicago Theme among other projects, and served as featured guest on recordings by George Benson and Grant Green.

Signing with Columbia, he composed, arranged, and conducted 1979’s In the Beginning, embracing jazz, funk, and disco; although some jazz purists objected, radio programmers and club DJs welcomed the direction. The funky 1980 set Family included a track with sister Debra and support from Chick Corea, Bobby Lyle, Nathan East, and Leon “Ndugu” Chancler. That year he and Earl Klugh also composed and recorded the score for How to Beat the High Cost of Living; additional film work encompasses The Wiz, The Color Purple, and A Hero Ain’t Nothing But a Sandwich.

With Jim Hall and Chet Baker he cut the trio date Studio Trieste for CTI. He blended funk and classical elements on 1984’s Make It Last, then the next year recorded Harold Alfred Blanchard’s New Earth Sonata and George Telemann’s Suite in A Minor (Overture/Air Italien/Rejouissance), the latter conducted by Quincy Jones; it marked his final Columbia release. After the 1987 all-star sextet session Very Well, which featured Carter, Pendarvis, Eric Gale, Buddy Williams, and Victor See Yuen, Laws stepped away from recording for seven years to focus on live classical and musical-theater performances plus extensive high-profile session work. He resumed in the early 1990s with My Time Will Come in 1993 and Storm Then the Calm the following year, both on MusicMasters. Hubert Laws Remembers the Unforgettable Nat King Cole, released in 1998, earned strong critical praise. Further highlights include yearly Carnegie Hall appearances, sold-out Hollywood Bowl concerts alongside flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal, and performances with the Detroit Symphony. In 2002 he explored Brazilian and Latin jazz on Baila Cinderella, and two years later Savoy issued the charting Moondance. He has claimed Best Jazz Flutist honors 24 times in the DownBeat Readers Poll and seven times in the critics poll, all of the latter occurring in the twenty-first century. Symphonic Arrangement: Suite for Flute & Jazz Piano Trio, a 2015 collaboration with Steve Barta and Jeffrey Biegel, appeared most recently.