The Core is a Freddie Hubbard composition performed by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. Hubbard wrote it as a tribute to the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and to the idea of getting to the core of jazz and change. It was recorded for the 1964 album Free for All and released in 1965 on Blue Note. The track is arranged for a three horn front line with a rhythm section, with the trumpet carrying the melody while the other horns provide background riffs; the last bar is especially challenging. In Eb minor and played at a brisk tempo around 250 BPM, it sits in the post-bop / hard bop tradition. The lineup on Free for All includes Art Blakey on drums, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Cedar Walton on piano, and Reggie Workman on bass. A standout piece from the Jazz Messengers era, The Core is known for its focused energy and its reflection of Hubbard’s core jazz ideas and civil rights-inspired message.
