ハンコック以下、そうそうたるサイドメンを従え、とびきり熱いハバードのプレイが堪能できるアルバムだ。躍動感といい、全編にみなぎるスリルといい、絶頂期を感じさせるプレイを展開する。

タワーレコード （2009/04/08）

Mojo - "...A rigorous purveying of muscular 2-chord, hard-bop-to-light-fusion improvisations over frantic boogaloo beats..." Down Beat - 4.5 stars out of 5 -- "The trumpeter spits out his fiery, hard-tongue improvisations over a buttery groove on the title track..." Mojo (6/02, p.125) - "...A rigorous purveying of muscular 2-chord, hard-bop-to-light-fusion improvisations over frantic boogaloo beats..."

Rovi

RED CLAY is easily one of trumpeter Freddie Hubbard's finest albums. Falling cleanly between the straight-ahead hard bop of his mid-1960s releases and his more accessible '70s ventures, this is an irresistible mix of electric and acoustic jazz, elevated by dazzling technical proficiency and funk-infused rhythms. Hubbard displays his trademark compositional skill here, with memorable melodies, open and often shifting tempos, and attention to tonal colour and atmosphere.
RED CLAY also boasts spectacular personnel: Joe Henderson on tenor sax, Herbie Hancock on electric piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Lenny White on drums. Every musician here is marvellously adept at playing both inside and outside, and each proves his mettle as a sensitive group player and a soloist (particularly Henderson and Hancock). White and Carter's rapport pushes the group toward quicksilver bop tempos ("The Intrepid Fox") and in-the-cut grooves (the title track). The reissue contains an incendiary version of "Red Clay" with a different lineup, including guitarist George Benson and percussionist Airto Moreira.|

Rovi