Hard jazzers may poo poo Hubbard's CTI years, but there remains some lustrous music from that era. Keep Your Soul Together is only one step away from Red Clay, Hubbard's seminal recording debut for Creed Taylor. Featuring the tightest of bands, Gelder's signature clean sound and a mix of jazz, soul and rock tendencies, it's a classic in its own fusion right: from the sensual ballad of ‘Brigitte’ to the bop of ‘Spirits of Trane’ to the funk groove of the title track, KYST oozes class. Polar AC, by contrast, is swaddled in strings but just stays the right side of kitsch; indeed it transcends its progeny as a an anthology of outtakes from Gelder recordings, put together when Hubbard had gone over to Columbia. It's Laws who steals the show, on the title track and the incongruous ‘Betcha By Golly, Wow’. Skagly was Hubbard's last run out for Columbia, and wears its pop credentials more unashamedly. Yet even on the appropriately titled ‘Happiness Is Now’ Hubbard's firing on all cylinders, while his flugel flies on the lush Legrand ballad ‘Summer of ’42’. As a bargain three for one, this is good value Hubbard that doesn't deserve to be overlooked.