Photo: Catalin Neacsu Seattle, WA · CC BY 2.0 · credits
Tier 2 · legacy legendfull biography
Hubert Laws
Person · male · United States · Houston · born 1939 · recording since 1964
American flutist and saxophonist
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Also known as Herbert Laws · ヒューバート・ロウズ
Timeline
30 events▣ Album 28◦ Birth 1★ Debut release 1
1930s
1960s
· Debut release
Debut release: The Laws of Jazz
First documented Album in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
Biography
English biography696 words · 4 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1349767971
Biography
Hubert Laws (born November 10, 1939) is an American flutist, piccoloist and saxophonist with a career spanning over 50 years in jazz, classical, and other music genres. Laws is one of the few classical artists who has also mastered jazz, pop, and rhythm-and-blues genres, moving effortlessly from one repertory to another. He has three Grammy nominations.
Biography
Hubert Laws Jr. was born November 10, 1939, in the Studewood section of Houston, Texas, the second of eight children to Hubert Laws Sr. and Miola Luverta Donahue. Many of his siblings also entered the music industry, including saxophonist Ronnie and vocalists Eloise, Debra, and Johnnie Laws. He began playing flute in high school after volunteering to substitute for the school orchestra's regular flutist. He became adept at jazz improvisation by playing in the Houston-area jazz group the Swingsters, which eventually evolved into the Modern Jazz Sextet, the Night Hawks, and The Crusaders. At the age of 15, he was a member of the early Jazz Crusaders while in Texas (1954–60), and also played classical music during those years.
Winning a scholarship to New York's Juilliard School of Music in 1960, he studied music both in the classroom and with master flutist Julius Baker, and played with both the New York Metropolitan Opera Orchestra (member) and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra through 1969–72. In this period, his renditions of classical compositions by Gabriel Fauré, Stravinsky, Debussy, and Bach on the 1971 CTI recording Rite of Spring—with a string section and such jazz stalwarts as Airto Moreira, Jack DeJohnette, Bob James, and Ron Carter—earned him an audience of classical music aficionados. Laws would return to this genre in 1976 with a recording of Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet.
While at Juilliard, Laws played flute during the evenings with several acts, including Mongo Santamaría through 1963–67 where he also was featured on tenor saxophone, and in 1964 began recording as a bandleader for Atlantic where he released the albums The Laws of Jazz
The Laws of JazzSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracksA1Miss Thing3:47A2All Soul3:39A3Black Eyed Peas and Rice3:25A4Bessie's Blues6:12B1And Don't You Forget It2:59B2Bimbe Blue7:51B3Capers5:36, Flute By-Laws
Flute By-LawsSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracksA1Bloodshot4:40A2Miedo5:10A3Mean Lene5:15A4No You'd Better Not3:32B1Let Her Go3:25B2Strange Girl8:20B3Baila Cinderella4:26, and Laws Cause. He appeared on albums by Ashford & Simpson, Chet Baker, George Benson, and Moondog. He recorded with his younger brother Ronnie on the album The Laws in the early 1970s. He played flute on Gil Scott-Heron's 1971 album Pieces of a Man, which featured the jazz poem "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised". During the 1970s, Laws was a member of the New York Jazz Quartet. He can also be heard playing tenor saxophone on some records from the 1970s.
In 1981, Laws produced the album Very Special by Debra Laws.
In the 1990s, Laws resumed his career, playing on the 1991 Spirituals in Concert recording by opera singers Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman. His albums on the Music Masters Jazz label—My Time Will Come
My Time Will ComeSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracks1Malagueña (Arr., Donsebesky)10:102My Time Will Come5:173It's So Crazy5:034Shades of Light6:555Valse (Frederic Chopin; Arr. By Hubert Laws)10:576Make It Last8:457Moonlight Sonata (Ludwig Van Beethoven; Arr. By Hubert Laws)7:52 in 1990 and, more particularly, Storm Then Calm in 1994—are regarded by critics as a return to the form he exhibited on his early 1970s albums. He also recorded a tribute album to jazz pianist and pop-music vocalist Nat King Cole, Hubert Laws Remembers the Unforgettable Nat King Cole, which received critical accolades. Among the many artists he has played and recorded with are Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, McCoy Tyner, Nancy Wilson, Quincy Jones, Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Lena Horne, Leonard Bernstein, Antonio Carlos Jobim, James Moody, Jaco Pastorius, Sérgio Mendes, Steve Barta, Bob James, Carly Simon, Grant Green, George Benson, Freddie Hubbard, Clark Terry, Stevie Wonder, J. J. Johnson, and The Rascals. In 1998, Laws recorded with Morcheeba for the Red Hot Organization's compilation album Red Hot + Rhapsody, a tribute to George Gershwin, which raised money for various charities devoted to increasing AIDS awareness and fighting the disease.
The 2006 video Hubert Laws Live 30-year Video Retrospective includes "Red Hot & Cool" with Nancy Wilson, Performance in Brazil, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Appearance, The 1975 Down Beat Reader's Poll Awards, Performance in Japan, and Performance in Germany.
Awards and honors
In June 2010, Laws received a lifetime achievement award from the National Endowment for the Arts in the field of jazz.
Laws is a recipient of the 2011 NEA Jazz Masters Award.
Grammy Awards
Hubert Laws has received the following nominations at the Grammy Awards:
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 15 | 72.5th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 36 | 91.9th |
| Studio albums | 28 | 98th |
| Awards recorded | 2 | 92.6th |
| Timeline events | 30 | 96.8th |
| Recording span (years) | 60 | 97.7th |
| Genres | 4 | 84.7th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (36 release groups · 28 studio albums)
Albums · 28
1964 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 7 tracks · 33:29
A1Miss Thing3:47A2All Soul3:39A3Black Eyed Peas and Rice3:25A4Bessie's Blues6:12B1And Don't You Forget It2:59B2Bimbe Blue7:51B3Capers5:361966 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 7 tracks · 34:48
A1Bloodshot4:40A2Miedo5:10A3Mean Lene5:15A4No You'd Better Not3:32B1Let Her Go3:25B2Strange Girl8:20B3Baila Cinderella4:261969 · studio album
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Tracklist · 7 tracks · 33:42
A1No More2:30A2If You Knew4:31A3A Day With You3:34A4Please Let Go2:30B1Shades of Light6:44B2Trio for Flute, Bassoon, and Piano5:08B3Windows8:451969 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 32:50
A1La Jean2:30A2Love Is Blue/Sing a Rainbow3:20A3Crying Song4:50A4Listen to the Band3:20A5I've Gotta Get a Message to You3:05B1Feelin' Alright?2:30B2Cymbaline3:55B3How Long Will It Be?5:50B4Let It Be3:301970 · studio album
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Tracklist · 5 tracks · 37:25
A1Fire and Rain7:55A2Allegro From Concerto #3 in D3:40A3Theme From Love Story7:25B1Passacaglia in C Minor15:10B2Flute Sonata in F3:151971 · studio album
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Tracklist · 5 tracks · 30:48
A1Pavane7:43A2The Rite of Spring9:01B1Syrinx3:34B2Brandenburg Concerto No. 3: First Movement6:01B3Brandenburg Concerto No. 3: Second Movement4:291972 · studio album
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Tracklist · 6 tracks · 35:38
A1Morning Star7:54A2Let Her Go4:50A3Where Is the Love4:34B1No More5:00B2Amazing Grace7:20B3What Do You Think of This World Now?6:001972 · studio album
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Tracklist · 6 tracks · 30:42
1Wildflower3:122Pensativa4:033Equinox6:234Ashanti5:295Motherless Child5:326Yoruba6:031974 · studio album
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Tracklist · 5 tracks · 36:24
A1Detour Ahead7:55A2Goodbye9:17A3Old Devil Moon5:46A4SKJ6:45A5Opus de Funk6:41Then There Was Light, Volume 2
1974 · studio album
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Tracklist · 3 tracks · 32:24
A1Moment's Notice6:56A2Reconciliation10:06BMean Lene15:221974 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 1:03:10
Disc 1A1In the Beginning6:52A2Restoration8:57B1Gymnopedie #13:58B2Come ye disconsolate5:19B3Airegin5:29Disc 2C1Moment's Notice6:54C2Reconciliation10:06D1Mean Lene15:351975 · studio album
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Tracklist · 6 tracks · 33:59
A1The Chicago Theme (Love Loop)5:37A2Midnight at the Oasis5:28A3You Make Me Feel Brand New5:50B1Going Home5:04B2I Had a Dream6:00B3Inflation Chaser6:001976 · studio album
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Tracklist · 6 tracks · 37:56
A1Undecided6:13A2Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again8:21A3Forlane4:16B1Romeo and Juliet7:44B2What Are We Gonna Do5:37B3Guatemala Connection5:451977 · studio album
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Tracklist · 4 tracks · 37:39
A1Modadji12:10A2Feel Like Moving Love6:16B1Farandole10:55B2Scheherazade8:181978 · studio album
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Tracklist · 5 tracks · 33:13
1The Baron5:512False Faces6:203Love Gets Better5:054It Happens Every Day7:385Say It With Silence8:191979 · studio album
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Tracklist · 6 tracks · 36:10
A1Music Forever5:13A2Land of Passion5:45A3We're in Ecstacy7:07B1Heartbeats6:34B2The Key6:55B3We Will Be4:361980 · studio album
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Tracklist · 6 tracks
A1Ravel’s BoleroA2What a NightA3WildfireB1FamilyB2Memories of MineB3Say You’re Mine1982 · studio album
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Tracklist · 4 tracks · 38:11
A1Malagueña9:44A2Django10:02B1Swan Lake8:42B2All Blues9:431983 · studio album
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Tracklist · 7 tracks · 38:46
A1Gonna Be Happy (TV Soaps)5:18A2Make It Last4:56A3Happy Anniversary1:37A4Swan Lake6:11B1Stay With Me7:11B2Morning Star8:03B3Life Cycles5:301984 · studio album
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Tracklist · 6 tracks · 40:04
A1Song for Janet Lee7:25A2The Waltz You Saved5:27A3The Poet10:03B1When It Comes to Pass7:12B2Peace of Mine4:32B3Double Play (A Pitcher's Delight)5:251993 · studio album
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Tracklist · 7 tracks · 54:59
1Malagueña (Arr., Donsebesky)10:102My Time Will Come5:173It's So Crazy5:034Shades of Light6:555Valse (Frederic Chopin; Arr. By Hubert Laws)10:576Make It Last8:457Moonlight Sonata (Ludwig Van Beethoven; Arr. By Hubert Laws)7:521994 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 50:22
1Seven Steps5:122My Ship4:433Land of Passion4:484Lida Rose5:165Dat Over Dere6:026Life Cycles5:467Mean Lean7:578My Ship (vocal)4:419Morning Star5:572000 · studio album
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Tracklist · 15 tracks · 1:13:34
1Tango Africaine4:582Love Letters4:463Shelley's World3:554Soulero5:155Mr. Evans3:236Django5:357Beautiful Dreamer4:438Makin' Whoopee7:179No More2:3010If You Knew4:3111A Day With You3:3412Please Let Go2:3013Shades of Light6:4414Trio for Flute, Bassoon, and Piano5:0815Windows8:452004 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 44:02
1Moondance3:572Bloodshot4:433Stay With Me5:164Summer '754:445Stinky3:276Nighttime Daydream3:557Malibu4:078Love You Tonight3:469Clarita4:3210Kiss5:35Hubert Laws Plays Bach for Barone & Baker
2005 · studio album
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Tracklist · 22 tracks · 1:19:42
Disc 11Ave Maria5:222Bach Sonata No. 1 Andante7:543Largo e dolce3:404Presto1:395Allegro4:426Bach Sonata No. 2 Allegro moderato4:307Siciliano2:028Allegro5:049Bach Sonata No. 3 Largo e dolce3:0810Allegro (vivace)4:21Disc 21Bach Sonata #4 Andante2:082Minuet2:383Adagio2:094Allegro2:175Bach Sonata #5 Adagio ma non tanto4:396Allegro2:427Andante3:308Allegro4:539Bach Sonata #6 1st Mov Adagio ma non2:2310Allegro3:0911Siciliano3:3012Allegro assai3:222009 · studio album
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Tracklist · 12 tracks · 41:31
1What the World Needs Now4:082Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head3:183Wives and Lovers3:454My Melody3:125Anyone Who Had a Heart3:316Walk On By3:357I'll Never Fall in Love Again3:008The Look of Love3:149A House Is Not a Home4:5210Close to You3:1511Always Something There to Remind Me2:5112Say a Little Prayer2:502012 · studio album
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Tracklist · 7 tracks · 35:26
1Windows5:382Fire and Rain (Pt. 1)4:373Fire and Rain (Pt. 2)5:154Passacaglia (Pt. 1)5:155Passacaglia (Pt. 2)5:246Passacaglia (Pt. 3)4:137Passacaglia (Pt. 4)5:042024 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 44:53
1Selah4:252Dear Fall4:473Soul Journey4:424Melody4:405Pichi3:416Quintuplets4:257Blue New Year5:288Kadoshin2:569Caf5:5410Out Of a Dream3:55
Other · 1
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Carnegie HallSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 36:00AWindows / Fire And Rain (Medley)15:29 BPassacaglia In C Minor20:31 | Live | 1973 |
Album · 7
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a SandwichSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 10 tracks1School's Out (Benji's Theme) 2I'm Your Fool (Butler's Theme) 3Tiger's Pad 4Trackin' 5Rehabilitation 6Drop and Pop 7Somebody Right Now 8Something to Feel Good 9I Can't Leave You, Sweets 10I'm Your Fool (Butler's Theme) (reprise) | Soundtrack | 1978 | |
| 1980 | California SuiteSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 9 tracks · 37:00A1California5:02 A2Love Theme from "California Suite"6:58 A3Black Battle3:36 A4Hanna's Daughter1:16 B1Black Folks4:16 B2Hanna's Theme4:22 B3Academy Awards4:00 B4Beverly Hills5:05 B5California (End Credits)2:25 | Soundtrack | 1980 | |
| 1980 | How to Beat the High Cost of LivingSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 10 tracks · 31:43A1Down River2:20 A2Night Moves5:25 A3Piccolo Boogie4:30 A4Dream Something3:37 B1It's So Easy Loving You4:06 B2The Edge2:16 B3The Caper2:29 B4Ready to Run1:37 B5The Scuffle2:14 B6Song for a Pretty Girl3:09 | Soundtrack | 1980 | |
| 1982 | Aurex Jazz Festival '81: Fusion Super JamSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 7 tracks · 44:36A1Fancy Frogs5:19 A2What Would You Do5:07 A3Land of Passion5:07 A4Family6:30 B1You're My Every Need4:26 B2Pablo's Story7:19 B3Hot Fire10:48 | Live | 1982 | |
| 2006 | The Laws of Jazz / Flute By-LawsSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 14 tracks · 1:09:081Miss Thing3:49 2All Soul3:48 3Black Eyed Peas & Rice3:29 4Bessies Blues6:17 5And Don't You Forget It3:03 6Bimbe Blue8:04 7Capers5:41 8Bloodshot4:44 9Miedo5:11 10Mean Lene5:18 11No You'd Better Not3:34 12Let Her Go3:26 13Strange Girl8:18 14Baila Cinderella4:26 | Compilation | 2006 | |
| 2022 | Loulou / FlorenceSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 9 tracksA1Loulou générique A2Loulou et Nelly A3Loulou guitare B1Clotilde sur la plage (Dédicace) B2En route B3L’Extra B4Balade B5Couché de soleil B6Générique de fin | Compilation,Soundtrack | 2022 | |
| — | The Best of Hubert LawsSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 11 tracks · 1:12:291Syrinx3:34 2Fire and Rain7:57 3Allegro From Concerto #3 in D3:47 4The Rite of Spring8:59 5Amazing Grace7:19 6Morning Star7:57 7Moment's Notice6:58 8Gympopedie #13:58 9The Chicago Theme (Love Loop)5:35 10Midnight at the Oasis5:29 11Farandole (L'Arlésienne Suite No. 2)10:56 | Compilation | — |
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Hubert Laws head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 15 | 72.5th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 36 | 91.9th |
| Studio albums | 28 | 98th |
| Awards recorded | 2 | 92.6th |
| Timeline events | 30 | 96.8th |
| Recording span (years) | 60 | 97.7th |
| Genres | 4 | 84.7th |
Awards & honours
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | NEA Jazz Masters | won | |
| — | NEA Jazz Masters | won |
Line-up
| Name | From | To | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| CTI All-Stars(band) | — | present | |
| New York Jazz Quartet(band) | — | present |
Where this record comes from
portrait—Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hubert_Laws.jpgaliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/82208529-b45a-4b3e-92dd-02f6b14c6f18discography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/82208529-b45a-4b3e-92dd-02f6b14c6f18core—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q721330genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q721330seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubert_Lawsbiography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubert_Laws
Why this artist is in the database
- List of jazz musicians
Tier rule: genre canon: jazz
Image: Catalin Neacsu Seattle, WA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Wikidata: Q721330 · MusicBrainz: 82208529-b45a-4b3e-92dd-02f6b14c6f18
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