Bobby Hutcherson

Bobby Hutcherson - Now! (1969) {Blue Note Connoisseur CD Series}
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© 1969, 2004 Blue Note / Capitol | 7243 4 73164 2 5 | 24-bit remaster
Jazz / Post Bop / Vibes

Now! is one of Bobby Hutcherson's most adventurous recordings. Cut with the Harold Land Quintet in 1969, Hutcherson augments the lineup with vocalist the Right Reverend Eugene McDaniels (then Gene McDaniels) and a chorus at the height of Black Power consciousness. While this band may not appeal to straight hard and post-bop listeners who prefer their music instrumentally, it is a compelling and even stunning record if accepted on its own terms. The compositions reflect the tightrope Hutcherson and Land walked on their earlier outings together between post-bop and vanguard jazz. The interplay between Hutcherson and Stanley Cowell's 's piano in the instrumental passages in "Slow Change" is so intuitive and symbiotic it may slip by the listener who is not paying attention.

With the possible exception of Grover Washington’s Feels So Good, no other album captured the spirit of jazz in 1975 like Bobby Hutcherson’s Montara. Recorded in his hometown of L.A., Montara is the very sound of groove jazz coming out of fusion, and Latin jazz’s...

Bobby Hutcherson - Cruisin' The 'Bird (1988) {Landmark LCD-1517-2}
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© 1988 Landmark Records | LCD-1517-2
Jazz / Post Bop / Vibes

Throughout his career, vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson has recorded one rewarding set after another, always being quite consistent. This date (which as usual can be considered advanced hard bop) finds Hutcherson (who doubles on marimba) interacting with saxophonist Ralph Moore (heard on tenor and soprano), pianist Buddy Montgomery, bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Victor Lewis. Together they perform four of Hutcherson's unpredictable originals plus a trio of standards (including "Come Rain or Come Shine"). Fine music.

Total Eclipse was Bobby Hutcherson's first recording session with tenor saxophonist Harold Land, who became one of his major collaborators (and a quintet co-leader) during the late '60s. Land's rounded, echoing tone is a nice contrast for the coolly cerebral post-bop that fills Total Eclipse. Hutcherson contributes four of the five compositions (the other, "Matrix," is by pianist Chick Corea), and he's in a mood to intellectually challenge himself and the rest of the quintet, which also includes bassist Reggie Johnson and longtime drummer Joe Chambers. The results are full of the sort of skillful musicianship one would naturally expect of Hutcherson's '60s-era Blue Notes. Land's solo lines are fluid and lengthy, assimilating some of Coltrane's innovations while remaining accessibly soulful…

Bobby Hutcherson's first quartet outing, Happenings, casts the brightest spotlight on the vibraphonist's soloing abilities, matching him once again with pianist Herbie Hancock (who is also heavily featured) and drummer Joe Chambers, plus bassist Bob Cranshaw. For that matter, the album also leans heavily on Hutcherson's compositional skills; save for Hancock's "Maiden Voyage," six of the seven numbers are Hutcherson originals. Given his reputation as a modernist, most of the pieces here are structured pretty simply - there's a lot of straightforward modal hard bop, giving Hutcherson and Hancock plenty of room to solo. They handle much of the material with a light, mellow touch, trading off meditative licks even on the more up-tempo pieces and poignant, lyrical lines on the ballads "Bouquet" and "When You Are Near"…

Bobby Hutcherson is rightfully considered one of the best vibraphonists in the history of jazz. He's also one of the most innovative and esoteric as his recordings for Blue Note in the mid to late 60's display.

Bobby Hutcherson - Oblique (1967) [2005 RVG Remaster]
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Jazz, Post Bop | Blue Note/ Capitol Records | EMI Catalog # 7 2435 63835 2

This album, recorded in 1967, had to wait 13 years to be released. But when it was, it was hailed as one of the greatest albums in this great vibist's long career. The quartet tackles both attractive and challenging material contributed by Hancock and Chambers as well as the leader.

Bobby Hutcherson - Oblique (1967) {2014 Japan SHM-CD Blue Note 24-192 Remaster UCCQ-5016}
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© 1967, 2014 Universal Japan / Blue Note | BN 75th The Masterworks | UCCQ-5016
Jazz / Post Bop / Vibraphone

Reissue. Features the high-fidelity SHM-CD format (fully compatible with standard CD player) and the latest remastering (24bit 192kHz). Bobby Hutcherson's second quartet session, Oblique, shares both pianist Herbie Hancock and drummer Joe Chambers with his first, Happenings (bassist Albert Stinson is a newcomer). However, the approach is somewhat different this time around. For starters, there's less emphasis on Hutcherson originals; he contributes only three of the six pieces, with one from Hancock and two from the typically free-thinking Chambers. And compared to the relatively simple compositions and reflective soloing on Happenings, Oblique is often more complex in its post-bop style and more emotionally direct (despite what the title may suggest).