Bobby Hutcherson

Bobby Hutcherson - Components (1965) {1994 Blue Note Connoisseur Series}
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© 1965, 1994 Blue Note / Capitol | CDP 7243 8 29027 2 0
Jazz / Modal Music / Post Bop / Vibes

Perhaps the single album that best sums up Bobby Hutcherson's early musical personality, Components is appropriately split into two very distinct halves. The first features four Hutcherson originals in a melodic but still advanced hard bop style, while the latter half has four free-leaning avant-garde pieces by drummer Joe Chambers. Hutcherson allots himself more solo space than on Dialogue, but that's no knock on the excellent supporting cast, which includes Herbie Hancock on piano, James Spaulding on alto sax and flute, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, and Ron Carter on bass.

Bobby Hutcherson - Happenings (1966) {2013 Japan SHM-CD Blue Note 24-192 Remaster}
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© 1966, 2013 Universal Japan / Blue Note | BN 75th The Masterworks | TYCJ-81027
Jazz / Post Bop / Vibraphone

Reissue. Features the high-fidelity SHM-CD format (compatible with standard CD player) and 24bit remastering. 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.

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). The latter is especially true on the two opening Hutcherson pieces, the sweetly lilting "'Til Then" and the innocent, childlike theme of "My Joy," which is reminiscent of "Little B's Poem" (save for its multi-sectioned structure)…

Bobby Hutcherson - Dialogue (1965) {Blue Note Japan SHM-CD UCCQ-5114 rel 2015} (24-192 remaster)
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© 1965, 2015 Universal Japan / Blue Note | BN 75th The Masterworks | UCCQ-5114
Jazz / Hard Bop / Vibes

Reissue. Features the high-fidelity SHM-CD format (compatible with standard CD player) and the latest 24bit 192kHz remastering. Coming fresh on the heels of his groundbreaking work with Eric Dolphy, Bobby Hutcherson's debut album is a masterpiece of "new thing" avant-garde jazz, not really free but way beyond standard hard bop. Dialogue boasts an all-star lineup of hot young post-boppers – trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, woodwind player Sam Rivers, pianist Andrew Hill, bassist Richard Davis, and drummer Joe Chambers – and a set of imaginative compositions by either Hill or Chambers that frequently push the ensemble into uncharted territory.

Bobby Hutcherson - Stick-Up! (1966) {1997 BN Connoisseur CD Series}
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© 1997 Blue Note / Capitol | CDP 7243 8 59378 2 8 | 20-bit remastered by Ron McMaster
Jazz / Hard Bop / Post Bop / Vibraphone

Bobby Hutcherson's STICK-UP!, an all-star date from 1966, is a bit of a departure from the musician's regular Blue Note sessions of the time. Featuring saxophonist Joe Henderson, pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Herbie Lewis, and drummer Billy Higgins, this album has a distinct straight-ahead feel in comparison with more esoteric sessions like PATTERNS or COMPONENTS. Nonetheless, this date finds Hutcherson in top form, with excellent dexterity on the vibes and stunning solo spots that match those of his distinguished guests.

Easily one of jazz's greatest vibraphonists, Bobby Hutcherson epitomized his instrument in relation to the era in which he came of age the way Lionel Hampton did with swing or Milt Jackson with bop. He isn't as well-known as those two forebears, perhaps because he started out in less-accessible territory when he emerged in the '60s playing cerebral, challenging modern jazz that often bordered on avant-garde.
Coming fresh on the heels of his groundbreaking work with Eric Dolphy, Bobby Hutcherson's debut album is a masterpiece of "new thing" avant-garde jazz, not really free but way beyond standard hard bop.

Coming fresh on the heels of his groundbreaking work with Eric Dolphy, Bobby Hutcherson's debut album is a masterpiece of "new thing" avant-garde jazz, not really free but way beyond standard hard bop. Dialogue boasts an all-star lineup of hot young post-boppers - trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, woodwind player Sam Rivers, pianist Andrew Hill, bassist Richard Davis, and drummer Joe Chambers - and a set of imaginative compositions by either Hill or Chambers that frequently push the ensemble into uncharted territory. The result is an album bursting at the seams with ideas that still sound remarkably fresh, not to mention a strong sense of collectivity. Hutcherson has so many fine players on hand that the focus is naturally on group interaction rather than any particular soloist(s), setting up nice contrasts like the fiery sax work of Rivers versus the cooler tones of Hutcherson and Hill…

Bobby Hutcherson - Medina (1969) {2012 Blue Note Japan BNLT Series TOCJ-50298}
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© 1969, 2012 Blue Note / EMI Music Japan | TOCJ-50298
Jazz / Post Bop / Vibes

Medina was another Bobby Hutcherson/Harold Land Quintet session that didn't see the light of day until over a decade later (recorded in 1969, issued in 1980). Again, it's hard to see why, given the high quality of both the group and their music, which seemed to get lost in the shuffle of jazz's late-'60s upheaval. Granted, it may have been a shade less distinctive than Hutcherson's earliest sessions, but the levels of composition and execution remained top-notch.