Bobby Hutcherson

[BlueMiles]

I'd like to have some discussion of Bobby Hutcherson. I don't recall running across a thread on him in my years at Jazz Corner. He must surely rate near the very top of jazz vibraphone players--and he is a first-rate musician, period.

I'm sparked partly from listening to a "best of" sampler on Blue Note. I honestly did not know that Hutcherson cut so many albums under his own name and for a such long period. The quality strikes me as first-rate throughout. As most of you know, Bobby showed up on many Blue Note sessions as a sideman--many of the albums are classics. He certainly contributed to many fine albums, and it's curious to find him leaning toward the avant garde in his choices as sideman.

I have not heard much Hutcherson from recent decades. One I do have it the duet album with Tyner. Bobby really shines on marimba on "Blue Monk." I'm curious about the recent collaboration with Tyner on Telarc (quartet).

[Peterdubya]

Great thread idea.
I love Bobby, when you hear him play, you get a glimpse of his personality. Funny, quick, personable, an amazing guy.
The McCoy thing is OK, they work much better together live. There are more sparks in the live setting.
Bobby has not has a CD under his name sinve 1998 when he did one for Verve, which I think is a shame.
He has lost nothing over the years, and I hope someone gets a chance to record him sometime.

[Squaredancecalling Steve]

I caught him leading a quartet as the featured act at last year's Healdsburg Jazz Festival and, as Peter says, he's still playing great, some beautiful sparks with George Cables that night.

I expect to see him tomorrow night, in the audience -- he always makes the Saturday night show at the festival, either on stage (twice, the first time with Cedar Walton and Billy Higgins) or in the audience, usually unspotted although Von Freeman pointed him out a couple of years ago. I think he lives in the North Bay, doesn't he?

[jazzy mary]

Bobby Hutcherson is fantastic!! If you ever, ever, ever get a chance to hear him live--do not miss it!! I've seen him many, many times and have reviewed him many times on the "Discuss the NYC Jazz Scene" thread. He is just an amazing player and composer. Seeing him live is such an exciting experience.

Some essential Bobby just off the top of my head "Stick-Up", "San Francisco" ,"Medina", "Color Schemes" . I'm sure people will have other recs.

And yes, I've met Bobby several times. Truth to tell, I found him him to be er...somewhat strange.

[JazzAt52ndStreet]

Land Of Giants.....awesome CD. McCoy+Hutcherosn.

-52nd

[vibes]

Bobby Hutcherson has been a favorite artist of mine ever since I got into jazz. If you pick up his work, you'll be introduced to a lot of great artists. In my attempts to own everything he recorded in the 60's, I was introduced to a number of great artists:

Grant Green
John Patton
Jackie McLean
Sonny Simmons
Eric Dolphy
Archie Shepp
Joe Chambers
Stanley Cowell
Barney Kessel
...and so on.

That Hutch could record with so many different artists and play in so many different styles really says a lot about his abilities and musicianship. Some of my favorite Hutch recordings (as a leader or sideman):

Bobby Hutcherson - Oblique. Pick it up if you can find it! This one deserves to be back in print, perhaps as an RVG.
Prince Lasha/Sonny Simmons - Firebirds. This is a limited edition OJC, so jump on it while it's still available. The music is quite free, and Hutch's playing is a lot freer than on most of his own late 60's recordings.
Jackie McLean - One Step Beyond, Destination Out. Some of the finest Blue Note recordings ever. The effort and money I spent in tracking down the One Step Beyond JRVG were well worth it. Destination Out is readily available.
Big John Patton - Let 'em Roll. I didn't think vibes + organ would be a good combination, but it works very well. All players sound like they're having a great time. This is Big John's best album, IMO. For another excellent Hutch + organ date, check out Grant Green's "Street of Dreams."
Archie Shepp - New Thing at Newport. Excellent Archie Shepp, and Hutch's vibes add a very eerie feeling to the music. Still my favorite Shepp album.

[vibes]

Originally Posted by JazzAt52ndStreet

Land Of Giants.....awesome CD. McCoy+Hutcherosn.

-52nd

Yes...pick up the SACD, if you have a player. The sound is excellent.

[Peterdubya]

Bobby and his wife live near Half Moon Bay.
He is such a brilliant player. He can do whatever he wants when he plays he'll make you cry with a ballad, and then burn on somelthing really up tempo.

One year at the Monterey Festival, he did a live Blindfold test with an audience, he could have a second career as a comedian. He had the whole room doubled over in laughter.

[jazzy mary]

Wow, thanks vibes. I'm going to try to pick up the Shepp album, at the very least.

[Pete C]

That was a very astute list from the appropriately named Vibes. I think I need Firebirds.

[stonemonkts]

Firebirds is excellent all around. Siimmons and Lasha played very well together on it. Hutcherson colors the music much like he did with Dolphy, McLean, or Moncur III.

Bobby Hutcherson is my favorite vibes player. I'm not familiar with his recent stuff (past 30 years) but instead as with so many other 60's Blue Note artists I've stuck to earlier works.

I love Hutcherson's contributions on Out To Lunch.

The dates I have with Hutcherson as a leader are Components, Dialogue, and Stick-Up! The bands he assembled for those sessions were fantastic.

Stick-Up! (HUTCHERSON, JOE HENDERSON, MCCOY TYNER, HERBIE LEWIS, BILLY HIGGINS)

Dialogue (HUTCHERSON, SAM RIVERS, FREDDIE HUBBARD, ANDREW HILL, RICHARD DAVIS, JOE CHAMBERS)

Components (HUTCHERSON, FREDDIE HUBBARD, J. SPAULDING, HANCOCK, CARTER, J. CHAMBERS)

Pardon the caps (cut and paste).

He was great on "Time for Tyner" too, a McCoy session from 1968.

[BlueMiles]

Some people here certainly show fabulous knowledge and appreciatian of Bobby Hutcherson.

I was thinking of how Bobby has been neglected by the recording industry over the past few years. I remember that album coming out on Verve...just the one. I thought Verve normally treated high-quality veterans better than that.

I was also thinking how Blue Note could serve up a multi-disc set that features his work as both leader and sideman (like what they did for Joe Henderson). This would illustrate (even better than the Henderson set) the great diversity of jazz during Blue Note's most creative period.

[BlueMiles]

RE "Time for Tyner," it would have been better yet had Bobby appeared on all of the tracks, instead of half of them. "African Village" is a great classic, and I'm surprised that (to my knowledge) neither McCoy nor Bobby has revisited it (though I did hear a stunning live version on the radio--at a Tyner tribute).

[Lois Gilbert]

Blue Miles

Thank you for starting this thread. Long overdue. I don't have a lot to add, except to say that Bobby has never struck a bad note that I can recall. He has been a friend for many many years.

Got some trivia - he was the band leader in They Shoot Horses Don't They and I thought great in Round Midnight.

It is beyond my comprehension that he doesn't have a recording deal now. I feel the same way about Steve Nelson - another great vibes player who doesn't get the props that he should.

[vibes]

Does anyone know why Hutch changed his sound in the late 60's? It seems like by the time he recorded "Patterns" or so, he had moved away from a more metallic sound to a softer sound on the vibes. I've always preferred the more metallic sound, and am curious if anyone knows what prompted the change.

[Noj]

I really like Hutcherson, but rarely have seen his cds in stores. I would love to hear more of his 60s BN material, particularly Patton's Let Em Roll and Oblique, Stick Up, and Components judging by those lineups listed above--I'd buy other ones too if they were available. Hopefully they will show up as RVGs...

I dig the Hutcherson dates I do have: Dialogue, Montara, and In The Vanguard on 32 Jazz. I definitely need more.

[vibes]

One other Hutch sideman appearance I should have mentioned is on Andrew Hill's "Judgment" album. This is in my top ten favorite jazz albums, for sure. It's a shame that Hutch didn't record more with Andrew Hill, because his appearances on "Judgment" and "Andrew" are excellent. "Judgment" is currently available as a JRVG, but I don't believe "Andrew" has ever been on CD, with the exception of the Mosaic box.

[GoodSpeak]

Great vibes player, IMO.

My top vibes musicians:

Milt Jackson
Lionel Hampton
Gary Barton
Bobby Hutcherson

Such a fine Jazz instrument.

[Ivy]

Hardly any duds with the Hutch with me. My faves haven't been mentioned:

Total Eclipse and Solo/Quartet with Tyner.

Beautiful original compositions that transported you somewhere else.

[Pete C]

Originally Posted by Lois Gilbert

I thought great in Round Midnight.

Agreed.

[SEK]

I have almost everything Hutcherson did on Blue Note in the '60s before "Blue Note Hit A New Note". My favorite session with him since then is probably McCoy's "Sama Layuca".

[Dr Dave]

Bobby hasn't had a new recording in some time, I guess. I still have Skyline in heavy rotation. He's got great accompanists: Christian McBride, Al Foster, Geri Allen, and my man Kenny Garrett.



I'll attest to Mary's characterization. I've seen Bobby a couple times in recent years, and he's one funny MF.

[moneyp]

Saw him at Stanford, where he played Happy Birthday for his wife (who he didn't realise wasn't in the auditorium at the time... she walked in right after it finished, ha ha). I wound up getting drafted into fixing an electrical problem he had on stage. At the after-party I was talking with some guy, he came over to say hi (to the guy) and totally ignored me. The noive!

Oh, but great musician. Love Round Midnight, love his early Blue Notes.

[moneyp]

Oh, and Firebirds rocks the house. Love it.

[Juju]

Hutch is one of my favorite soloists on any instrument. I've been puzzled for years why he doesn't get more exposure. I blame it mostly on the instrument he plays isn't as popular as it should be, but it ain't because of his chops.

The man can translate any musical idea to his instrument. I am in awe of his ability, and to hear the man play live is exultant. He really gets into the throes of his soloing, often throwing his arms up in the air with the mallets and grunting a la Elvin or Blakey. You can just tell that every time he plays, he's celebrating life not just soloing.

More than his musical ability, I admire his spirituality as well. This cat is in tune with himself and others, and it really comes through in his playing.

I dig he's able to play in so many styles, ranging from completely free to traditional bop tunes.

I remember years ago BN attempted to re-issue most of his BN output, and I went on a hellbent mission to get them all. This music is ESSENTIAL Blue Note listening for anyone interested in the best the record label had to offer. It's not surprising why so many top-flight musicians gravitated toward him.

My favorite recordings by him are Oblique, which carries some amazing Herbie Hancock solos and a rare appearance by the short-lived bassist Albert Stinson, Stick-Up, which Tyner sounds sublime on, and Dialog, which features a rare appearance by I think Harold Land on sax.

All of these dates are essential for any jazz fan, if you can find them these days. Also of note is the appearance of Joe CHAMBERS on the drums for most of these dates. He has a very special way of coloring the tune in a way that is indispensible to Hutch's 60s sound.

Thanks for starting this thread.

[vibes]

Originally Posted by Juju

Hutch is one of my favorite soloists on any instrument. I've been puzzled for years why he doesn't get more exposure. I blame it mostly on the instrument he plays isn't as popular as it should be, but it ain't because of his chops.

The man can translate any musical idea to his instrument. I am in awe of his ability, and to hear the man play live is exultant. He really gets into the throes of his soloing, often throwing his arms up in the air with the mallets and grunting a la Elvin or Blakey. You can just tell that every time he plays, he's celebrating life not just soloing.

More than his musical ability, I admire his spirituality as well. This cat is in tune with himself and others, and it really comes through in his playing.

I dig he's able to play in so many styles, ranging from completely free to traditional bop tunes.

I remember years ago BN attempted to re-issue most of his BN output, and I went on a hellbent mission to get them all. This music is ESSENTIAL Blue Note listening for anyone interested in the best the record label had to offer. It's not surprising why so many top-flight musicians gravitated toward him.

My favorite recordings by him are Oblique, which carries some amazing Herbie Hancock solos and a rare appearance by the short-lived bassist Albert Stinson, Stick-Up, which Tyner sounds sublime on, and Dialog, which features a rare appearance by I think Harold Land on sax.

All of these dates are essential for any jazz fan, if you can find them these days. Also of note is the appearance of Joe Carter on the drums for most of these dates. He has a very special way of coloring the tune in a way that is indispensible to Hutch's 60s sound.

Thanks for starting this thread.

A little nitpicking..."Dialogue" has Sam Rivers on sax. It's Joe Chambers that is on drums for most of these dates.

[BlueMiles]

As for Harold Land (certainly an underrated tenor player), he showed up on several of Bobby's later Blue Note albums--and some on other labels too (I think).

[Juju]

Oops, I mean Joe Chambers, NOT Joe Carter. Geez, the CD I was listening to must've crept into my post. Will correct it. lol

And, yes, Sam Rivers. Another one up there deserving more attention. My inattention to these details doesn't diminish my emotion for the music ... fortunately.

[mke]

Something I wrote a few months ago on "Les Noirs Marchant" from "Dialogue"...

"Les Noirs Marchant" was composed by Andrew Hill, played by Bobby Hutcherson (vibraphone), Freddie Hubbard (trumpet), Sam Rivers (tenor and soprano saxophones, bass clarinet and flute) Andrew Hill (piano), Ron Carter (bass) and Joe Chambers (drums), was recorded on April 3 1965 and released on Bobby Hutcherson's Dialogue for Blue Note. I'm listening to the 2002 RVG Edition.

"Dialogue" as a whole highlights the advantages of the 40-minute time limit imposed by LPs: there is absolutely no pressure to add filler, so the original 5 performances are of a high caliber and, just as importantly, of a piece. The bonus track tacked on to the RVG Edition, a swinging blues called "Jasper," puts the unity of the original album in bold relief: "Jasper" may serve as a release for the tension accumulated over the course of the previous 5 ambiguous and unsettled tracks, but that is perhaps a disservice, allowing the listener to take a comfortable leave from an album that should be prickly.

"Les Noirs Marchant" struck me for two reasons: its title and what I see as its political subtext. The title, first, sounds like the title of a painting. Literally, it means "The Blacks Marching," but A.B. Spellman, in the original liner notes, translates it as "The Blacks' March" and misspells it as "Les Noirs Marchent," which means "The Blacks Are Marching." I'm not sure which meaning was intended by Hill, but the nuances are subtle enough for this not to be a big issue.

Second, this composition seems to me heavily politicised, so much so that I am surprised neither the original nor the re-issue liner notes mention this aspect. At most, Spellman points out that the piece is "played in march time" and that the group follows "a given path which opens up into something very much like freedom." Perhaps he had caught its political tenor, but felt it too dangerous to mention in liner notes, in 1965. In 2001, Bob Blumenthal notes only that it "provides an example of collective improvisation made coherent by its focus on rhythmic variation."

The political elements come from several musical sources, which are bleak in their outlook, aggressive and even war-like. The first is, most obviously, Chambers's martial snare pattern, which opens the piece and recurs at strategic points throughout. A few minutes in, this snare pattern re-surfaces, threatening to explode, but fades away, heightening tension. Just after the five minute mark, the charge hinted at earlier finally occurs in a quick group outburst, which leads to a recap of the theme, but with a new triumphant swagger: a jubilant return from the battlefield. Second, there are Hubbard's opening phrases in the improvised section, which sound like a bugle's call-to-arms. Third, at various times Carter and/or Hill play regular two-note patterns (overall, the performance seems to hover between 2, 3 and unmetered rhythm) that could be evocations of war drums or the steady thud-thud of the two timpani-like drums played on boats long ago to synchronise the movements of the rowers. Fourth, and more generally, the collective improvisation sketches a barren, craggy wasteland and a fierce mood, as in Hill's low register rumblings at its beginning or Rivers's acidic flute interjections.

Add to these elements the title itself. In 1965, the image of Blacks marching could evoke either slaves, heads bowed and feet chained, Civil Rights protestors or the armies of newly independent African countries, marching for the first time under their own flags. "Les Noirs Marchant" ends inconclusively, leaving a huge question mark hanging above us. Is Hill questioning the validity of war path chosen in this song, or is he asking "after triumph (as expressed in the out-head), what now?"

While neither a rousing popular anthem nor a full-on sonic assault on society's injustices, "Les Noirs Marchant" does make a strong statement on freedom, the means through which it is to be acquired and the new questions it raises, once obtained.

[stonemonkts]

Thanks for posting that very interesting review. It will be intriguing to think about the next time I listen to the recording. I was completely unaware of any political intentions behind any of the music (I wasn't looking).