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| The Bobby Hutcherson Quintet at the Blue Note May 29 - June 3  Bobby Hutcherson is nothing short of a legend. One of the defining vibraphonists of his generation, he has been intermittently represented on record, with a twelve-year run on Blue Note starting in the mid-sixties and regular releases on Landmark through the eighties. Hutcherson is most famous for a series of sideman appearances on some of the defining modern jazz albums of the 1960s: Eric Dolphy's Out to Lunch, Jackie McLean's One Step Beyond and others by Grant Green, Andrew Hill, and Tony Williams.These albums were instrumental in carving a path between the post-bop and avant-garde movements, and it was Hutcherson who first discovered an approach on the vibes within the new sound. There isn't a young player alive who holds a pair of mallets that doesn't owe Hutcherson a great debt. His own sessions, however, always split the difference between past and future, keeping at least one foot firmly in the jazz tradition which had influenced him. And he has never given up on adding his integral voice to a collective: For Sentimental Reasons is Hutcherson's first album as a leader in eight years, much of the intervening time taken up by his work with the SFJazz Collective. Hutcherson's longtime East Coast pianist Renee Rosnes attentively complements the vibist's sonic palette. On the opening number, she meets his rounded tone with a sharp, percussive attack. The two blend seamlessly on "Ode to Angela", both mining a rich melodic vein; while Hutcherson's sharp, controlled strikes on "Embraceable You" evoke the insistent entreaties of the implied lyric. "Somewhere" offers an intimate, lyrical duet, Rosnes' empathetic comping supporting Hutcherson's singing read of the melody. The balance of the rhythm section consists of bassist Dwayne Burno and drummer Al Foster. Burno's bass lines have backed everyone from Benny Golson to Bill Cosby to Digable Planets. Burno offers consummate support, always underlining the heart of each tune while filling in the spaces with tasteful interjections that feel right without distracting. And drummer Al Foster, who replaced Jack DeJohnette in Miles Davis' band and stayed for 13 years, excels in finding surprising ways to add rhythmic punctuation. But this is Hutcherson's date, and the echoes of his vibes continue to ring long after the CD fades. Two highlights in particular stand out: just listen to the jagged, shattered-glass solo on his elegiac "Spring is Here", another duet with Rosnes, where the vibrato seems to teeter precariously on a highwire; and his finale, a solo take on "I'll Be Seeing You" which could become a signature, a yearning, tender farewell that ultimately seems to dissolve into the air. Let's hope it doesn't take another eight years for that sound to reappear again. Bobby Hutcherson, vibraphone Russell Malone, guitar Renee Rosnes, piano Dwayne Burno, bass Al Foster, drums May 29 - June 3 at the Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St, NYC. Sets at 8 & 10:30 PM write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Jazz News :: home page |