PLAYLIST
BOBBY HUTCHERSON IN FIVE SONGS

January 17, 2017 | by Rusty Aceves

Bobby Hutcherson

The most accomplished vibraphonist and composer to emerge in the latter half of the 20th Century, Bobby Hutcherson redefined the role of the instrument in modern jazz, bringing new levels of technical mastery and harmonic sophistication. He enjoyed an unprecedented 24-year association with the Blue Note Records label, making indelible contributions to over 250 albums during his Blue Note tenure and leading 23 recordings that introduced the world to the standards “Little B’s Poem,” “Bouquet,” “Components,” “Montara,” and others.

Since moving to the Bay Area in the late 1960s, he developed fruitful musical partnerships with both saxophonist Harold Land and pianist McCoy Tyner, and released a string of sessions on the Blue Note, Columbia, Landmark, and Kind of Blue labels. In 2010, the National Endowment for the Arts named Bobby an NEA Jazz Master for his lifetime of contributions to the art form – the highest honor the U.S. bestows on jazz musicians.

A great friend and artist with a long history performing on SFJAZZ stages, beginning with a performance at the very first Jazz in the City Festival in 1983, Bobby was a founding member of the SFJAZZ Collective – composing, arranging, and performing with the band from its inception in 2004 through 2007. He was the honoree at the 2010 SFJAZZ Gala, spoke at the groundbreaking event for the SFJAZZ Center in 2012, and performed during the historic Opening Night concert in January, 2013. Bobby passed from complications related to emphysema on August 15, 2016 at age 75.

Our expansive Bobby Hutcherson playlist showcases the diversity of Bobby’s work, but here we focus specifically on five pivotal recordings from Bobby’s career:

1. Eric Dolphy: “Hat and Beard” from Out to Lunch (1964)
Out to Lunch was Bobby’s third recording with maverick woodwind master Dolphy, and stands as Dolphy’s masterwork, utilizing Bobby’s vibraphone as the sole melodic voice in his piano-less quintet. This tune, named for Thelonious Monk, is notable for its animated interplay between drummer Tony Williams and Hutcherson’s dampened vibraphone, and perfectly encapsulates Dolphy’s approach to composition, balancing structure and complete freedom of expression.

2. Bobby Hutcherson: “Little B’s Poem” from Components  (1965)
Bobby followed up his debut Dialogue with the early landmark Components, and the recording is split into two distinct halves – one side containing fairly conventional tunes written by the leader, and a suite of more exploratory material composed by drummer Joe Chambers. This sprightly waltz, dedicated to Bobby’s eldest son Barry, became a jazz standard and one of the compositions most associated with Bobby.

3. Bobby Hutcherson: “Ummh” from San Francisco  (1970)
After their exploratory hard bop outings of the late 60s, Bobby and saxophonist Harold Land took their musical partnership into a fresh direction for 1970’s San Francisco, embracing the funk and rock influences that were pervading jazz at the turn of the decade. Bobby later described this grooving shuffle, a hit on the charts, as “the song that bought my house.”

4. Bobby Hutcherson: “Montara” from Montara  (1975)
Of Montara, critic Thom Jurek wrote: “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.” With its pastoral Fender Rhodes piano, gentle Afro-Cuban groove and the leader’s passionate marimba solo, the sultry title tune evokes the natural beauty of Bobby’s adopted hometown.

5. SFJAZZ Collective: “March Madness” from Live  2004: Inaugural Concert Tour (2005)

Anchored by Robert Hurst’s stomping bass ostinato that recalls Carl Stalling’s soundtracks to classic Warner Brothers cartoons, Bobby’s contribution to the first SFJAZZ Collective recording is a microcosm of his journey as a musician, balancing driving hard bop with free jazz, and delicate understatement with the rollicking humor that was a defining part of his personality.