Classic Bobby Hutcherson Blue Note Sessions 1963 – 1970 Limited Edition Box Set (#278 – 7 CDs)

Classic Bobby Hutcherson Blue Note Sessions 1963-1970

Long-time Mosaic fans will know of our connection — professional and emotionally — to Blue Note Records. Our very first collection, just over 40 years ago, featured the complete Thelonious Monk Blue Note library, and it would be followed by retrospectives of many other Blue Note artists throughout our history. We view every opportunity to revisit that seminal label, lovingly remaster long-admired tracks, and discover hidden gems, as going home.

That time. That sound. Those groundbreaking musicians. None more significant to us, and to the development of music, than Bobby Hutcherson.

Hutcherson’s move to New York near the beginning of his career and at the outset of the 1960s could not have come at a more consequential time for the young musician, barely into his twenties, or for Blue Note, where a substantial group of musicians about his age were leading the music in new, freer, and more experimental directions.

In addition to being swept up in an era of change, he contributed to the evolution of the music through his compositions, and to the the use of vibraphone in jazz through his expressive, ringing tone and innovations in harmony and rhythm. Not only was he leading his own dates; he was a supporting player on dozens of others.

Bobby Hutcherson was a close personal friend to Michael Cuscuna. So it seems fitting that this was the final set that Michael produced before his passing. The set features 11 sessions on seven CDs that chart his development from a more mainstream approach at first, to a very rapidly emerging expansive style of writing and performing. The disks also feature many of the most important musicians of the era, on whose dates Hutcherson was a frequent participant.

The set is more than a compilation. It’s music history. And it’s a treasure.

His very first date as a leader for Blue Note was “The Kicker” in 1963, though it was held back and went unreleased until 1999, possibly because Joe Henderson on saxophone steals a lot of the thunder from the date’s purported leader. From his second session, “Dialogue,” his growing association with new music was becoming clear. By his third date, 1965’s “Components,” Hutcherson’s authority over the music became established.

From then on, he was writing a substantial number of the compositions on each date and the music was not limited by one style or genre, giving him ample opportunities to offer new work, up-tempo pieces, and ballads. An exceptional writer, Hutcherson had a wonderful approach on ballads and an unparalleled ability to use sustaining notes to move and blend in ways that almost completely disguise the mallet’s attack. There is never an doubt when you are hearing Hutcherson, his style is that distinctive.

A Who’s Who Of Collaborators

On these dates, Hutcherson plays alongside nothing but the most brilliant musicians from the era, including Grant Green, Duke Pearson, Bob Cranshaw, Al Harewood, Freddie Hubbard, Sam Rivers, Andrew Hill, Richard Davis, Joe Chambers, James Spaulding, Ron Carter, McCoy Tyler, Herbie Lewis, Billy Higgins, Albert Stinson, Stanley Cowell, Reggie Workman, Harold Land, Chick Corea, Reggie Johnson, Joe Sample, John Williams, and Mickey Roker.

In a very short span, Bobby Hutcherson’s work declared him to be one of the most important voices on his instrument in the narrative of jazz and certainly one of the most important collaborators in forging the sound of that seminal decade. We are pleased and proud to give that era — with Hutcherson at the focal point — its due.

Bobby Hutcherson
A Remembrance

We are all very lucky in life to find a few best friends, people with whom we connect on levels of love, empathy, sharing and friendship. Bobby Hutcherson (January 27, 1941 – August 16, 2016) was such a person in my life. Aside from being one of the most forward-thinking musicians in modern jazz and a startlingly original artist on his chosen instrument, his presence defined wisdom, humor and kindness.

Bobby and I shared many projects together and a dozen or more close mutual friends, but he was one-of-a-kind. Whenever he played New York, he stayed at my apartment, and we were roommates for a wonderful week.

When my son Max was born, Bobby was his godfather. In later years, when emphysema threatened his health and stamina, we stayed in touch mostly though endless, laughter-filled telephone calls. But Bobby never quit playing no matter how debilitating his condition left him. And he never gave up his second passion – fishing, yes fishing! He loved catching them, cleaning them and cooking them.

Bobby’s priorities in life were music, laughter, his wife of some 50 years Rosemary and his sons Barry (as in the Little B of “Little B’s Poem”) and Teddy. Fittingly in great love affairs, Rosemary passed away little more than a year after Bobby. It was an honor to spend chunks of my life with Bobby and Rosemary. – Michael Cuscuna

Eleven Classic Studio Albums on Seven CDs!

(A) THE KICKER
Joe Henderson, tenor sax; Bobby Hutcherson, vibes; Grant Green, guitar; Duke Pearson, piano; Bob Cranshaw, bass; Al Harewood, drums.
(B) DIALOGUE
Freddie Hubbard, trumpet; Sam Rivers, flute, soprano sax, tenor sax, bass clarinet; Bobby Hutcherson, vibes, Andrew Hill, piano; Richard Davis, bass; Joe Chambers, drums.
(C) COMPONENTS
Freddie Hubbard, trumpet; James Spaulding, flute, alto sax; Bobby Hutcherson, vibes, marimba; Herbie Hancock, piano, organ, Ron Carter, bass, Joe Chambers, drums.
(D) HAPPENINGS
Bobby Hutcherson, vibes, Herbie Hancock, piano; Bob Cranshaw, bass; Joe Chambers, drums, vibes.
(E) STICK-UP!
Joe Henderson, tenor sax; Bobby Hutcherson, vibes; McCoy Tyner, piano; Herbie Lewis, bass; Billy Higgins, drums.
(F) OBLIQUE
Bobby Hutcherson, vibes, Herbie Hancock, piano; Albert Stinson. Bass; Joe Chambers, drums.
(G) PATTERNS
James Spaulding, flute, alto sax, Bobby Hutcherson, vibes, Stanley Cowell, piano; Reggie Workman, bass; Joe Chambers, drums.
(H) TOTAL ECLIPSE
Harold Land, flute, tenor sax; Bobby Hutcherson, vibes, Chick Corea, piano; Reggie Johnson, bass; Joe Chambers, drums.
(I) SPIRAL
Harold Land, tenor sax; Bobby Hutcherson, vibes; Stanley Cowell, piano; Reggie Johnson, bass; Joe Chambers, drums.
(J) MEDINA
Harold Land, flute, tenor sax; Bobby Hutcherson, vibes; Stanley Cowell, piano; Reggie Johnson, bass; Joe Chambers, drums.
(K) SAN FRANCISCO
Harold Land, flute, oboe, tenor sax; Bobby Hutcherson, vibes, marimba, percussion; Joe Sample piano, electric piano, John Williams, bass; electric bass, Mickey Roker, drums.

Astonishing Audio Quality

The sonic clarity is thrilling. Mastered from hi-res files of the original analog masters by Andreas Meyer. Thanks to current 24 bit/192 hKz technology and dramatic improvement in analog to digital converters, the sound on this set is far superior to any previous CD issues and is astonishingly close to that of audiophile vinyl.

Our set features 76 recordings on seven CDs, and includes 1 previously unissued tune, 7 previously unissued alternate takes.

Essay and Track-By-Track Analysis

This limited edition box set includes our deluxe Mosaic booklet featuring a complete discography, plus an essay and track-by-track analysis by Bob Blumenthal. Bob Blumenthal has been writing jazz criticism since 1969 and has contributed to numerous publications. He has received Grammy Awards for Best Album Notes and the Jazz Journalists Association’s Excellence in Newspaper, Magazine, or Online Feature or Review Writing Award and Jazz Journalism Lifetime Achievement Award.

36 Stunning Photographs

At Blue Note recording sessions in the ’50s and ’60s, Francis Wolff was building an archive of great photographic value and a visual documentation of jazz history unmatched at any other record company. His ability to light, frame and capture a shot was astonishing. The 11″ x 11″ full sized booklet showcases many superb Francis Wolff photos from the actual sessions courtesy of Blue Note records.

Selected Audio Clips

Bob Blumenthal, liner note excerpts

Album: Components
Audio Clip: Little B’s Poem

A sextet completed by members of the working bands of trumpeters Freddie Hubbard and Miles Davis. The album represents Hutcherson’s emergence as a composer and affirms his connection with Chambers. “I don’t want to be tied down to any one style of playing, to any one particular groove,” the vibist told original annotator Nat Hentoff, a conviction affirmed by balancing four of the drummer’s challenging originals with a like number of his own more traditionally structured offerings.

Joe Chambers lauded Hutcherson in Hentoff’s notes.  “He plays behind other musicians better than anyone I’ve ever heard…he knows how to use the vibes orchestrally…he knows tradition and is part of it…He can play the blues and he can also go places no one’s ever gone before.”

Album: Happenings
Audio Clip: Rojo

Hutcherson’s next session as a leader, with results as notable as any in his storied career, adopted the quartet format for first time. This another step in Hutcherson’s establishment as a multi-instrumentalist, composer and influence.  The moods are varied yet consistently realized, expanded here with three previously unissued takes.

“Rojo” is the album’s Latin number, a 20-bar structure with what Hutcherson described as “that raised fifth in the major chords to give it a special flavor.”  His solo avoids obvious licks, displaying keen melodic development that add a contrasting layer of energy to the infectious rhythm section.  Hancock in the same vein at first, closes with abstract allusions to Afro-Cuban figures, and Cranshaw takes his only solo of the session.

Album: Stick Up!
Audio Clip: Una Muy Bonita

The personnel on Hutcherson’s next album reflect a transition point for two Blue Note stalwarts. Joe Henderson would continue to make sideman appearances on the label but cut albums as a leader over the next decade for Milestone and McCoy Tyner, a presence on Blue Note going back to some of his earliest sideman dates in 1960, recorded with Hutcherson for the first time here.

As if to offer an argument for how accessible Coleman’s music can be, the album opened with the saxophonist’s “Una Muy Bonita” given what Hutcherson called “more of a funky feeling.” While rearranging the tune for blowing purposes, a probing momentum is maintained through the rhythm section’s drive and the more restrained yet strategic vibes figures. The disruptive groove is in Henderson’s wheelhouse, and he has the best of the very good solos.

Album: Total Eclipse
Audio Clip: Herzog

For this listener, Total Eclipse is the best of the Hutcherson/Land recordings, and it has nothing to do with the relative merits of Chick Corea and  Stanley Cowell, each of whom were exceptional players and composers.  The difference lies in the quintet’s three weeks of steady Manhattan club work – one at Slug’s, then two at the Village Vanguard – before recording the music at Rudy Van Gelder’s.  Each musician was thoroughly familiar and comfortable with both the music and each other.

“Herzog” featured a melody that reminded composer Hutcherson of a German duke.  Chick Corea opens in his fluent pre-electric vein, followed by a vibes solo suffused with Hutcherson’s trademark urgency.  Harold Land, displaying  an incipient Coltrane influence, still retained the sound that characterized his work with the Clifford Brown/Max Roach Quintet.  His probing solo indicates that he was ready for some of the period’s more abstract new ideas.

Additional Albums Include

Bobby Hutcherson

Bobby Hutcherson was born in Los Angeles into a family of musicians (his sister, a singer, even dated Eric Dolphy). While he initially studied piano, he was passing a record store one day and heard Milt Jackson on Thelonious Monk’s “Bemsha Swing” coming from the open door. Transfixed, he bought the album and listened for days, non-stop. Still a young teen, he started saving to buy his own set of vibes. He was mostly self-taught, though he did take lessons for a spell with Dave Pike. While still in high school, he developed a local reputation and at 19, joined a group led by Al Grey and Billy Mitchell (after stints with Curtis Amy and Charles Lloyd).

When the Grey-Mitchell band got a booking at Birdland, Hutcherson got to see what was going on in New York. And New York got to see and hear him. Everyone wanted what he was doing. Hard boppers like Grant Green and Hank Mobley. Forward thinkers like Jackie McLean, Grachan Moncur III, Archie Shepp, Andrew Hill, and Dolphy. Musicians somewhere in between, like Herbie Hancock. He was suddenly in demand as a sideman, playing on extraordinary monuments of recorded music such as Dolphy’s “Conversations” and “Out to Lunch,” on McLean’s “One Step Beyond” and “Destination… Out!” and with Shepp on “New Thing at Newport.” By 1964, he had been named by Downbeat as the musician Most Deserving of Wider Recognition.

Despite being steeped in bebop, he became known as someone who could step in and make legitimate statements across the spectrum of music. And he was lapping up the attention. “Music was like a newspaper of what was going on in the streets,” he told an interviewer.

He was also very clear-headed about his approach. He described himself as being devoted to the song, first and foremost. What was the message of the song? After that, came phrasing and harmonic structure. Then, the ideas he was bringing to the recording, and how he chose to think about time and dynamics. Ask the musicians who played with him, and they will tell you he was a listener.

As a writer, his compositions were often a reflection of his life — where he was living, what was happening around him, how he was engaged in culture, politics, and art. He could be ferocious, and he could be humble. But he was always respectful.

Limited Edition: 5000
(#278- 7 CDs)

This set is strictly limited in its release and will someday be unavailable. Please don’t delay in ordering this comprehensive tribute to one of the music’s most reliably captivating artists.