ST-21437

Bobby Hutcherson - The Kicker

Released - 1999/2020

Recording and Session Information

Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, December 29, 1963
Joe Henderson, tenor sax; Bobby Hutcherson, vibes; Duke Pearson, piano; Grant Green, guitar #1,2,4; Bob Cranshaw, bass; Al Harewood, drums.

tk.8 The Kicker
tk.11 Bedouin
tk.23 For Duke P.
tk.24 Step Lightly
tk.35 Mirrors

Session Photos

Photos: Francis Wolff

Track Listing

Side One
Title	Author	Recording Date
Mirrors	Joe Chambers	December 29 1963
For Duke P.	Bobby Hutcherson	December 29 1963
The Kicker	Joe Henderson	December 29 1963
Side Two
Step Lightly	Joe Henderson	December 29 1963
Bedouin	Duke Pearson	December 29 1963

Liner Notes

BOBBY HUTCHERON'S ascendancy seemed meteoric to all but him. Born in Los Angeles in 1941, Bobby studied some piano at age nine. But a Milt Jackson record that he heard at age 15 drove him to music in general and the vibes in particular. By age 21, he'd played with Don Cherry and Charles Lloyd and made his recording debut on Curtis Amy's Groovin' Blue for Pacific Jazz. He also cut a tune With Les McCann's trio and started on album of his own for Pacific Jazz, with tenor saxophonist Walter Benton, that was never completed. He then joined the Al Grey-Billy Mitchell Sextet, appearing on several of their Argo/Cadet albums and touring with them across the United States. When they played Birdland, Bobby settled in New York, still a relative unknown on an instrument that was hardly in great demand.

But Bobby had (and still has) a work ethic, a brilliant mind, a profound, non-ritualistic spirituality, an innate wisdom and warmth made for the ingredients of an outstanding jazz artist as well as a hell of a human being. Jackie McLean brought him into his daring new quintet with Grachan Moncur, Eddie Khan and Tony Williams, On April 30, 1963, they made "One Step Beyond" for Blue Note. Upon its release that December, everyone was talking about these incredible young musicians and the barriers that they were breaking down (from within, not from without). Later in the year, Bobby made McLean's Destination Out and Grachan Moncur's Evolution with the same circle of musicians. He also participated in Grant Green'S more conservative but equally stunning November sessions that produced Idle Moments with Joe Henderson, Duke Pearson, Bob Cranshaw and Al Harewood.

The Idle Moments personnel regrouped at the end of December for Bobby's first Blue Note session under his own name. That is the session on this disc issued for the first time 36 years later.

1964, Bobby appeared on Andrew Hill's Judgement and Andrew!!, Eric Dolphy's Out To Lunch and Jackie McLean's Action and his reputation as a cutting-edge virtuoso was cemented. He continued to do straight-ahead dates for Blue Note with artists like Dexter Gordon, John Patton and Joe Henderson, but his first issued album as a leader Dialogue featured Sam Rivers, Andrew Hill and Joe Chambers with adventurous compositions by Hill and Chambers. When it was issued, Bobby was a member of Archie Shepp's quartet. By this time, his initial session seemed too conventional and was relegated to oblivion (till now).

It's hard to know whether Blue Note's Alfred Lion passed over this session because it was too loose around the edges or because it didn't seem a simpatico successor to Idle Moments, or because it was too conventional for where Bobby was going at the time. I do know that when I got into the vaults in 1975 that there were so many wonderful Hutcherson sessions with Joe Chambers and Harold Land that this date fell by the wayside (till now).

Most of the tunes on this session have had a rich history on Blue Note. The first three feature a quintet and are joined by Grant Green For the final three numbers.

"Mirrors" is by the great drummer and composer Joe Chambers, who would become an important contributor to Bobby Hutcherson's career and to Blue Note's sessions. The tune was first released on Freddie Hubbard's Breaking Point, made five months later with the composer on drums. It was also the title tune on Chambers's long overdue 1998 Blue Note debut as a leader.

Hutch's only original, "For Duke P." was unnamed until this release was being prepared. Bobby explains, "I wanted to dedicate it to Duke because he plays so beautifully and because he was so generous with ideas and supportive on all those early Blue Note sessions. He meant a lot to me and helped me with my music."

This first version of Joe Henderson's "The Kicker" may lack the punch that Jones's and Roger Humphries's drums gave the version that was recorded eleven months later for Horace Silver'S Song My Father album, but everyone solos beautifully. Joe recorded his version in 1967 for Milestone.

"Step Lightly," a wonderful slow blues line by Henderson, has had a strange history. Joe first brought it to an August 1963 Blue Mitchell session (that was shelved until 1980). Then came the version heard here. When Horace Silver disbanded in early formed a new quintet with Silver alumnae Junior Cook and Gene Taylor. He re-recorded "Step Lightly" in 1964 for his album The Thing To Do. Joe told me that Blue had a strong affection for this composition and would often bring it into the book of bonds with which he was working over the years. In 1977 he recorded it with Louis Lesson. In the meantime, drummer Grassella Oliphant recorded it for Atlantic in 1965 with Bobby on vibes. The composer did not record it until 1996 when Bob Belden arranged it For his big band session on Verve.

Duke Pearson's Middle Eastern-flavored "Bedouin" was re-recorded on his Wahoo album in November 1964 (with Joe Henderson again on tenor) and the re-arranged for his Introducing Duke Pearson's Big Band in December 1967. But Grant Green cut the second version with McCoy Tyner, Cranshaw and Elvin Jones in May 1964 that was ultimately issued on Matador in 1980.

Revisiting this session after so many requests by curious readers of discographies, I was surprised how wonderful and how fresh it sounds. Here then is an album made a when so many giants walked the earth and so much was happening that music of this caliber could get overlooked.

- MICHAEL CUSCUNA, 1999

Original sessions produced by ALFRED LION
Recorded on December 29, at Van Studios, Englewood NJ
Recording Engineer RUDY VAN GELDER
Photography FRANCIS WOLFF