RIP Bobby Hutcherson

[Tenor Freak]

Highly recommend "Total Eclipse" as a superb example of Bobby Hutcherson with Harold Land. I have this on (reissued) vinyl. Beautiful coda to this track, as well - think he often ended pieces like this (B Lydian chord if I'm not mistaken):

[Beef Oven!]

Many thanks for this recommendation Tenor Freak. I listened to that track (Matrix) and thought it was fabulous!

I looked on Qobuz and was delighted to find the album, Total Eclipse, available as a Hi-Res download with all the album artwork and liner notes for just £6.98. It’s downloading as I type.

[Tenor Freak]

You're welcome!

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

You're welcome!

Someone has just put Jackie's then band - plus Bobby - the entire set, live at the Leverkusen Jazz Fest (Gemany 1990) - up on Utube. Magnificent stuff, Cindy Blackman playing her heart (and socks) off. The entire thing/band on fire and Bobby looking very happy, hip and still in good health. Worth checking out before Utube take it down.

BN.

[Serial_Apologist]

"Avis" from "Medina" on JRR right now. Hadn't heard anything from this album previously. Some people criticise Land's adoption of some of Coltrane's improvising methodology around this time, seeing it as a weakening of his individuality, but I think it was just fine.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

"Avis" from "Medina" on JRR right now. Hadn't heard anything from this album previously. Some people criticise Land's adoption of some of Coltrane's improvising methodology around this time, seeing it as a weakening of his individuality, but I think it was just fine.

Wonderful track and all those Land/Hutcherson sessions are excellent. My preference is for the earlier Bluenote ones in the series (who'd have thought) but the more electric ones are certainly not lightweight.

It was the somewhat "opinionated" , contrarian? record label owner/producer Chuck Nessa who insisted that Harold Land had "sold out"... I.e became overwhelmed by Coltrane. The more I hear of the later Harold the more it seems he had the chops and taste to take whatever he wanted with integrity. I think it a shame it changed that distinctive "smokey" tone he had in the mid/late 50s, but I guess the new approach needed that harder edge. One of my favorite saxophonists.

BN.

[Ian Thumwood]

Two points:-

1. The tracks picked out by Bruce (welcome back and please continue to contribute) are fantastic. Not aware of this material but only serve to reinforce what a great soloist Hutcherson was.

2. Sounding like Coltrane - I don't know much about Harold Land as all I have by him is the excellent album "The fox" and a number of appearances as featured soloist with the excellent Gerald Wilson big band. The overwhelming" influence of Coltrane and "selling out" are really two statements which are typical of their time and I think seem unimportant with the passage of time. This is just a statement which makes reference to a passing fad just as was the case of "New Neos" in the 1980s and the swathe of tenor players who seem to be totally inspired by the likes of Joshua Redman today.

I think it is noticeable that many musicians who emerged in the 1950s felt compelled to harden their approach but Harold Land is probably not the most obvious example. Later records by Benny Golson seem almost like a different person from his later material where his wonderful tone was jettisoned. Hank Mobley also suffered from a loss of direction towards the later 1960s when his approach started to sound unfashionable but then you encounter players like Art Pepper who were totally invigorated by Coltrane Even an earlier generation of player like Coleman Hawkins saw a hardening of his style. It seems foolish to dismiss Land for modernizing his style when he probably would have been equally criticised had be continued to play exactly as he did in 1957 ! Even a drummer like Paul Motian is unrecognisable from the work he made with Bill Evans when he listen to his (better and more original / mature ) recordings in the 1980's onwards.

Strange to hear the phrase "sold out" in connection with Coltrane is I would suggest that he is probably the least commercial of all the major influential figures in jazz. What is illuminating is that I think Bobby Hutcherson's later records demonstrate that he had become much more mainstream with the passage of time and no one ever said he had sold out! I think that someone playing like Land's later work would probably be better received in 2016 when more authentic and "traditional" styles of jazz seem increasingly overlooked and veteran performers treated with more respect as their work becomes increasingly valued. This seems especially the case when, to use Bluesnik's phrase, playing with a degree of "edge" is not at all fashionable.

[Old Grumpy]

"Avis" from "Medina" on JRR right now.

Bobby Hutcherson is also featured in the latter part of JLU (approx 00:58 onwards)

[Serial_Apologist]

Bobby Hutcherson is also featured in the latter part of JLU

And, coincidentally, "The Gendre" has picked out "Happenings" as his album of the week: obviously a man of scrupulous taste!

[Old Grumpy]

And, coincidentally, "The Gendre" has picked out "Happenings" as his album of the week: obviously a man of scrupulous taste!

Indeed!

[Jazzrook]

And, coincidentally, "The Gendre" has picked out "Happenings" as his album of the week: obviously a man of scrupulous taste!

I've often thought that the knowledgeable Kevin Le Gendre would make an ideal presenter of JLU.
He could transform a scrappy and unsatisfying jazz programme.

JR

[DracoM]

Bobby Hutcherson is also featured in the latter part of JLU (approx 00:58 onwards)

Yes, and a good, carefully analytic segment it was.

[Flyposter]

There are some heartfelt tributes in the October NYCJR, downloadable here:

http://www.nycjazzrecord.com/