Now!
Bobby Hutcherson
Harold Land, Gene McDaniels, Candido, Stanley Cowell, Kenny Barron
Engineer: Dave Sanders, Don Hahn,
Producer: Duke Pearson, George Butler
Blue Note Records (USA), 2004
1 CD
Catalogue #: 73164
EAN: 0724347316425
UPC: 724347316425
You save: 20%
Personnel include: Bobby Hutcherson (vibraphone); Gene McDaniels, Christine Spencer (vocals); Wally Richardson (guitar); Manny Boyd (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Harold Land (tenor saxophone); George Cables, Kenny Barron, Stanley Cowell (piano); Herbie Lewis, James Leary (double bass); Eddie Marshall , Joe Chambers (drums); Candido (congas); Bobbye Porter Hall (percussion); L.A. Philharmonic.
Liner Note Author: Michael Cuscuna.
Recording information: A&R Studios, New York, New York (10/03/1969 - 11/05/1969); Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California (08/13/1977).
Arranger: Dale Oehler.
This album is comprised of two sessions recorded eight years apart. The first five tunes from 1969 feature a large and diverse ensemble, including group and solo voices, plus Latin percussion. The high point of this portion of the disc may be "The Creators," an experimental tune that revolves around an entrancing vamp in 7/4 time. This selection begins with singers harmonizing the two-word title in long phrases. From there, vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson and his band improvise freely in a modal setting.
The last four tunes on the CD are taken from a 1977 concert at the Hollywood Bowl. In addition to Hutcherson's band, these songs also feature the amazing Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. The lush, albeit short, title track is the most stirring piece from this date. The rich strings encircle the bare vibraphone melody, bringing out the natural beauty of this melancholic composition. A delicate ballad, this highly arranged piece stands in stark contrast to the other exploratory, free-form improvisations found on NOW! Interestingly, three different versions of the title track are included on this disc.
Tracklist
Bobby Hutcherson
Bobby Hutcherson is the premier jazz vibraphonist of his generation. The Los Angeles-born composer/musician came to prominence in the mid-'60s as part of the "New Thing" movement in jazz, the forward-looking link between bebop and free jazz. One of Hutcherson's most prominent early sessions was Eric Dolphy's epoch-making 1964 album OUT TO LUNCH. Shortly thereafter, Hutcherson's solo career began in earnest, showing him to be a prolific composer as well as a masterful and innovative improviser. In the '70s, Hutcherson moved into more commercial, R&B-influenced territory, but the '80s found him returning to his post-bop roots. By the '90s, a new crop of jazz vibes players had entered the spotlight, all of whom owed much to Hutcherson's influence, placing the still extremely active mallet master in the role of elder statesman.
Kenny Barron
Pianist Kenny Barron, who first came to notice working with Yusef Lateef in the early '60s, has recorded scores of albums as a versatile and highly effective sideman with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Freddie Hubbard, and Ron Carter. His own albums as a leader give further proof of both his versatility and his status as one of the true living masters of the art of jazz piano.
