You just heard Roy Ayers filtered through the psychedelic prism of Madlib, which brings us to the warm and wonderful world of the vibraphone. One of the great masters of the mallets was Bobby Hutcherson, whose sonic and rhythmic sensibilities helped usher in a new era for legendary jazz label Blue Note.
Born in Los Angeles, 1941, Hutcherson was just 23 when he lent his sophisticated textures to Eric Dolphy’s landmark Out To Lunch! (1964) album and Andrew Hill’s Judgement! (1964), both trailblazers of a freer approach to jazz then referred to as “The New Thing.” This led to Hutcherson’s first release as leader, the classic avant-garde date Dialogue (1965).
As the name suggests, Dialogue is a record exploring the possibilities of jazz as a form of musical conversation. There’s no grandstanding on display, focusing instead on blended voices and communal world-building. For me this notion of listening and letting each other talk is one of jazz’s most valuable lessons.
I could pick any track from this session but I want to highlight pianist Andrew Hill’s unique compositional style on ‘Ghetto Lights.’ Inspired by the image of illuminated shanty towns and a tune played by Hill’s wife Laverne, ‘Ghetto Lights’ is a gentle, noirish blues in 6/4 time that demonstrates Hill’s trademark ability to craft cerebral moods and angular shapes while still swinging – but always off-kilter. The effect is like walking through an unfamiliar city at night at a weird angle.
Check out the beautiful solos by Freddie Hubbard on muted trumpet (those bent notes!), Sam Rivers on soprano sax and finally Hutcherson himself, where the whole band really lights up. And if you dig the vibes, hit up our vibraphone playlist on Spotify.
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