For those who have been following our musical journey so far, the name Woody Shaw should sound familiar. A fantastic trumpeter and composer, we first encountered his compositional talents on Jackie McLean’s ‘Sweet Love Of Mine’ and more recently his contributions to the first draft of Andrew Hill’s album Grass Roots. Vibesman Bobby Hutcherson is also a frequent Jazz Impressions favourite and so it was only a matter of time until we’d end up meeting both Shaw and Hutcherson on the same record.
By the late 60s, popularity in jazz was waning due to competition from the new exciting sounds of rock, funk and soul. Blue Note had been at the fore of musical innovations throughout its golden age in the 50s and 60s but was now faced with an ultimatum. Either the label had to adapt to the new musical landscape and meet the public demand for funk or fade into obsolescence like many other jazz labels had. Blue Note changed up its style ushering in a new era of recordings, commonly known as Blue Note’s ‘funky’ period. Breakbeats and groovy organ licks a plenty, many musicians on the label transitioned to playing jazz funk which had much more mainstream appeal.
Bobby Hutcherson’s album Cirrus was released in 1974 in the middle of this funky revolution. However, unlike his contemporaries on the label, Hutcherson stuck to his guns and produced an album that was a continuation of the modal, post bop sounds he had been exploring during the 60s and early 70s. Hutcherson was never afraid of exploring the more avant-garde corners of jazz, appearing on records with players such as Stanley Cowell and Charles Tolliver who went on to found the independent jazz powerhouse Strata-East in 1971. Much like his earlier political album Now!, collectors and jazz nerds have often observed a similarity between the sophisticated post bop sounds heard on Cirrus and many of the records on Strata-East.
The album’s opener, the appropriately titled ‘Rosewood’ (a reference to this strong and heavy wood often used to make marimbas) is an excellent composition, written and arranged by Woody Shaw and is the only non-Hutcherson original on the album. Opening with a slightly ominous and brooding motif, the track’s atmosphere soon lifts and breezes along in a similar vein to Jackie McLean’s ‘Sweet Love Of Mine’. Hutcherson takes centre stage playing long, musically complex lines on the marimba interspersed by the punchy horns of Shaw and Emanuel Boyd and Harold Land on flute.
Other highlights from the album include the beautiful ‘Even Later’, a Satie-esque ballad, somewhat of a trademark for Hutcherson, where drummer Larry Hancock and percussionist Kenneth Nash lay down an organic bed of sounds below Hutcherson’s vibes, evoking the sounds of insects and wind and consequently injecting the track with life and interest. Similarities can be drawn with Yusef Lateef’s version of Satie’s famous ‘First Gymnopedie’ where percussion is used to similar effect. ‘Wrong Or Right’ sails along at a pace much like ‘Rosewood’ and is followed by the mysterious and moody ‘Zuri Dance’ which hypnotically swings in 6/8. The album closes with its namesake track ‘Cirrus’, an upbeat composition which showcases Shaw and Hutcherson’s deft soloing abilities.
Whilst maybe not as famous as his classic 60s offerings like Dialogue and Happenings, or as political and searching as Now!, Bobby Hutcherson’s Cirrus is an excellent example of a musician staying true to himself with a focus on personal expression as opposed to commercial appeal. Had Hutcherson jumped on the funky Blue Note wagon, I don’t think his releases would have aged as well as they have. As the name suggests, Cirrus is a light, breezy and generally upbeat album but nevertheless retains the high calibre musicianship and originality that Bobby Hutcherson’s records have become synonymous with.
For more from the master vibesman, explore our ‘It’s A Vibe’ playlist on Spotify.
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