Bobby Hutcherson
Robert Hutcherson (January 27, 1941 – August 15, 2016) was an American jazz vibraphone and marimba player. "Little B's Poem", from the 1966 Blue Note album '' Components'', is one of his best-known compositions.Huey, Steve. "Components – Bob ...
, released on the Blue Note label in 1965. This was Hutcherson's first LP released as bandleader (an earlier session, '' The Kicker'', has since been issued on CD by Blue Note) following work with
Eric Dolphy
Eric Allan Dolphy Jr. (June 20, 1928 – June 29, 1964) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, bass clarinetist and flautist. On a few occasions, he also played the clarinet and piccolo. Dolphy was one of several multi-instrumentalists to gai ...
. The album features four Andrew Hill compositions and two Joe Chambers pieces. It has received widespread critical acclaim and is considered by most critics one of Hutcherson's greatest achievements.
Composition and recording
Written in an 8/4 Latin style, the opener, "Catta", is the most conventional piece on the album (as drummer Chambers said in the liner notes; "conventional?").Original liner notes by A.B. Spellman "Idle While" is a lyrical waltz provided by Chambers. "Les Noirs Marchent", meaning "The Blacks are marching" is a militaristic style free song dedicated to the civil rights movement. "Dialogue" is the most free in nature, with an ominous opening phrase played by
Hutcherson
Hutcherson is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Bobby Hutcherson (1941–2016), American jazz vibraphonist and marimbist
*Dick Hutcherson (1931–2005), American businessman and a former stock car racer
* Jenelle Hutcherson, Ame ...
, before the others proceed to abandon the idea of a solo. "Ghetto Lights" was written whilst Bobby was at Hill's house and was inspired by a tune played by Hill's wife, Laverne. As Hutcherson recounted, "some of her tunes had a real ghetto feel".Now Hear This! the official podcast of
Blue Note Records
Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue notes of jazz and the blues. Or ...
, episode 2 "Jasper" was originally released on the 1968 record ''
Spiral
In mathematics, a spiral is a curve which emanates from a point, moving farther away as it revolves around the point.
Helices
Two major definitions of "spiral" in the American Heritage Dictionary are:The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' awarded it the maximum four stars, as well as the special "crown" accolade in the first and second editions. According to the authors: "''Dialogue'' stands head and shoulders above utcherson's other classic Blue Note dates Drawing on some of the free-harmonic and -rhythmic innovations developed on Eric Dolphy's '' Out to Lunch'' (on which Hutcherson played), he began to develop a complex contrapuntal style that involved parallel melodies rather than unisons and complex rhythmic patterns which he conceived... as focal points round which the musicians operated."Richard Cook and Brian Morton, ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD, LP & Cassette'', 1st ed. (Penguin, 1992).AllMusic's Steve Huey gave the album five stars as well writing: "''Dialogue'' remains Hutcherson's most adventurous, "outside" album, and while there are more extensive showcases for his playing, this high-caliber session stands as arguably his greatest musical achievement".
soprano saxophone
The soprano saxophone is a higher-register variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument invented in the 1840s. The soprano is the third-smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists (from smallest to largest) of the soprillo, sop ...
(5),
bass clarinet
The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B (meaning it is a transposing instrument on which a written C sounds as B), but it plays notes an octave bel ...
(4, 5, 6),
flute
The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...
(2, 3)
*
Freddie Hubbard
Frederick Dewayne Hubbard (April 7, 1938 – December 29, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter. He played bebop, hard bop, and post-bop styles from the early 1960s onwards. His unmistakable and influential tone contributed to new perspectives fo ...
drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...