Bobby Hutcherson RIP

[BFrank]

On 9/14/2016 at 10:15 PM, BFrank said:

Very impressive lineup for the Bobby Hutcherson Memorial Concert at SFJAZZ next month. Should be a very emotional night. Yes, I picked up tickets!

Bobby Hutcherson Memorial Benefit Concert

Next Sunday.

[Teasing the Korean]

Circa 1978 or 79, I started listening to a local station that played jazz in the evenings.  The first time I heard Bobby Hutcherson was on this station during this time.  They played the title track from Patterns when it was released in 1980.  

I have a lot of Bobby Hutcherson albums, but this one has eluded me.

So I waddled over to the InterTubes and played "Patterns."  I still remembered the melody more than 40 years later.  

[HutchFan]

2 minutes ago, Teasing the Korean said:

Circa 1978 or 79, I started listening to a local station that played jazz in the evenings.  The first time I heard Bobby Hutcherson was on this station during this time.  They played the title track from Patterns when it was released in 1980.  

I have a lot of Bobby Hutcherson albums, but this one has eluded me.

So I waddled over to the InterTubes and played "Patterns."  I still remembered the melody more than 40 years later.  

It's an outstanding record.  

 

[Teasing the Korean]

47 minutes ago, HutchFan said:

It's an outstanding record.  

If the whole thing is as good as the title track, I agree with you.

I have another of the unreleased Bobby Hutcherson albums that was released during that period, when the covers used CTI-like artwork instead of something period appropriate. 

Edited August 13, 2021 by Teasing the Korean

[felser]

51 minutes ago, Teasing the Korean said:

If the whole thing is as good as the title track, I agree with you.

I have another of the unreleased Bobby Hutcherson albums that was released during that period, when the covers used CTI-like artwork instead of something period appropriate. 

Patrick Roques fixed it with the Conn, though it's not exactly one of the classic BN album covers.  But better than the generic 1980 white/rainbow template.

 

[HutchFan]

1 hour ago, Teasing the Korean said:

If the whole thing is as good as the title track, I agree with you.

I have another of the unreleased Bobby Hutcherson albums that was released during that period, when the covers used CTI-like artwork instead of something period appropriate. 

Yep, the Blue Note LT series featured covers that were somewhat reminiscent of CTI.  They all came from Michael Cuscuna's explorations in the BN archives.  Hutcherson had three LPs in the series: Patterns, Medina, and Spiral.  The latter two feature Hutcherson with Harold Land -- and they're among Hutcherson's very best recordings, IMO.  It's nutty that that they sat on the shelf for a decade.

 

 

 

Both LPs were released subsequently on a single CD with a more "typical-looking" Blue Note cover:

One of my desert-island discs.

 

Edited August 13, 2021 by HutchFan
pix added

[Teasing the Korean]

I have Medina on vinyl with ugly cover art.  

[HutchFan]

4 minutes ago, Teasing the Korean said:

I have Medina on vinyl with ugly cover art.  

Ah, but it's what's inside the cover that matters!   

 

[Teasing the Korean]

2 hours ago, HutchFan said:

Ah, but it's what's inside the cover that matters!   

For me, the cover art determines how I perceive the music.  Even the record label design, also.  I have said to my wife that she can randomly put on an LP, and I can tell her from the next room if the record label design is correct or not.  

 

 

Edited August 14, 2021 by Teasing the Korean

[JSngry]

LT covers were communiques from POWs. All the re-dos are revisionist-history feelgood fantasy. A lot of people like that and will make all kinds of excuses for liking it. That's why it comes to market, because nobody wants to be reminded of POWs, especially when it comes to jazz records.

But at least it's not Applause. That shit was like prison sex slave labor.

But LT, that shit is real. There are no humans on a LT cover, except on a TV screen one many times  Once the POW records got released from the camp, the Blue Note Government went back on put false happy faces on them, and the kids who don't know any better prefer that, because, you know, HAPPY.

Dance With Death, baby. That body was NEVER found 

3 hours ago, felser said:

 

 

 

Can you tell your babies what they mean?

[felser]

This is beautifully done revisionist history feelgood.  One of Roques' masterpieces:

as opposed to this artsy monstrosity.

Edited August 14, 2021 by felser

[JSngry]

In the context of Blue Note "records", Roques  was a useful tool of a craftsman with no mission or vision  other than to recreate a past that never existed.

Again - that body had yet to be found and likely will never be found.

[Pim]

Patterns is an amazing record and yes the whole album is as good as the title track. It took me quite a while to obtain a copy. It’s pretty rare both in vinyl and cd. Still don’t understand why they did not select it for the Tone Poet series.

[soulpope]

12 hours ago, Teasing the Korean said:

For me, the cover art determines how I perceive the music ....

Similar here, although good music always prevails ....

[Teasing the Korean]

Qobuz has Patterns available as a lossless download for only $8.99.  I may have to get this.  

Edited August 14, 2021 by Teasing the Korean

[Pim]

1 hour ago, Teasing the Korean said:

Qobuz has Patterns available as a lossless download for only $8.99.  I may have to get this.  

Oh yes you do! You won’t regret it. 

[Teasing the Korean]

Just now, Pim said:

Oh yes you do! You won’t regret it. 

I've never regretted buying a Bobby Hutcherson album.  

Well, there was that one smooth jazz album he did in the 1980s.  I unloaded that one.

[felser]

9 hours ago, Teasing the Korean said:

I've never regretted buying a Bobby Hutcherson album. 

Then, to your credit, you never bought "Natural Illusions", thinking "Hey, it's Blue Note, it's Hutch, it's gotta be good".  I wasted hard earned part time job money on a cut out of it.

[JSngry]

It's a pretty MOR record. It's not for serious listening, it's...not for listening. It's got good songs, I'll give it that, and then...let it go.

Montara is the one that's always left me cold. I get what I'm supposed to get about it, but I don't. It seems like Natural Illusions but with a "groove". I keep waiting for it to surprise me, but it never does...at this point, not going to try anymore.

San Francisco, that's another one, but not as badly. That one, at times, if I don't listen TOO hard, it's ok enough.

 

[Teasing the Korean]

55 minutes ago, felser said:

Then, to your credit, you never bought "Natural Illusions", thinking "Hey, it's Blue Note, it's Hutch, it's gotta be good".  I wasted hard earned part time job money on a cut out of it.

Well, that may be the 80s album I unloaded.  

[JSngry]

 

32 minutes ago, Teasing the Korean said:

Well, that may be the 80s album I unloaded.  

It was a 70s album.

[felser]

1 hour ago, JSngry said:

It's a pretty MOR record. It's not for serious listening, it's...not for listening. It's got good songs, I'll give it that, and then...let it go.

Montara is the one that's always left me cold. I get what I'm supposed to get about it, but I don't. It seems like Natural Illusions but with a "groove". I keep waiting for it to surprise me, but it never does...at this point, not going to try anymore.

San Francisco, that's another one, but not as badly. That one, at times, if I don't listen TOO hard, it's ok enough.

 

And 'Linger Lane', though I'm always a sucker for "People Make the World Go Round", and that album has a nine minute version of it.  He tried to make a commercial CTI-ish album with that one.  

[Pim]

Well can’t say I like everything he did in the ‘70’s but he is easily forgiven. But I could easily recommend every single record he made in the 60’s. And Patterns is among his best. Cowell is kicking ass on that album and the Workman Chambers duo is very, very solid. 

[Rabshakeh]

I’m a great fan of San Francisco. It’s one of the records I listen to most. 

Linger Lane much less so.

[Peter Friedman]

After checking Bobby Hutcherson's albums as leader, it turns out that the ones I prefer are 2 from the 60's, none from the 70's, 4 from the 80's, 1 from the 90's and 1 from the 2000's.

The Kicker - 1963

Stick Up - 1966

Good Bait - 1984

Color Schemes - 1985

In The Vanguard - 1986

Cruisin' The Bird - 1988

Mirage - 1991

In A Sentimental mood - 2006