BOBBY HUTCHERSON — Dialogue (review)

BOBBY HUTCHERSON — Dialogue album cover Album · 1965 · Hard Bop Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
Abraxas
What makes Bobby Hutcherson's discography so interesting to listen to, is that the style of music varies much depending on who are the main composers on each album. Stating that, Bobby, although being the leader, he hasn't always composed everything for his albums (and that's not bad!).

It's the case of Dialogue, Bobby's first release (but not really the first recorded), that established the vibraphonist as a leading force of the post-bop movement, edging the avant-garde, having previously played on Dolphy's renowned work, Out to Lunch, and some of Andrew Hill's advanced jazz albums.

But is Bobby actually the mastermind behind all these edgy, loose jazz compositions, featured in Dialogue? No, actually Andrew Hill and Joe Chambers are the ones responsible of this. I've already mentioned Hill before, what about Joe? Well, he's the drummer, but a constant member on Hutcherson's album and a leading composer in many of them. Chambers' compositions are commonly risky and chaotic, advocating free jazz, both 'Idle While' and the title track are not accessible by any means.

But let's not forget that Andrew, the pianist, is also an advocate for complex, quirker post-bop ideas. Add to that that there's Sam Rivers contributing his wide selection of woodwind instruments, Dialogue ends up being a hard-digesting album, that requires various listens, and not necessarily all will click.

For me this doesn't really show Bobby's ideal music, since a) he doesn't compose any of it, and b) you can listen to his actual debut, The Kicker, where hard bop is the norm. Not saying Dialogue is bad, or that Andrew and Joe aren't good composers, it just seems that Bobby doesn't have much room to express himself.

Mind you, I highly recommend this if you're an Andrew Hill fan, you'll probably love it, and also if you're into Hancock's most wild jazz stuff like 'The Egg' and 'Survival of the Fittest'.

However, if you're looking for a place to start with Bobby's music, I'd say check Happenings, where he's the main composer and the music is inventive post bop.
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