BOBBY HUTCHERSON — Enjoy the View (review)

BOBBY HUTCHERSON — Enjoy the View album cover

Album · 2014 · Hard Bop

4/5 · 2015-01-05
Matt

Back in 1976 Bobby was looking at “The View From The Inside” with his 2nd last Blue Note recording before the Label folded for a period lasting to the mid eighties but this time with his newest release Bobby recommends to “Enjoy The View” and yes, it is on Blue Note. Bobby Hutcherson is one of Jazz music’s greats having played vibraphone on so many albums that today are considered classics in this genre with a myriad of styles with many fans still trying to work out whether it is his Bop or early Avante Garde contributions, they enjoy better. “Enjoy The View” is Bobby Hutcherson’s return to Blue Note records after an hiatus of 37 years and with a period away for this length of time you would expect nothing but the best and Don Was being Blue Note’s President within EMI is the album’s Producer. Could one find a better Producer having recorded so many artists with styles ranging from Country to Algerian Rai but this time it is some great Boppin’ Jazz. Bobby first recorded for Blue Note in 1963 ( Jackie McLean sideman)and stayed with the label till it’s brief demise in 1979 with Horace Silver the pianist being the only other artist still remaining from the Classic period during the time that Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff owned it.

Joey DeFrancesco provides organ for the album and with the addition of trumpet on one of the compositions and having been playing with Bobby for a few years and been included on his last Live album brings a wonderful understanding and feel to the music. David Sanborn is playing alto saxophone with his unique slightly abrasive tone and he also has been recently performing in Joey DeFrancesco’s trio and provides beautiful input with his addition. Both musicians also provide two compositions of their own to the album . The great Billy Hart is drumming who is currently signed with ECM and doing an absolutely fantastic job for someone who is 74 and last but not least is Bobby Hutcherson on vibraphone who has one up on Billy being 73 years of age at the present time of this album’s release. All of these artists have practically played with the entire Jazz community at some time, if all their projects, bands etc were combined in a group . All this experience shows with the music one hears performed by the band during the album’s duration

There are seven compositions contained on the record with David Sanborn’s “Delia” commencing the album where David employs his wonderful abrasive alto saxophone tone during a solo interlinked with space and varying twists to open. Bobby follows with that sparse technique that he employs when playing vibes with Joey DeFrancesco providing an ample laid back groove from Hammond organ and adding quite a nice little solo to follow Bobby’s. “Don Is” is Joey’s turn for a composition and perhaps a hat tip to Don Was which has a slight Avante touch used for the tunes opening with a wonderful mid tempo groove provided for Bobby’s vibes to lead us in. “Hey Harold” was previously included from Bobby’s “Head On” album in 1971 but the duration is not so long for this interpretation coming in at 7 minutes whereas the original was 20 with its slow tempo opening but the tune motors along quite nicely in no time and this is where Joey DeFrancesco provides some wonderful high loopy trumpet during the composition’s beginning and end, combining interplay between him and Bobby and is a lovely quick highlight. David Sanborn and Billy Hart are also superb with their input to this number. “Little Flower” is another Sanborn composition at a slower tempo than the previous with David Sanborn playing an extremely interesting beautiful solo and providing most of the tune’s lead sound. “Montara” is another of Bobby’s compositions given a new life with quite a nice variation which came from the album of the same name he released back in 1975, which is followed by a new up tempo composition from Bobby named “Teddy” with lots of drive and superb musicianship contained within from the entire band. The last track is ‘You” being another Joey De Francesco composition with some great flow coming from the band throughout this mid tempo number.

Wonderful return to his old label for Bobby Hutcherson, great band, great compositions and a great record is the result. For myself I would get it alone for David Sanborn’s superb saxophone input as I just love how he puts his solo’s together. This album is not “Dialogue”, “Stick Up” , “Happenings” or “Total Eclipse” it is a something a little different from Bobby this time. Great to see that he is still moving along nicely in his career and not sitting in the one spot after all this time which would have been so easy to do. Takes a few listens and what is better, there is constantly new things to hear each time from the entire band throughout the record with every play.