After Lionel Hampton and Milt Jackson, no one did more for the vibraphone as a voice in jazz than Bobby Hutcherson. Hutcherson pased away August 15 at the age of 75.
From his early recordings with Al Grey and Billy Mitchell, Jackie McLean, and Grant Green, on through the sixties and seventies, Hutcherson made the vibes a solo voice to be reckoned with. He carried the vibes beyond swing and Be-bop into free jazz, Avant Garde, and soul jazz.
This week on Part One of a two-part special, "What I Like About Jazz" focused on early recordings from the 60's and 70's. We featured a broad samplings of classic tracks, from Hutcherson's own recordings, to collaborations with Grant Green, Dexter Gordon, McCoy Tyner and Joe Henderson, to his longstanding partnership with Harold Land.
On August 24, Part Two takes a look from the Eighties to the present, and includes tracks by Dexter Gordon, Kenny Barron, McCoy Tyner, Joey Defrancesco and more of his own albums as a leader.
Tune in to "What I Like About Jazz," Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m., on your radio or online.
