Bobby Hutcherson - Solo/Quartet

Bobby Hutcherson Solo/Quartet

Bobby Hutcherson - vibraphone, marimba, bass marimba, chimes, xylophone, bells, boo-bam
McCoy Tyner - piano
Herbie Lewis - bass
Billy Higgins - Drums

1. Gotcha
2. For You, Mom and Dad
3. The Ice Cream Man
4. La Alhambra
5. Old Devil Moon
6. My Foolish Heart
7. Messina

I first came across this recording when I had a music downloading program known as Ruckus. It was a free way for college students to temporarily download music files. The files were deleted after a few months, and you could not transfer the files onto an mp3 player or cd-r. I was glad when I went into a record store in Madison yesterday (strictly discs), and I found Solo/Quartet for sale. I just got home from visiting my sister, and I am listening to the record as I type.

The album contains one side of solo recordings, and one side of quartet recordings (hence Solo/Quartet). Solo, in this case, is not a vibraphone solo album ala Gary Burton's Alone at Last. It presents Bobby Hutcherson in a one man percussion ensemble recorded via over-dubbing. Hutcherson wrote the three unique solo compositions himself. It is not often that an accomplished jazz percussionist attempts to write percussion ensemble music (Max Roach's M'boom comes to mind as another example). All three are enjoyable. "Gotcha" includes an opening vamp that will be stuck in your head for days. I like how the compositions include space for Hutcherson to improvise on either marimba or vibraphone. The pieces teeter on the commercial, smooth-jazz sound of the time, but the interesting choice of the percussion ensemble canvas makes this side great music to have going on in the background. It reminds me of Erik Satie's idea of "furniture music."

The next side includes an amazing quartet playing a variety of jazz pieces. "Al Hambra" has a Latin tinge to it, "Old Devil Moon" is a medium tempo jazz standard, "My Foolish Heart" is a standard ballad, and "Messina" is a multi-sectional Hutcherson composition.
The four players interact really nicely together. The liner notes suggest that the four players were reunited for this recording. The interplay does indeed sound as if four friends got together to play some wonderful pieces of music. When vibraphone and piano appear together, the first thought is if they get in each others way. On the quartet recording, the answer is no. Hutcherson and Tyner to a great job with subtle comping during each others fantastic solos. In fact, Hutcherson always did a great job of knowing how much he needed to play. On Out to Lunch, which was one of my first reviews, Hutcherson was able to fill the void of piano.

This is a great recording that I am sure will get worn out on my turntable. I think it would make my "desert island" list. That being said, I'm not sure if I would recommend this as the ultimate album that everyone must own. It's got some great variety, and I think my only complaint is that I wish this were a double album so it could contain more solo pieces and more quartet pieces! I wish I could find some audio samples on the web to include in this blog, but I could not find any on youtube or google. If you are interested, I would suggest checking out the 30 second sound clips from amazon, and if you find them intriguing, then go buy the album!

Keith Jarrett - Eyes of the Heart

Keith Jarrett Eyes of the Heart

Keith Jarrett - Piano, OSI Drums, Soprano Saxophone, Tambourine
Dewey Redman - Tenor Saxophone, Tambourine, Maracas
Charlie Haden - Bass
Paul Motian - Drums, Percussion

1. Eyes of the Heart (part 1)
2. Eyes of the Heart (part 2)
3. Encore (a-b-c)






So this is the second Keith Jarrett review in a row. This probably will not be the last Jarrett review, as I have recently discovered how amazing some of his recordings are. I recently purchased this album at Stardust records, which I have alluded to in previous posts. I am very glad that I found this record store, as it has hooked me up with some great, make that fantastic, jazz recordings.

Keith Jarrett is a well known jazz pianist. He gained attention in the 1960's as the pianist in the Charles Lloyd quartet. After this, he joined Miles Davis' electric ensemble for a few years, and then Jarrett really started to record a lot for the ECM label (I know, I have reviewed quite a few ECM discs on this blog. I will try in the future to focus on other music labels).

Jarrett recorded primarily in one of three settings in the 1970's. One was solo (check Facing You, or Koln Concert). He also recorded with two quartets; one was American, and one was European. The American quartet consisted of Jarrett, Charlie Haden, Dewey Redman, and Paul Motian, and they are heard one The Eyes of The Heart. All of their repertoire consisted of originals, and most were written by Jarrett. Eyes of the Heart, apparently, is completely written by Keith Jarrett. Some of the magic of Keith Jarrett in the 1970's, however, was his ability to improvise magnificent melodies (For example, it is said that Jarrett improvised many of his solo piano concerts). I wonder how much of Eyes of the Heart was improvised by the ensemble. Take these notes written on the inside of the album cover:

"Improvisation is at its best when everyone involved in the music is aware of an intent greater than his own; therefore more his own."

This leads me to believe that the majority of this "untitled" material (all of the titles are either "Eyes of the Heart", or "encore''...)was improvised on the spot. Much of the music is based on vamps, which was a key component to Jarrett's improvised albums. Also, many of Jarrett's tunes composed in the 1970's consist of long winding melodies played in unison by the piano and the saxophonist. Most of the melodies that I hear, are played by individuals (Mostly Jarrett or Redman). (I am currently listening to the encore, and alas! part b appears to contain a melody played by Jarrett and Redman; however, Jarrett plays his soprano saxophone for this part! He is a talented saxophonist, if I do say so myself.)

The track I have been digging the most is "Eyes of the Heart part two." This piece is fantastic! The first half of the 15:43 long piece is a piano solo ala Jarrett's solo improvised concerts that he would have been performing around the same time as this (Eyes of the Heart was recorded in May 1976, and was released by ECM in 1979). The piece is a g minor masterpiece. The piano repeats a haunting ostinato throughout. The ensemble joins in and collaborates on a meditative theme.

My one complaint about this album is a small complaint, and I probably would have nothing to complain about had I bought the compact disc. The album is a double album, meaning it consists of two records. The first record contains "Eyes of the Heart part one" on side one and "Eyes of the Heart part two" on side two. The second record has "Encore a-b-c" on side one, and side two is completely blank! I wish that Jarrett could have found some extra material to take up the fourth side of this record. Even if he needed to record a solo piano performance, a fourth side would be greatly appreciated!

I think this album is great; however, I would not proclaim it a must-buy for the lay-jazzer. Anyone interested into the improvisatory nature of 1970's Keith Jarrett, though, needs to check this music out anyway possible.