The Kicker [LIMITED EDITION] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Bobby Hutcherson

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 19, 1999)
• Original Release Date: October 19, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Limited Edition, Original recording remastered
• Label: Blue Note Records
• ASIN: B00001ZSXO
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #107,759 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
The Kicker is an example of a fabulous recording never released for reasons totally unrelated to the quality of the music. This swinging December 1963 session was actually Bobby Hutcherson's first as a leader for Blue Note, but the more adventurous Dialogue, from April 1965, was the first released under the visionary vibraphonist's name. Hutcherson, guitarist Grant Green, saxophonist Joe Henderson, and pianist Duke Pearson--the same mainstream lineup used on Green's Idle Moments date a month earlier--fill The Kicker with bluesy, in-the-pocket jams. Its soulful sounds contrast sharply with the more radical studio work Hutcherson had created previously on Jackie McLean's One Step Beyond and Grachan Moncur's Evolution or would do later on Andrew Hill's Judgment and Eric Dolphy's Out to Lunch. Thus, a year after it was made, the comparatively conventional album was deemed unrepresentative of Hutcherson's artistry--he had since become a member of the Archie Shepp quartet--and it remained in the can for 36 years, until this 1999 release. --Mitchell Feldman

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better Late Than Never?, November 22, 1999

By	Frank Bock (Maine/NY) - See all my reviews

It's interesting to note that in the liner notes to Grant Green's The Matador, described this session as "somewhat disappointing." Now, Cuscuna has mostly just praise for The Kicker, though he does point out similar to the amazon review that this was a much more straightforward Hutcherson than most of the public was used to.

I'm rather surprised as Hutcherson did play on some avante garde sessions with Eric Dolphy, Andrew Hill, Jackie McLean, and Archie Shepp, but for every avante garde session, there was another like Grant Green's Idle Moments, or his Streets of Dreams (with Larry Young and Elvin Jones). And, Hutcherson recorded several straight ahead sessions himself like 1966 session called Stick-Up! with Billy Higgins. That one is beautiful, straight ahead jazz. And albums like Patterns (with James Spaulding and Joe Chambers) are relatively straightforward.

Anyways, The Kicker. The album is great. The same lineup as Grant Green's Idle Moments (with Green appearing on only 3/6 tracks), The Kicker perhaps lacks the intamacy of Idle Moments, but shines much brighter. There are obviously easy comparisons to both. They were recorded with the same personel, a month apart. Songs contributions come from Joe Chambers (who's not on the session), Duke Pearson (who is), Joe Henderson (two here), and Bobby H (1), plus a standard to finish it off.

The standard is If Ever I would Leave You, and it's quite pretty. But it's the second song, Mirrors, by Joe Chambers that really caught my eye. It's slow and sensuous, and kind of has that Joe Chambers style to it. It's interesting to hear it though with Al Harewood on drums. For Duke P. is for Duke Pearson (though was only named by Hutcherson for this release in 1999), is great... medium to up tempo and has some ultra-cool vibes playing. The last three songs each have Green on them which changes the scene a bit. Joe Henderson's, The Kicker has been recorded by just about everone, and is given a good, standard treatment here. Step Lightly is something pretty like what we would have found on Idle Moments. Bedouin was already familiar to bass player, Bob Cranshaw, and Grant Green as they played it on Green's The Matador. It's interesting to hear both versions. Above all, The Kicker is great Bobby H. Like I said, it may not be as great as Idle Moments... though what is? There is some great playing by everyone here. Joe Henderson was really coming to his own, and his tenor sax playing is unique and perfect for this setting. Bobby Hutcherson is always good, whether straight ahead or avante garde. Green rules. And Duke Pearson, Al Harewood, and Bob Cranshaw make for a kickin' rhythm section. I love Pearson in particular and find his piano playing to be quite subtle and fun to listen to in the mix. Focusing on his playing is great. So get the album. It's a good one. Especially for one that took 35 years to release!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars STRAIGHT AHEAD HUTCHERSON, May 5, 2005

By	Unlucky Frank (Lalaland, CA United States) - See all my reviews

If you like your jazz straight ahead and you love vibes, don't listen to the reviewer below. THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL FIVE STAR SESSION. And one of Hutcherson's best recordings. It's been described as somewhat disjointed because Grant Green plays on only the last three tracks, but it lends a little variety to the mix. Most of the tracks are Tenorman Joe Henderson's compositions. Yes, a lot of people rave about DIALOGUE, but it's too avant-garde for my taste. This one has been long out of print and the price is a little steep. I seem to have a hard time finding coherent straight ahead vibes playing like this, so to me it was worth every penny. I hardly ever agree with Cook and Morton of PENGUIN'S GUIDE TO JAZZ, but here's what they had to say about this reissue: "The KICKER wasn't available until 1999, an astonishing oversight on Blue Note's part... it remains a mystery that this record should have been considered so marginal that it lay in the vaults for 30 years."

If you like the straight ahead feel of this recording, of course you'll also want Grant Green's IDLE MOMENTS which includes the same line-up. But, you should also check out Dexter Gordon's GETTIN' AROUND. An underrated album in Dexter's Blue Note catalog as far as I'm concerned. And it showcases some beautiful vibes playing by Hutcherson.

Enjoy.

5.0 out of 5 stars Lost Treasure Ahoy!, May 10, 2008

By	jokamachi (california) - See all my reviews

This is another one of those forgotten gems that never saw the light of day. And when you listen to it you really have to wonder what they were thinking in not releasing it until just recently.

Any of Hutcherson's records are worth your time; so capable is the man that he leads almost any group he is part of (and if you don't believe me, check out the impact he has on Dexter Gordon's Getting Around), but this album has such a splendid balance to it that, again, you want to scream out and question why it had lain on the shelves for so long.

But it's also very much Joe Henderson's record. The Kicker is one of those catchy tunes that crop up over and over, yet Joe's contributions on this record are more than compositional. He's a wonderful improvisor, the sort that thinks through a solo in delightful, inventive ways, ala Shorter, Rollins, or Gordon. Incidentally, The State of the Tenor is a must have album for any newly budding fan of Henderson.

Few albums come with promises of satisfaction guaranteed, but I suspect you'll love this record as much as Green's Idle Moments, Hutcherson's Oblique, or Dolphy's Out to Lunch. There is something about the Blue Note recordings from this period that seem to bat a thousand.