Bobby Hutchersons ‘Happenings’ marked a new direction
for the vibraphonist. Moving away from the avant-garde and his adventurous
compositions that had made his name, it’s sometimes seen as perhaps less
important than the work that he recorded just before, and that he would create
later. It’s a perhaps uninformed opinion, with the album being the first to
present the vibesman as the soloist leading a conventional rhythm section of
piano, bass and drums, instead of the experimentally focused larger groups he’d
played with earlier in his career. As a consequence it’s probably one of the
easiest of his albums to get into and also one of the the best introductions to
his music.
Another first is that the entire album, barring one
track, is composed by Hutcherson, whereas previously he had relied on other
writers. Much of it is very good too, right from the stomping opener ‘Aquarian
Moon’. It’s balanced nicely too, from the swinging of ‘Head Start’, to the soft
and gentle ‘Bouquet’, while taking in funky Latin grooves on the excellent
‘Rojo’, and on ‘When You Are Near’, showcasing some strong ballad playing that
also stands as Hutchersons best composition here, but somewhat frustratingly it’s
also the shortest. The best overall though is the take on Herbie Hancocks
classic ‘Maiden Voyage’, which has always been an outstanding piece and here is
given a brilliant treatment. Hancock of course is here too, and he’s on fire as
he always was throughout the sixties, with the remainder of the rhythm team
being made up by Bob Cranshaw and Joe Chambers.
Most of the pieces in truth though are more nicely composed than
being exceptional, but the playing on each of them is second to none, and it is
this that elevates everything to sounding absolutely terrific. The only
disturbance to this highly listenable and accessible music comes with the final
track ‘The Omen’. An ambitious sprawl that sounds more at home with the far
experimental music of his earlier records, its stop-start cacophony doesn’t sit
at all with the rest of the album - and its likely to make most listeners
confused as to what they’re hearing, having just experienced the much easier sounding
grooves a few minutes earlier. Its inclusion here really on this record is a
very big mis-step.
Having laid down highly memorable work on other Blue Note
alumni’s recordings, such as Eric Dolphy’s much-lauded ‘Out To Lunch’ and Grant
Green’s outstanding double-excellence of ‘Idle Moments’ and ‘Street Of Dreams’,
Hutcherson with ‘Happenings’ launched himself as a more acceptably closer-to-the-mainstream
artist, and the gamble largely paid off. Just over a year later the same band, with
Cranshaw replaced by Albert Stinson, would go on to record Hutchersons
‘Oblique’. He and Hancock’s exquisite partnership would even better highlight
just how good they could be together, and with the upping of the quality of the
writing the session would be even better.
‘Happenings’ is Hutchersons bid for mainstream jazz acceptance
and it works a treat. A classy recording, it’s one of the vibes players most
easy and relaxed dates as a leader, and only one of two ever dates leading a
quartet, as well being a simply great showcase for Hancock. For the best
introduction to the Bobby Hutcherson, this is for most a good starting point –
but there is much greater music worth exploring in Hutcherson’s catalogue for
anyone wanting to dip more than just a toe in the water.
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