Search - Bobby Hutcherson :: Skyline

Bobby's Only Getting Better!

Seamus Cathlong | NY USA | 12/12/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Bobby Hutchreson recorded "Skyline" after going a couple of years without releasing an album, and the result is a really fresh, well-concieved effort. Bobby was nearing 60 when this was made, but he still had no problem matching the energies and levels of creativity of his reasonably young band. The first tune, "Who's Got You," is an extrememely difficult form to improvise over-- in the vein of the Coltrane-inspired, chord-change-heavy tunes that Bobby played on many of his albums in the 60's. Of course, Bobby makes it sound easy. His haunting all-marimba version of "Delilah" is quite beautiful, and Bobby uses the vamp at the end to remind us all of just how advanced his command of harmony is. (It doesn't feel confusing, just something on the edge that you understand he's very much in control of.) The playing on this album is stunning, the interaction is on a very high level, (which is never a surprise with Al Foster on the drums,) but, all of the little jazz nuances aside, for the average listener, the tunes will make this album. Just beautiful. The "Love Theme from Superman" is made quite pretty in Bobby's capable hands, and "Tres Palabras" and "Chan's Song" are poignant and elegant. On the other side of the spectrum, tunes like "Pomponio" and "The Coaster" show us that Bobby can still move, and display an impressive amount of power. But maybe the hippest track on this album is "I Only Have Eyes for You," the one 'standard' among all of these... a tune which most people know and few ever get excited about. Bobby breathes life into it here with a reharmonization and arragement that make it a completely different tune. That's the wonderful thing about Bobby, he's all about reinvention. I saw the tour for this album, with most of the original personnel, and it was wonderful. Then I caught Bobby a year later, and he was playing many of the same tunes, but he'd done "arragements" of the arragements on this album, so they sounded slightly different, but were still based on this project. Now THAT's a person who appreciates the need for an artist to be ever-changing. This is a wonderful album."

Terrific Vibes.....Great Material....

Robert J. Ament | Ballwin, MO United States | 01/29/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"....perhaps that's what helped make it to #19 on the "Billboard" jazz albums for 1999. This cd runs the gamut of material.....from selections that move such as "Who's Got You" and "Pomponio", a completely new concept for the old standard "I Only Have Eyes For You", some Latin tinges in switching off to the marimba, and some beautiful readings of "Chan's Song" and "Candle" all done with sophistication and refinement.Tremendously good personnel certainly contribute to the appeal of this cd.....listen to the interplay between Hutcherson and Garrett on the opening track and the the playing of the rhythm section throughout. Hutcherson's tone is a real treat to the ears.Great addition to any jazz library!"

Great CD!

Todd Ebert | Long Beach California | 02/12/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was first turned on to Bobby Hutcherson while listening to Freddie Hubbard's "Keystone Bop" (Prestige Records); and from that time on I've considered him the best vibes player my ear has laid vibes on. So I took a chance with "Skyline", and the music seems so much better than what I hoped for. Hard to believe he recorded this at age 60! He sounds so technically proficient while at the same time being able to tell wonderful stories with his vibes and marimbas ("Delilah" sounds soooo beautiful)! But this recording isn't just about Hutcherson, in that it also includes brilliant and soulful alto sax playing by Kenny Garrett (the only Kenny G that matters), and a superb rhythm section in Geri Allen, Christian McBride, and Al Foster. If anything, this recording always reminds me that there is still fresh and original music being made via the acoustic jazz setting."