Bobby Hutcherson recorded frequently for Blue Note in the 1960s, though this session remained unissued until 1999. The first half features the vibraphonist in a cooking hard bop session with Joe Henderson and Duke Pearson, starting with an energetic take on the normally slow ballad "If Ever I Would Leave You" and a sizzling Hutcherson original, "For Duke P." Guitarist Grant Green is added for the second half, beginning with the first recording of Henderson's "The Kicker," which became well known from it's later rendition on Horace Silver's highly successful release Song for My Father. Because this is part of Blue Note's limited-edition Jazz Connoisseur series, don't delay in picking it up. - Ken Dryden
Tracks
1. If Ever I Would Leave You (J. Lerner/F. Loewe)
2. Mirrors (Joe Chambers)
3. For Duke P. (Bobby Hutcherson)
4. The Kicker (Joe Henderson)
5. Step Lightly (Joe Henderson)
6. Bedouin (Duke Pearson)
JOE HENDERSON tenor saxophone
DUKE PEARSON piano
BOBBY HUTCHERSON vibraphone
BOB CRANSHAW bass
AL HAREWOOD drums
GRANT GREEN guitar (4-6)
Recorded December 29, 1963 at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
Blue Note – 7243 5 21437 2 6