It's hard to understand why some great albums we love today weren't released soon after they were recorded. In rare situations, producers considered the music subpar. But in far most cases, the reason was a marketing decision. Perhaps there were too many albums by the leader or sidemen already in stores. Or an album already out by the leader may selling through the roof and a new release hitting stores too soon would only undercut the former's sales. Or the sound was too similar to the last album. Or the artist wouldn't be able to go out on tour in support of the new album until a later date. [Photo above of Bobby Hutcherson by Francis Wolff (c)Mosaic Images]
Whatever the reason, Bobby Hutcherson's Oblique is another one of those terrific albums that was held back by Blue Note. Recorded in July 1967, Oblique didn't come out until 1979 when the tapes were found in the Blue Note vault. The recording featured Hutcherson (vib), Herbie Hancock (p), Albert Stinson (b) and Joe Chambers (d). It followed Hutcherson's Happenings, the one with the hot pink cover, recorded in February 1966 with the same group except Bob Cranshaw was on bass on Happenings. Like Happenings, Oblique's tracks made rich use of modal scales and the musical personalities of each artist.
The tracks were Hutcherson's 'Til Then and My Joy, Hancock's Theme from Blow Up, Hutcherson's Subtle Neptune and Chambers's Oblique and Bi-Sectional. The sound of Hutcherson and Hancock together is otherworldly. Hutcherson's ringing vibes and Hancock's hypnotic chord riffs have a lavishly sophisticated sound. The music is elegant and seems to glide rather than swing. It's soft and sensual, with a swirling sensation, aided by the soft shimmers of Chambers and pulse of Stinson's bass. [Photo above of Herbie Hancock by Francis Wolff (c)Mosaic Images]
As I listened to the album again yesterday, I couldn't help but marvel at how beautiful the music was—both the compositions and the textures of these artists together exchanging ideas. I was reminded yet again that Hutcherson didn't record a bad album. A towering creative artist with fascinating ideas, a cool expression and plenty of soul. [Photo above of Joe Chambers by Francis Wolff (c)Mosaic Images]
Bobby Hutcherson died in 2016.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Bobby Hutcherson's Oblique (Blue Note) here.
JazzWax clips: Here's the entire album, track by track...
