Bobby Hutcherson - Medina-Spiral (2in1, APE+CUE)

Bobby Hutcherson - Medina-Spiral (2in1, APE+CUE)



Please keep seeding as long as you can.



Medina

Medina was another Bobby Hutcherson/Harold Land Quintet session that didn't see the light of day until over a decade later (recorded in 1969, issued in 1980). Again, it's hard to see why, given the high quality of both the group and their music, which seemed to get lost in the shuffle of jazz's late-'60s upheaval. Granted, it may have been a shade less distinctive than Hutcherson's earliest sessions, but the levels of composition and execution remained top-notch. Drummer Joe Chambers, pianist Stanley Cowell, and Hutcherson each contribute two numbers apiece, and each is advanced and has at least something of its own flavor -- the Erik Satie influence on Hutcherson's gentle "Comes Spring," for example, or the meditative Eastern feel of Cowell's flute-centered "Orientale." Chambers and bassist Reggie Johnson turn in some of their finest work with the Hutcherson-Land unit, as many of the pieces incorporate stuttering, rapidly shifting rhythms and frequent time-signature changes. Soulful yet firmly modern, this group was solid from top to bottom, and Medina is yet another fine piece of supporting evidence. [In 1998, Blue Note reissued Medina as part of a CD two-fer with Spiral.]



Spiral

Recorded in 1968 but not issued until 1979, Spiral marks the first time that the official lineup of the Bobby Hutcherson-Harold Land Quintet -- which also included pianist Stanley Cowell, bassist Reggie Johnson, and drummer Joe Chambers -- recorded together. (The first Hutcherson-Land album, Total Eclipse, featured Chick Corea on piano.) In one sense, it's understandable why this music stayed on the shelf for over a decade: it didn't fit the late-'60s zeitgeist. It had nothing to do with fusion, and it wasn't aggressively far-out like much of the avant-garde had gotten. Yet, on the other hand, it isn't so understandable -- the music was quite good, often excellent, and the quintet had a knack for making sophisticated, mainstream-leaning modal post-bop sound surprisingly soulful. Hutcherson, Land, Chambers, and Cowell all contribute compositions, making Spiral truly a group effort; Chambers in particular proves once again what an overlooked composer he was, but really, all the pieces are strong. Yet another unimpeachably solid Hutcherson session. [Note: The original LP version of Spiral contained "Jasper," an Andrew Hill-penned outtake from the 1965 Dialogue session that didn't really fit with all the Hutcherson-Land cuts. When Blue Note reissued Spiral as part of a CD two-fer with Medina, "Jasper" was excised and included on Dialogue as a bonus track.]



Medina

Personnel: Harold Land (ts, fl) Bobby Hutcherson (vib) Stanley Cowell (p) Reggie Johnson (b) Joe Chambers (d)



Spiral

Personnel: Harold Land (ts) Bobby Hutcherson (vib) Stanley Cowell (p) Reggie Johnson (b) Joe Chambers (d)



Track Listing:

01 Avis

02 Comes Spring

03 Dave's Chant

04 Orientale

05 Medina

06 Ungano

07 Ruth

08 Wedding March

09 Poor People's March

10 Spiral

11 Visions