Bobby Hutcherson - For Sentimental Reasons

Hutcherson’s latest reminds me of some of the quietly outstanding albums he made for Blue Note, especially 1976’s The View From The Inside. He has assembled a beautifully integrated quartet with a unified purpose of making eloquent statements via some tried and tested warhorses, from the title track to ‘Somewhere’, ‘I’ll Be Seeing You’ and ‘Jitterbug Waltz’. Of course, ‘Waltz’ and Benny Golson’s ‘Along Came Betty’ have a more strictly jazz provenance than the others, and more personal connections for Hutcherson as well, but the commitment from the musicians to each of these songs is complete.

Hutcherson has been wise in his choice of colleagues for this very low-key project, for Renée Rosnes is one of the most listening of pianists, Burno is a perfect foil and Foster keeps up what amounts virtually to a conversation with the main soloists. Hutcherson has been making records for decades, now, but his invention, taste and urgency to communicate has yet to flag, as this deceptively low-burn album attests.
Keith Shadwick

This review is taken from Jazzwise Issue #111, to read the most comprehensive review section of jazz and beyond and receive a  Free CD, Subscribe Here