A Session Frozen in Time, Finally Heard
The Kicker captures Hutcherson early in his career, swinging hard with the same band that cut Grant Green's Idle Moments.
The Kicker is a strange case — a recording session that happened in December 1963 but didn't see the light of day until 1999, thirty-six years later. That's a long time to wait, and it raises the obvious question: why? Blue Note recorded it, which means someone thought it was worth keeping, but clearly the label didn't find it urgent enough to release. What you get here is Hutcherson leading a date with solid players who knew how to swing, fresh off sessions that would become more celebrated than this one.
A month before The Kicker, the same group of musicians showed up to record Grant Green's Idle Moments (1965). That album became a cornerstone of 1960s Blue Note jazz — warm, groove-centered, the kind of record people come back to. The Kicker sits in that same world but from the vibraphonist's chair instead of the guitarist's. Hutcherson was young then, early in his career, and this is a straightforward hard-bop session. He's not trying to reinvent the vibraphone or push into any new territory. He's just playing it swing hard, which is exactly what the music needed.
Don't expect this to be his peak — it's not. If you're new to Hutcherson, you'd be better off starting elsewhere. But if you already know his work and want to hear him in the moment, before he became a name in jazz history, this is a genuine snapshot. The fact that it took so long to release makes it feel like an archaeological discovery, which is its own kind of appeal. It's not essential, but it's honest work from a musician who would go on to do much more significant things.
Who's playing
Bob Cranshawbass
Duke Pearsonpiano
Grant Greenguitar
Joe Hendersontenor saxophone
Al Harewooddrums
Bobby Hutchersonvibraphone
Where next?
The musicians on this record
The Latin Bit 1963
Grant Green
plays guitar here
plays guitar here
Page One 1963
Joe Henderson
plays tenor saxophone here
plays tenor saxophone here
Wahoo! 1965
Duke Pearson
plays piano here
plays piano here
