Bobby Hutcherson, the master jazz vibraphonist, and bandleader, died yesterday at home in Montara, California, the New York Times has reported. His death follows a long struggle with emphysema, according to Marshall Lamm, a spokesman for Hutcherson’s family. Hutcherson was 75.
Born in Los Angeles in 1941, Hutcherson made his name in early ’60s New York City, where he helped pioneer the vibraphone’s use in jazz with an original four-mallet technique and as a creative catalyst for a cadre of brilliant young musicians associated with the Blue Note label.
Alongside Andrew Hill and Jackie McLean, he helped Blue Note branch into experimentalism in 1963. His first album as a leader, Dialogue, came out on the label in 1965, the same year his classic “Little B’s Poem” was released on his Components LP.
Hutcherson played a defining role on several dozen era-defining albums, such as Eric Dolphy’s Out To Lunch, Lee Morgan’s The Procrastinator, McCoy Tyner’s Time For Tyner, Joe Henderson’s Mode For Joe, Tony Williams’ Life Time, Gracham Moncur III’s Evolution, and Jackie McLean’s One Step Beyond.
As a composer, bandleader and recording artist, Hutcherson created a body of work that ranks among the most profound and widely celebrated in jazz music.
