Vibes Master Bobby Hutcherson: "Waiting"

This great band was and has been somewhat overlooked when one reassesses the long career of vibist Bobby Hutcherson. This group was a working band made up of four core members: Bobby Hutcherson on vibes and marimba, Manny Boyd on soprano and tenor saxophone and flute, James Leary III on bass and Eddie Marshall on drums. The band as you might have gathered was based in SanFrancisco. For special gigs and recording sessions the basic quartet was augmented by adding piano, usually George Cables and percussion, usually Kenneth Nash to the mix. That's who will be heard on this date called "Waiting".There are seven tunes here, all originals and five are written by bassist James Leary who not only is a powerhouse on bass but a fine composer as well. Bobby Hutcherson wrote two and composed what he called the "sweet spot" of the date, a composition dedicated to John Coltrane called "Searchin' The Trane". This band employed many facets of music and yet was a pure Jazz group. Their sound was very contemporary and if you didn't know that all of this was recorded in 1976, one would think it was done yesterday. "Waiting" is worth waiting for......enjoy!