Bobby Hutcherson played vibes. That phrase says a lot. Vibes indeed. He infused cool into the palette of the lyrical percussion instrument. It’s all so often relegated to being seen and heard in the symphonic orchestra setting as an instrument for special effects and engaging animated sounds. Early forays in the jazz universe saw Hutcherson reaching for the edges of the music, experimenting with technique and then how that technique affected melody.
In the 1960s, he reflected the temper of the times, so much defiance, and a raised consciousness of playing with challenge to tradition in life, art, literature, and music. He played with unbridled emotional sets of colors of tone. They are an immediate experience for the listener.
In the 70s, the marimba became part of the Hutcherson stable and the instrument allowed a different focus on the sharing of emotion and color of tone allowing for a new sound spectrum. The two instruments, played with mallets, striking metal bars in the case of the vibraphone, and wooden bars in the case of the marimba, lend an unique kind of musical animation.
Hutcherson tickled life into them like a Disney’d Fantasia fantasy.