Spiral

Personnel: Bobby Hutcherson (vibraphone); Sam Rivers (bass clarinet, tenor saxophone); Harold Land (tenor saxophone); Freddie Hubbard (trumpet); Andrew Hill, Stanley Cowell (piano); Joe Chambers (drums).
Recording information: New York, NY (04/03/1965/11/25/1968).
Recorded in 1968 but not issued until 1979, Spiral marks the first time that the official lineup of the Bobby Hutcherson-Harold Land Quintet -- which also included pianist Stanley Cowell, bassist Reggie Johnson, and drummer Joe Chambers -- recorded together. (The first Hutcherson-Land album, Total Eclipse, featured Chick Corea on piano.) In one sense, it's understandable why this music stayed on the shelf for over a decade: it didn't fit the late-'60s zeitgeist. It had nothing to do with fusion, and it wasn't aggressively far-out like much of the avant-garde had gotten. Yet, on the other hand, it isn't so understandable -- the music was quite good, often excellent, and the quintet had a knack for making sophisticated, mainstream-leaning modal post-bop sound surprisingly soulful. Hutcherson, Land, Chambers, and Cowell all contribute compositions, making Spiral truly a group effort; Chambers in particular proves once again what an overlooked composer he was, but really, all the pieces are strong. Yet another unimpeachably solid Hutcherson session. ~ Steve Huey