Vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson brought the sound of the vibraphone closer to that of the marimba with his percussive, vibration-free technique. Together with Gary Burton, the other great vibraphone player of the sixties, Hutcherson modernized the instrument played with metal sticks through his harmonic and melodic insight. For Hutcherson it all started when as a young piano pupil he became enchanted by the jazz vibraphonist Milt Jackson. He couldn't wait to get his own vibraphone and saved every penny to buy the instrument that had so captivated him. His use of the four metal sticks on the metal keys was noticed immediately as something highly creative and Hutcherson's reputation grew as the years progressed. He not only became a popular sideman making a vital contribution to free jazz - adding, for example, that little something extra to Eric Dolphy's masterpiece Out to Lunch - but he also recorded groundbreaking albums as the leader of his own bands together with pianist McCoy Tyner. He remains very active as a vibraphonist. Last year he released the album For Sentimental Reasons.
