Bobby Hutcherson recorded frequently for Blue Note in the 1960s, though this session remained unissued until 1999. The first half features the vibraphonist in a cooking hard bop session with
Joe Henderson and
Duke Pearson, starting with an energetic take on the normally slow ballad "If Ever I Would Leave You" and a sizzling
Hutcherson original, "For Duke P." Guitarist
Grant Green is added for the second half, beginning with the first recording of
Henderson's "The Kicker," which became well known from it's later rendition on
Horace Silver's highly successful release Song for My Father. Because this is part of Blue Note's limited-edition Jazz Connoisseur series, don't delay in picking it up. ~ Ken Dryden