The exceptionally talented Jazz artist Bobby Hutcherson has released him CD entitled Oblique. I am very confident and happy to announce that I believe Bobby Hutcherson fans, and Jazz fans alike will be pleased with this one. With the release of Oblique Bobby Hutcherson’s artistic excellence is on full display as Hutcherson has once again delivered a brilliant collection of tracks that could very well be him best work to date.
It’s a rare day indeed that I get a CD from an artist that I can truthfully say does not have a bad track in the bunch. I’m more than happy to announce that’s exactly what I must say about this one. There simply is NOT a bad one in the bunch. No fillers here at all.
Refreshingly, this was one of those CDs I was able to just pop in and comfortably listen to from beginning to end. Every track is enjoyable and was pretty easy for me to listen to from start to finish.
Jazz music fans will recognize some of the well known guests that have been assembled to play along with Hutcherson on several of the tracks. Artists like Alfred Lion and Rudy Van Gelder just to name a couple.
If you’re a Bobby Hutcherson fan, or just a fan of Jazz music this is a CD your collection simply should not be without.
While the entire CD is outstanding some of my favorites are track 2 – My Joy, track 4 – Subtle Neptune, and track 6 – Bi-Sectional
My Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 1 – Til Then. What a nice track!
Oblique Release Notes:
Bobby Hutcherson originally released Oblique on August 2, 2005 on the Blue Note Records label.
CD Track List Follows:
1. Til Then
2. My Joy
3. Theme From “Blow Up”
4. Subtle Neptune
5. Oblique
6. Bi-Sectional
Personnel: Bobby Hutcherson (vibraphone); Herbie Hancock (piano); Albert Stinson (bass instrument); Joe Chambers (drums).
Recording information: Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey (07/21/1967).
By: Clyde Lee Dennis
More and more, cruising is becoming music to our ears.
Whether you’re into Christian Music, Smooth Jazz, Country, Rock and Roll or any of the numerous musical choices, there’s something for everyone on today’s cruise ships.
Coming up soon, November 2-9, 2008, famous saxophonist Dave Koz kicks off his annual Smooth Jazz cruise with a 7-day voyage through the Caribbean. (Take note some of the originally scheduled ports-of-call have changed due to recent hurricane damage.) It’s called Dave Koz and Friends at Sea and there are still a few cabins available on Holland America’s Westerdam. I enjoyed listening to the popular musician when he previously co-hosted the morning show on KTWV Radio in Los Angeles with the delightful Pat Prescott.
If you can’t make it in November, the first ever Playboy Jazz Cruise hosts some very impressive artists this coming January. They include Herbie Hancock, Dianne Reeves, Poncho Sanchez and many others. This is also a 7-day Caribbean sailing and runs from January 25 – February 1, 2009 on the same ship, Holland America’s Westerdam.
Here’s an interesting thought with this voyage. It returns to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on Superbowl Sunday, February 1. The 2009 Superbowl is being held in Tampa, Florida that same Sunday, which isn’t that far from Ft. Lauderdale. It takes about an hour to fly, or three to four hours to drive. At latest check the one-way airfare on Southwest was running anywhere from $70 to $170. I’m just throwing this out there because for me, it would be a great way to help cure the post-vacation blues. As most of us know, the toughest part of a vacation is the close of it. With something like this to look forward to, it would help ease the transition coming home. As I said, just a thought.
The same company organizing the above two cruises is also putting together a Smooth Jazz cruise that runs the week prior to the Playboy cruise. This one is from January 18-25, 2009 and offers a backstage pass to the sounds of Wayman Tisdale, Peabo Bryson, Kirk Whalum among many other top jazz musicians. It’s also on Holland America’s Westerdam.
By the way, these three cruises are fully chartered cruises. What that means is the entire ship focuses on the featured jazz artists and jazz-related events. It’s not just one corner of the ship that highlights music. So if you’re a jazz fan, this is a great way to indulge your passion. If you’re not a jazz fan, I’d check out some other music cruise options. There are many music cruises available. Country, Christian, Rock and Roll, Irish, Big Band, 50’s and 60’s, just to name a few.
If you’d like to find out about other music theme cruises scheduled on the various cruise ships, check out my theme cruise website listed below and you’ll be able to link to several music cruises. By the way, Music is just one of more than 50 themes listed at my cruise theme website.
Happy Travels!
By: Shelley Lash-Cooper