Somewhere in the Night

Vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson played on a number of innovative Blue Note recordings in the \'60s; the instrument still sounds striking in those post-bop and avant-garde settings. Hutcherson continues to dazzle well into the 21th century, but in recent years his work has sat comfortably in the mainstream. On 2012’s *Somewhere in the Night*, Hutcherson and his band—organist Joey DeFrancesco, guitarist Peter Bernstein, and drummer Byron Landham—sound thoroughly engaged. (The album was recorded live in 2009 at Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola in New York.) Throughout, it’s a delight to hear the unusual combination of Hammond organ and vibraphone. The album opens with the Hutcherson original “Teddy,” where the band absolutely smokes: it’s not surprising to hear the crowd whoop it up. Duke Ellington’s “Take the Coltrane” swings fiercely, while the group’s cover of Coltrane’s “Wise One” nicely echoes the moodiness and impressionism of the 1964 original. *Somewhere* closes on an up note with Gershwin’s “S’Wonderful.”