The Kicker

One month after recording Grant Green’s *Idle Moments* Bobby Hutcherson (vibraphone), Joe Henderson (tenor saxophone), Duke Pearson (piano), Grant Green (guitar), Bob Cranshaw (bass), and Al Harewood (drums) reconvened for *The Kicker*, which went unreleased until 1999. While Hutcherson was just beginning to make his name at Blue Note with an adventurous style, *The Kicker* captures him in relaxed collaboration with two of his closest colleagues, Henderson and Pearson. The album is a three- way conversation between these featured musicians, as they encourage and play off the others’ strengths. Pearson’s “Bedouin,” with its suspended atmosphere and prancing theme, feels tailored for Hutcherson’s vibraphone; Hutcherson responds in kind with his own “For Duke P.,” which leaves ample space for Pearson’s trademark chordal voice. Henderson provides the bulk of the compositions. His title track is an exuberant workout, while the sly blues of “Step Lightly” provides a stairwell that all four soloists take a turn sliding down.

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