Perhaps the single album that best sums up
Bobby Hutcherson's early musical personality,
Components is appropriately split into two very distinct halves. The first features four
Hutcherson originals in a melodic but still advanced hard bop style, while the latter half has four free-leaning avant-garde pieces by drummer Joe Chambers.
Hutcherson allots himself more solo space than on
Dialogue, but that's no knock on the excellent supporting cast, which includes
Herbie Hancock on piano,
James Spaulding on alto sax and flute,
Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, and
Ron Carter on bass. It's just more
Hutcherson's date, and he helps unite the disparate halves with a cool-toned control that's apparent regardless of whether the material is way outside or more conventionally swinging. In the latter case,
Hutcherson's originals are fairly diverse, encompassing rhythmically complex hard bop (the title track), pensive balladry ("Tranquillity," which features a lovely solo by
Hancock), down-and-dirty swing ("West 22nd Street Theme"), and the gaily innocent "Little B's Poem," which went on to become one of
Hutcherson's signature tunes and contains some lyrical flute work from
Spaulding. The Chambers pieces tend to be deliberate explorations that emphasize texture and group interaction in the manner of
Dialogue, except that there's even more freedom in terms of both structure and tonal center. (The exception is the brief but beautiful closing number, "Pastoral," an accurate title if ever there was one.)
Components illustrated that
Hutcherson was not only the most adventurous vibes player on the scene, but that he was also capable of playing more straightforward music with intelligence and feeling. ~ Steve Huey