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Bobby Hutcherson

About this Artist

BOBBY HUTCHERSON is a master of melodic, harmonic and rhythmic improvisation on both the vibes and the marimba. He has performed or recorded with nearly every major living jazz musician. Born in Los Angeles in 1941, and raised in Pasadena, Hutcherson took a few piano lessons at an early age. But, he says, “I only played piano for my own enjoyment.” While still a teenager, Hutcherson worked around Los Angeles with such top musicians as Charles Lloyd and Curtis Amy. In 1960 he toured the country with a group led by AI Grey and BilIy Mitchell before settling in New York in 1961. In 1964, at the age of 23, Hutcherson won the Downbeat critic's poll as “Talent Deserving Wider Recognition” on the vibes. The following year he played with Gil Fuller’s big band at the Monterey Jazz Festival, and cut his first recording as a leader, Dialogue, on the Blue Note label.

Today – aside from appearing as a special guest with McCoy Tyner and Joey DeFrancesco – Bobby Hutcherson tours with a quartet that features some of the elite jazz artists of today including Renee Rosnes, Geoff Keezer, Dwayne Bruno, Jeff Chambers, Willie Jones III, and Eddie Marshall.