JAZZ REVIEW : Hutcherson Brings His Distinct Sound to Bakery

Bobby Hutcherson, who opened Thursday at the Jazz Bakery for a three-night run, is one of a handful of vibraphonists to have brought a distinctive personality to the instrument.

At 53 he has behind him a few years of flirtation with the New York avant-garde, a long and fruitful California collaboration with Harold Land, and more recently an album with McCoy Tyner. For the Bakery gig he used three eminent local musicians: Billy Childs on piano, Tony Dumas on bass and Ralph Penland on drums.

A typical Hutcherson solo today may involve long, ingeniously built filigrees of sound leading to occasional stop-and-go effects, technically superb and with ingenious body English that adds an element of visual value. Sometimes he may seem virtually to attack the metal bars; at other points he may hesitate for dramatic effect.

Childs, of course, is a long established artist whose compatibility with Hutcherson was no less notable than his ability in each solo to combine beauty and the beat.

Most of the tunes played, which Hutcherson regrettably neglected to announce, were presumably originals; recently he wrote new music for an album with Tyner. Of the standards heard, “My Foolish Heart” revealed a lyrical side that deserves more exposure. “Witchcraft” was another jubilant variation on a familiar theme carried off with typical Hutcherson brio.

* Bobby Hutcherson at Jazz Bakery, 3221 Hutchinson Ave., Culver City, (310) 271-9039. No cover or minimum; $20 door charge. Hutcherson closes tonight; show time at 8:30.