Cooking with vibes at the Jazz Bakery

Vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson’s stylistic palette is so full of colorful possibilities that one never quite knows what to expect from a player whose resume reaches from avant-garde to hard-bop and beyond. But the title of his recently released CD -- “For Sentimental Reasons” -- seemed to provide a pretty good indication of what to expect when he opened a four-night run on Wednesday at the Jazz Bakery.

Hutcherson came on stage, kicked off a fast four beats and dug into a brisk, up-tempo romp through “All or Nothing at All.” As a technical display, it was first rate; as an example of adventurous music-making, it left something to be desired.

But it quickly became apparent that the first number was a simple display of improvisational players figuring out their surroundings and getting up to speed on their creativity. The real skills of Hutcherson and his players were clarified in a slow ballad rendering of the CD’s title track, as well as a Latin-tinged version of Harold Land’s “Ode to Angela” (which Hutcherson recorded with Land in 1971).

On the ballad, as well as with a later rendering of “And I Thought About You,” Hutcherson’s melodies breathed with emotion-producing sounds and silences in an utterly mesmerizing way. On faster tunes such as “Jitterbug Waltz” and “Old Devil Moon,” the fascinating musical interactivity coalesced into a seamless ensemble fabric of shape-shifting solos and improvisations: pianist Joe Gilman’s juxtaposition of symbiotic accompaniment and fiery jazz impromptus; bassist Glenn Richman’s fast-fingered soloing and sturdy, bottom-expanding rhythmic support; drummer Eddie Marshall’s crisp, articulate musicality and irresistible drive.

At the heart of it all, Hutcherson was catalyst and receptor, at times the energetic heart of the music, at times empathizing with the enthusiastic crowd as the awed observer of the remarkable sounds he was both creating and stimulating.

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Bobby Hutcherson Quartet

Where: The Jazz Bakery, 3233 Helms Ave., Culver City

When: 8 and 9:30 p.m. today and Saturday

Price: $25 tonight, $30 Saturday

Contact: (310) 271-9039