Lyrical send-off for jazz master Bobby Hutcherson
A slide show made up of several hundred photos documenting Hutcherson’s entire life, from family snapshots and concert stills to publicity shots and vacation mementos, cycled throughout the three-hour memorial, providing several wondrous moments of synchronicity.
Much the way he was the heart and soul of Keystone, Hutcherson, who died Aug. 15 at age 75, played an essential role in SFJazz, most recently providing gravitas and leadership as a founding member of the SFJazz Collective.
Piano legend McCoy Tyner, with whom Hutcherson recorded several albums, played a commanding version of his “Blues On the Corner” with alto saxophonist Gary Bartz.
The all-star septet, including drummer Billy Hart and trumpeter Eddie Henderson, delivered a brief but electrifying blast of surging post-bop.
The only downside of the event, aside from the persistent static that marred Hammond B-3 organist Joey DeFrancesco’s otherwise gorgeous duet with Billy Hart on the ballad “My Foolish Heart,” was the dearth of Hutcherson compositions.
The concert peaked with pianist Billy Childs, drummer Peter Erskine, Collective bassist Matt Penman and flutist Hubert Laws generating stage-levitating momentum on Hutcherson’s sinuously modal “Herzog.”
Powered by his son, drummer Barry Hutcherson, the band featured a bevy of Bay Area jazz luminaries, including saxophonist John Handy, who’s the subject of one of four SFJazz tribute concerts in January.