The crystalline sound of Bobby Hutcherson’s vibraphone was an essential element of a broad range of Blue Note albums throughout the 1960s, spanning the stylistic spectrum from the hard bop of Grant Green’s Idle Moments to the post-bop of Joe Henderson’s Mode For Joe to the soul jazz of Big John Patton’s Let ‘Em Roll to the avant-garde of Eric Dolphy’s Out To Lunch! Following his brilliant 1965 album Components, Hutcherson returned to Van Gelder Studio in February 1966 for his fourth Blue Note session as a leader, Happenings, which would be his first to feature a quartet.
This sublime post-bop outing presented six captivating Hutcherson originals including the spellbinding ballad “Bouquet,” the Latin-tinged “Rojo,” and the hard-charging “Head Start,” as well a version of Hancock’s now-classic composition “Maiden Voyage,” which the pianist had recorded for his own Blue Note album of the same name the year prior.
This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is stereo, all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.