Man Behind the Curtain [Kind of Blue]



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Bobby Hutcherson



Wise One [Kind of Blue]



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Not that there’s the slightest reason in the world why veteran jazz musicians should avoid John Coltrane, mind you, but these new discs are even more directly connected to the Coltrane legacy than most. In the case of Hutcherson’s “Wise One,” it’s the repertoire of his Bay Area quintet that is almost pure Coltrane — if not actual Coltrane tunes (the title tune, “Like Sonny” and “Equinox”), then compositions by his sidemen (McCoy Tyner’s “Aisha”) or Tin Pan Alley tunes that turned into monster Coltrane solos (Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer’s “Out of This World,” Arthur Altman and Jack Lawrence’s “All or Nothing at All”).



At this stage, vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson is nothing if not venerable and in the case of one of his sidemen—drummer Eddie Marshall — he’s been with him virtually since Coltrane was still of this world. He’s been one of jazz’s most venerable and, often underrated, players his entire career. (His record “Happenings,” for instance, has the best available version of Herbie Hancock’s tune “Maiden Voyage.”)



Mark Soskin — who used to be Sonny Rollins’ pianist—has a quartet featuring Ravi Coltrane on “Man Behind the Curtain,” and it’s a powerhouse quartet indeed with bassist Jay Anderson and drummer Bill Stewart. If only Soskin were half as interesting a soloist as ensemble player, it would be a great current jazz disc.



—Jeff Simon