Bobby Hutcherson: In The Vanguard (32 Jazz)
Many of Hutcherson's fine Landmark albums are unavailable, so this reissue of a late-1980s live recording from New York's Village Vanguard is welcome. And though it's straight-ahead, with no sound of avant garde barriers being broken, the great vibes and marimba player is in high-grade company - Kenny Barron (piano), Buster Williams (bass) and Al Foster (drums) make a rhythm section that would empty a cemetery. Here they merely stir the audience to ecstasy and Hutcherson to some of his most unbuttoned, bop-flavoured soloing on record, as the highly compatible quartet put their stamp on a programme of mainly standards, plus a marvellous romp through Randy Weston's Little Niles.
Ray Comiskey
Brad Shepik: The Well (Songlines)
There's a strong, attractively articulated Middle Eastern flavour to Shepik's new album. No doubt it's partly the influence of Dave Douglas, in whose Tiny Bell Trio the guitarist plays, but it's also clearly a labour of love for Shepik, who wrote almost all the music. Beautifully played by a group of excellent musicians - Shepik, Peter Epstein (alto/soprano), electric bass and two percussion - it's nevertheless dominated by rhythmic values at the expense of line. Only Epstein, a real find, seems to escape that trap; he has something of his own to say and says it well. In concert, this music has undoubted appeal, but whether there's enough going on to sustain it beyond that is a question.
Ray Comiskey