JAZZBO NOTES RECOMMENDED RECORDING
Rating: 
The original Head On recording was one of those third-stream efforts that were intermittently attempted throughout the sixties and early seventies by the likes of Joe Zawinul and Miles Davis. The composer Bobby Hutcherson is working with here is the classically trained pianist Todd Cochran, who joins vibist Hutcherson, along with Hutcherson’s musical compatriot, saxophonist Harold Land, James Leary or Reggie Johnson on bass, and Sunship on drums. The arrangements are by Cochran, and most of the compositions as well. For the reissue, three bonus cuts are added, for more than 42 minutes of extra music.
The first piece, Cochran’s suite At The Source, is the sort of third stream effort you might expect. The first part of the suite, Ashes & Rust, is through-composed modern chamber music scored for woodwinds. This gives way to Eucalyptus, a duet for Hutcherson’s vibes and Cochran’s piano. This part of the suite is taken rubato and is exploratory in tone, although I believe the structure was written out by Cochran. The quartet, with Stix Hooper on drums, finishes off the suite with Obsidian, which consists of a simple four chord cycle in 9/8.
Many Thousands Gone, also written by Cochran, begins with a through-composed section for a large ensemble, almost like a fanfare. Then we get Reggie Johnson’s heavily percussive and impressionistic bass solo. Hutcherson joins in with feverish combinations of scales and arpeggios that sparkle like wet pebbles rolling in the surf. The drummer follows his lead for some energetic free playing. Harold Land joins in on saxophone and Cochran switches to electric piano. Land has a bit of vibrato to his sound and occasionally overblows. Then Oscar Brashear has his say on trumpet .
I should mention that everyone’s playing has a shaggy, onfocused quality to it, which is not really a criticism. It seems more like a stylistic choice. It’s as though the band is going for a hazy, slightly hallucinatory feel. Personally, I dig it. It’s very much a 70s style.
Mtume is the sole tune on the original release written by Hutcherson. It’s a medium modal burner in 6/8, with a percussion overload, which is also very 70s.
The original closer, Clockwork Of the Spirits, has two contrasting sections, an emphatic and slow statement by the horns with Hutcherson’s vibes glittering beneath, followed by a more rhythmic dance-like section. The solos are taken over the dance-like part of the form. The drummer has first crack. Then Cochran has the horns perform an intertwining, repetitive phrase, which functions like a vamp. Land competes with this for a while on saxophone and then the horn phrase drops out. Cochran plays electric piano on this one. This piece has a touch of rock fusion about it.
For me, the original release is a pleasant and rewarding third stream effort, with some rock and funk touches. But how about the extra tracks?
Togo Land is really nothing but Clockwork of the Spirits, stretched out to double the length.
Jonathan, a Todd Cochran composition, is a lyrical and elusive theme written for large musical forces. For the solos, the arrangement reverts to the quartet.
The last extra track is Hey Harold, written by Bobby Hutcherson as a shout-out to his musical compatriot Harold Land. It’s a full-on funk rock jam written on one chord. Reggie Johnson drives the tune with a busy, repetitive bass line. The slow melody is orchestrated so as to imply chordal movement over the implied pedal point of the bass. The tune probably goes on for over 17 minutes, which is probably too long for this band. I mean, if you’ve got Herbie Hancock, Lenny White, Ron Carter, and Joe Henderson, you can get away with an endless jam, but with these guys, 17 minutes plus might be pushing it.
It’s a bit tough to know how to evaluate Head On. I like that Hutcherson is combining many different types of music. I dig the shaggy, loose feel. But I’ve got to admit, none of the solo statements blow me away. The recording seems to me mostly about atmosphere and group interplay — just feelin’ it, you know?
I really like it, but I’ll understand if you don’t. Probably the best thing to do is listen to the samples. If you like the style, then you’ll probably dig Head On.