Bobby Hutcherson featuring Harold Land San Francisco (Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series) 180g LP

The musical partnership between vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson - a Blue Note stalwart since his arrival on the New York jazz scene in 1963 - and tenor saxophonist Harold Land fully blossomed on the 1970 album San Francisco, though the musicians had already been exploring the far reaches of post-bop going back to 1968 on albums including Total Eclipse, Spiral, and Medina. On San Francisco they joined forces with pianist Joe Sample, bassist John Williams, and drummer Mickey Roker to form a band with a muscular sound that set a foot firmly in fusion on relentlessly grooving tunes like "Goin' Down South" and "Ummh," while indulging a wide range of other influences which gave the group its distinctive flavor, from the Latin-tinged numbers "Jazz" and "A Night in Barcelona" to exploratory pieces like the mesmerizing "Prints Tie" and transcendent "Procession."

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.

The selections...often skirt the edges of fusion, but rarely play it as expected; they might float some spare tradeoffs over a loping, heavy bass groove, throw in an oboe solo by Land, or - as on the slowest piece - keep time only with intermittently spaced piano chords. It's all done with enough imagination and harmonic sophistication to achieve the rare feat of holding appeal for traditional jazz and rare-groove fans alike. It's a shame Hutcherson didn't explore this direction more, because San Francisco is not only one of his best albums, but also one of his most appealing and accessible.