Music lovers around the world are lamenting the loss of the pioneering vibraphonist, celebrated composer and NEA Jazz Master Bobby Hutcherson, who died August 15th at the age of 75.
Tonight at 9 p.m. we will re-broadcast a 2001 documentary on Bobby Hutcherson from NPR's Jazz Profiles series, hosted by singer Nancy Wilson. Then from 10-11 p.m. Gary Vercelli will present an all-Hutcherson hour of music, from classic Blue Note recordings of the 1960's to more recent releases, along with Gary's personal remembrances of Bobby.
Northern Californians had a close kinship with Bobby Hutcherson, who lived with his wife Rosemarie in the coastal town of Montara for nearly 40 years. Although Bobby continued to tour around the world over those decades, he maintained a strong commitment to the local scene as a founding member of the SFJAZZ Collective. He also included Sacramento area venues on his touring schedule, performing with the Capital Jazz Project at American River College and with his own groups in Old Sacramento, for example.
Sacramento-based pianist and educator Joe Gilman performed and toured with the legendary vibraphonist for ten years. "Bobby was a guiding light in my life," wrote Gilman on his Facebook page after hearing news of Bobby's death. "He was a very humble, very kind, very supportive, and very dedicated man. I learned so much about music from him, but also so much about how to be a grownup. How to be a man. How to treat people with kindness, and how to forgive."
If you have personal thoughts and/or remembrances to share about Bobby, please click on the comment section below.
Gary Vercelli, Bobby Hutcherson, Paul Conley, Carver Barney at Capital Public Radio in the mid 1990's
Bobby Hutcherson, Vibraphonist With Coloristic Range of Sound, Dies at 75 (New York Times)
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