One of
Bobby Hutcherson
's best albums,
Stick-Up!
was also his first official release not to feature drummer
Joe Chambers
, who was a major part of
Hutcherson
's outside leanings. Instead,
stakes out the middle ground between
hard bop
and the
avant-garde
, offering a set of structured yet advanced
modal
pieces indebted particularly to
Coltrane
.
's originals (five out of six selections) show him at the top of his game as a composer, and the ensemble's playing is tight and focused throughout, but what really lifts
to the top tier of
's discography is its crackling energy. It's quite possibly the hardest-swinging album he ever cut, and part of the credit has to go to the stellar rhythm section of
McCoy Tyner
on piano,
Herbie Lewis
on bass, and
Billy Higgins
on drums, who lay down a driving, pulsating foundation that really pushes
and tenorist
Joe Henderson
Tyner
in particular is a standout, charging relentlessly forward on the intricate
"8/4 Beat"
and
"Black Circle"
and lending a
-ish flavor to the spiritually searching
"Verse."
The lone non-
piece,
Ornette Coleman
's sometimes overlooked
"Una Muy Bonita,"
is given a fantastic, rollicking treatment as catchy as it is progressive, proving that the piece is a classic regardless of whether it's interpreted freely or with a steady groove and tonal center.
's originals are uniformly strong and memorable enough to sit very well next to it, and that -- coupled with the energetic performances -- ranks
with
Dialogue
Components
as the finest work of
's tenure at
Blue Note
. ~ Steve Huey