Vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson died on 15 August at the age of 75, after a long struggle with emphysema.
One of the most influential vibes players in jazz his influences stretches back to the 1960s and his recordings for Blue Note.
He played a significant role on Eric Dolphy’s classic Out To Lunch, Lee Morgan’s The Procrastinator and McCoy Tyner’s Time For Tyner and under his own name over 13 years for the label recorded such classics of his own as Dialogue and Components.
In 2014 he returned to the label for Enjoy the View for what turned out to be something of a swan song. It was a pleasure to hear him play live a few times over the years at UK clubs, firstly at the Rhythmic in Islington in the 1990s; and in more recent years at Ronnie Scott’s. Hutcherson inspired a new generation of bands including Empirical in the UK and his place in jazz history as a modern stylist who pushed the role of his instrument ever forward is secure.