A musical tip of the hat in honor of the recently departed master of the vibes, Bobby Hutcherson, is adroitly delivered by Steve Hobbs, who uses both vibes and marimba to celebrate the master’s touch and style. Along with a team of Adam Kolker/ts-ss, Bill O’Connell/p, Peter Washington/b, John Riley/dr and guest vocalists Carol Ingbretsen, Maurice Myers and Marvin Thorne, Hobbs touches on various colors of Hutcherson’s wide palate.
Hobbs leans more on the marimba on this collection, and it works well as on the exotic West African groove of “Besame Mucho,” lithe pulse of “The Craving Phenomenon” and the slightly agitated intro to the scintillating “Into the Storm.” All feature warm lyricism by Kolker’s tenor, while O’Connell swings with gusto with the leader as he testifies to his faith on “New Creation.” Vocals on the gospel flavored “The Road to Happy Destiny” offer hope and optimism while an instrumental take on Bob Dylan’s folk classic “Blowin’ In The Wind” is an ethereal delight. Both vibes and marimba carom together on the sleek bossa of “In From The Storm” while the team creates some fun sharp angles on “Thelonious Funk.” Hobbs does Hutcherson and fans a service on this one.