You'll Hear It: Full Album Deep Dives with Jazz Musicians - Hustlin' With Hutch

Episode Date: September 28, 2022

Adam and Peter remotely interview the great Greg Hutchinson. Have a question for us? Leave us a SpeakPipeCheckout courses from Adam, Peter and more at Open StudioLet us know what you think by leaving a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review, or head over to our YouTube channel.Follow us on Twitter | Instagram

Hey, Adam. Yo. You know, we have a special guest today. I do know. A very special guest. Yeah, you know, we're doing some hustling, too. We are, and we just came up with this title 17 seconds ago. What's it called?

Hustling with Hutch. I'm Adam Mace. And I'm Peter Martin. And you're listening to the You'll Hear a podcast. Jazz Explain. Man, that's Hutch right there in the intro music. That is Hutch. In the intro music, that's Hutch on screen.

What's up, Greg Hutchinson? Gregory Hutchinson is with us. This is such an awesome day, Mr. Gregory Hutchinson, who needs no introduction. but I'm going to give him a small one anyway, but he's a friend of the pod, friend of the open studio, and our friend and one of the baddest drummers on the planet for many years. There's no doubt. But also one of the most astute musical and drumming historians and understanding, understander of the lineage of the drums. So I'm so excited because we're always talking about music and pianists and every time we start talking about drums, we're like, we've got to think about what would Hutch say?

What would Hutch be able to inform? Literally last week, we were listening to, we've been doing it. in the series called OGs react to IG's where two old dudes react to some young Instagram musicians. Wait, I thought OG stood for original gangsters. It stands for old guys? Oh, okay, I got that wrong.

Are you able to recognize your influence on the younger musicians? When you hear it, do you I'm just wondering, because you are one of the most recorded drummers of your generation and you, I think you are incredibly influential on

all the generations. That's a hard for me to answer, man. You know, that's like... That's what I'm wondering. Like, are you able to even see it or hear it when you... Yeah, I mean, I just hope Cass is just if you want to emulate me or being influenced, just come to swing, you know, and come to be every night, you know, you give it, every night you go out there like it's the last one.

So if that's my influence, then I'm super happy. Otherwise, I would tell, you know, my thing is like, watch, you can watch what I do and then take it to the next level. Don't do exactly what I do. maybe and see the cats who influence me and then go check that out and come out with your own approach to it. That way, you don't make the same mistakes I made.

So why, if you're going to emulate somebody, you have to understand, okay, wait, maybe that doesn't fit for the way I play. So everybody contributes to this, you know, I think, and it's just the way that we just have to understand what is it we're trying to say. And for me, being that I've done it so long,

I think I've had more to say, a lot of times. So you hear more of me. And if that's influences people, if I've been that to the generation, super cool. You know, we like to, like I said, keep the knowledge going. And we want everyone to be killing. Like, I want people to sound better than me because it just pushes me to keep going to keep getting better. You know what I'm saying? So like, the better you get, the better I want to get, you know. So it's like race until that clock, you know, runs out. But until that time,

that's what we need to do. So yeah, we hopefully, we keep in full all the generations, you know. Yeah, that's why I love talk about this stuff because I think what I see, you know, and having played with you so much over the years, having the pleasure of playing with you and listening to you, but interacting musically, I see a lot of the young drummers.

I definitely see the influence, but sometimes it's more just superficial stuff. Like they'll try to come out of a field. I was going to say, you know, the biggest influence, the biggest thing that he's best at is the hardest thing to do. Yeah.

Which you're like the greatest listener I've ever, I've ever heard like a greatest on stage in the moment listener I've ever heard like you know what I mean and that's I think that takes a lot of time and they miss it sometimes they do yeah it's just patience you know it's just look if you go back to Pete when we were playing with betty when we played with roy we were young ambitious when I watch some of those videos online I'm like damn we just play play play play yeah but you know the energy that you have and then as you get more experience you get to play with more people, you kind of understand, like I always talk about

the end, it's funny, I had this conversation the end of the day, the I and the we, right? And what I used to say was, you know, first it's the I, that's all the practicing we do in the rooms, and we come out playing, trying to play all the stuff we practice, then the we is when we realize that

the bigger picture is more important. The whole band sound is more important, but then the thing that came up the other day was someone said to me, yeah, but you can't lose the eye in the we. Yeah, that's true. And so they go hand in hand and you have to understand how you manipulate both and once you do that then that's that's the understanding how it's supposed to be done and you know everyone comes to that point differently you know some cats get it early because they're like we had a

chance to be around the giant so for us that window of being wrong was real small because those cats used to always call us out you know so that's we kind of what we have to do for the generation now. But at the same time, you have to make your mistakes, man. And the moment you make the more money I make. So this is what we were kind of talking about, the biggest difference between the most youthful generation that's coming out now, making their own music. And our generation, when we grew up, was that you couldn't be, you couldn't make your name without being in someone's band first. You couldn't just come out and do your own thing and be on Instagram or YouTube and get attention that way. You got attention by being in someone else's

band and with that this thing gets passed on directly there's you know you're making mistakes but there's someone to tell you very directly like no that's not right you know bands though yeah yeah but that's the problem like that whole thing of bands kind of died like you know and and and we could say a lot of different things killed it off but the older cats had the they all had the bands right and so what you know and some young guys too but what happens is the bookers promoters they get tired of saying seeing the same band and so they often come back and say hey you know can you bring another project well well that thus eliminates the band you know so we we lost control of that it's not like

before where cats like the band was like the you build the band sound you know like really that and people were eager to hear what was going to come next you know what I'm saying like so they kind of killed that off you know they always want a special project always a special project right all-star I know, yeah, well, sometimes the special project is to mimic one of the great bands from before. It's like, come on, you know. That's what I think. I think we have to set the tone again, reset the tone. I thought during the pandemic, that would be something that could really be addressed.

And so we have to see, you know, we have to really, that's something that if you work with a bunch of cast, you develop a sound, those are guys you want to play with. You know what? Then work on some music that you develop and then have to go play with some all-stars just because they, some bad dudes don't mean the band's going to sound killer. Right. That's because you put a bunch of bad cats on the basketball team don't mean they're going to win. I'm looking at you, New York Nats. Oh, sorry. Brooklyn Nets.

Sorry. No, man. Lakers, baby. Come on, man. No, we were just listening to Charles Mingus. Mingus Ah, um. And it's not a band of, you know, legendary household name. No.

Heavyweights, but they were playing so much together and swinging and it was a lot of good stuff. And, you know, the leader has such a sound. So the leader has a sound. the band takes on the shape, but everyone contributes to that sound, which, you know, I think is a great thing. And but like I said, the industry kind of wants to do away with that and that they want more solo. And even in jazz, it seems like they want more solo, like,

acts. They don't really want, you know, band. You know, there are very few bands that are selling records now. But is that, do you think that we're, are we ever going to get back to, or maybe, or do we need to? or is it just a different time like what you're talking about when we played with the greats

and then yeah we played with Roy and we were all the same age and that was a great working band but we also played with Betty you played with Ray Brown like there was that common remember we used to play with like Stanley Turrentine

were coming up I mean like those things are like Johnny Griffin I mean had we not had those experience that shaped us you know we have those those legends also

in this generation and the generation above us so it's a matter of that happening but maybe it's not supposed to happen like that. Maybe that was for that ever and for what we did, that was that, you know, like we hate to say that. I think we could still pass on, but maybe it's got to be passed on in a different way. Maybe because technology has changed so many things that maybe we have to also evolve in the way that we think about this concept of that, which is kind of sad. But maybe that's what it is.

You know, maybe people are not ready for, like, don't want to put in the long haul. They just want to quick fix. And, you know, and sometimes that's not. I think that if you develop something and watch it grow, it's so much better than just something that's just random. That could sound great if you put it together, right? Of course. You know, if you hire the right caliber of cats,

of course it's going to sound great. But it's going to sound the same as some cats who've been playing together for, you know, for months or years, you know. No, it's not going to have the same feel. Right. On there. Well, and that's what we'll be looking at with this,

you know, the different IGRs. I mean, even like we looked at Jacob Collier the other day and listen to a track and it's killing. But like if he's not, like he's got take six singing some stuff, but it's all like just sort of plugged in here and there. It's not like, you know, Jady Beck and Domey like,

well, I know they're doing the thing, they're doing something with Herbie or having Herbie on. So that's cool. But like to have some connection, I want these younger artists, you know, and I think that's up to us. So they're so younger mentor is Thundercat. Yeah, exactly.

They're like, Thundercat's a old cat that I'm hanging with. Yeah. But I mean, maybe like you say, it's just a different time, but it just, I want to see those connections still made somehow. Yeah, I think they're being made. They're being made so, like, it's online and it's, you know, it's a different thing.

And then it comes together into music, you know, as we did it the other way. We came together in the music first, and we played a bunch. And that's how we developed our stuff, you know, worked out on the road. So, you know, that's hopefully with my projects, that's what I'm trying to do. It's like, I just want to tour. I just want to play this music and then evolve and write the new album while I'm on the road or whatever. You know how we rode warriors, man I've been doing this a long time

I live for Like to play the music and to evolve And I play the same stuff But really to show up in different circles Where people don't expect me to show up You know like, oh shit That's hush, wow, okay You know, and just like that that's the vibe

You know what I mean? Yeah, man On that note I was thinking I'm sorry I was going to say you're on the road right now With girl Rosalinkle, is that right? Yeah, that's nice Oh, we're killing them

And actually, anybody in the New York metropolitan area are beyond, because this will be hitting your eardrums and video, you're going to be at the Village Vanguard all this week. Yeah, the 28th. So you'll be from Wednesday through Sunday at the Vanguard. So try to check it out if there's still tickets available for some of the sets. Aaron Parks on piano for all our pianists out there. Oh, he's killing it, man. He's killing him. Aaron Parks, Eric Revis on bass, Kurt Rosenwick-Law and guitar.

It's going to be a serious all-star. I know all the cats are going to be there on Sunday, at least. Yeah, it's nice, man. Coming into developing a nice sound, the music is really coming together. So a lot of different music. It's like playing with you. You know, like you have a lot of different fields in the music.

Kurt is exactly the same way. It's like, you know, think about the record that we did. That's what we're doing with Kurt Live. Just different songs. And, you know, different songs. But the approach is exactly that. We got a couple songs, we just straight out swing, and then we got some other stuff that happens.

You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah. That's the good thing. I think we're not that far all removed from each other and just what we're thinking about now when we make records and we won't play live. It's like there's so much more than just, we love to tip.

We can all do that all day. But there's so much more music to be offered and a wider range that we can cover. And because we're younger, we came up in 70s, whatever. We listen to a lot more different styles of music, many more styles. So it allows us to do that.

You know, and do it up particularly, you know. Don't do it if we're not going to do it authentically. Absolutely. Well, on that note, I wanted to, if it's cool with you, just play a couple of tracks that you're on that are a little bit, not necessarily unusual, but I know one of these you haven't seen because it's kind of, it was from this year. Jay Ross, TV. Yeah, it is from Jay Ross, our friend here. We're going to cop some of his footage here. But the first thing I know that you know about because, oh, wait, let me get this queued up right here.

This is from something you did for Vic Firth. Why are drummers always doing stuff for the record companies? YouTube channel. Well, you're doing for us too, so that's cool. I was going to say. I was like, yeah, you know. But I just thought this was kind of, you know, something because you're known for a lot of different things, but a lot of cats don't realize the influence

you've had in this area. So this is just a little bit of hutch hikers guy, which is a tune that Joshua for you some years back. Yeah. That sounded like a flurry. Hold up. What'd you say? I don't remember any of that, man. But this is you, right? This is not an imposter. I know that's you.

Yeah, that's me. Yeah, I don't remember any of that. I was saying, was that a flurry? Did I hear one flurry, but like a perfect little crafted flurries, man. No, no flurries. Like, I'm talking to remember. I remember, though. Ron Blake, yeah, I remember, I remember. That was, okay, so I got to put this out there.

I'm now a Roland artist. So that was pre-rolling gear. Cut it. Cut it. Yeah, cut that. That was Sunhouse. Big up to Sunhouse, no, big love to them also. And sock-eye drums, that was, yeah, no, I remember.

Yeah, I remember that. That was nice, though, man. We had a good time. We were trying to get the concept of mixing the electronics with the acoustic drums and just, you know, Sunhous is an amazing product. It's really, you have to really understand it. And that was my first time using it on a live video. So that's what that video is for sure.

Okay. I've shown the J. Ross. All right. So this is what like one of the things that you're really known for, of course. And this is a whole different, like you were saying before, this is a whole different vocabulary here. Yeah. Yeah. So this is actually from 2022.

and I was at this performance was from around the corner. Craig's looking like, what is it? This is a jazz at the bistro with Christian McBride and Benny Green. Yeah.

It's as good as it gets, man. Also, Benny here. So light, you know. Pushing McBride a little bit. I like that. Oh, always. Keeping a modest. It's one of my favorite concerts

to the past five years. That's Greg Hutchinson live. it might be interested in that. Yes, I'm very interested in that. I'm very interested in that. Yeah, hey, that's what we do, man. The more you can say about that right there, let's just get into it, man. It is good to play with Mike Ryder, so you know what it is, and with Benny, you know how Benny is. So that's always fun, and we're paying tribute to Ray Brown. So that music, that plays itself. What you got to do is sit down, just being in the right spirit, and it's always going to come out, right?

So, yeah, but it's, you know, once you, I was, like I said, I was fortunate to me. I had great teachers, around some great people and that was the music that we were trying to play you know so we we have that in our DNA but we also you know grown up grew up listening to other other influences and having other

musical forms that we you know really like so from Earth winning five the Stevie Wonder to all you know to everything so it's all in there it's just at various times it comes out in different ways and you have to understand how to do it and that's the difference between the old G's and the young G's

That's what I'm talking about Well, Hush, thank you so much for being here with us today We got to get you in the new studio, man My pleasure, man Exactly, we got some drums in there waiting But we got to check if it's the right brand We're going to bring in the correct brand We have a couple different brands

Let's do it, man I get some drums for you there Let's do it, curl Yeah, man So all the best for this week And for your continued travels And I can't wait to see you again And thank you for giving us the time

And we'll see on the other side My pleasure, brother. You know, y'all take care of him. Pete, everybody out there, man, keep swimming, keep popping. You know, it's got to pop off. That's my new, that's my, it's got to pop off. So they get popped up every time, all right? All right.

Until next time. Until next time, you'll hear it. Beez.