***1/2 Bobby Hutcherson

SKYLINE

(Verve)

Bobby Hutcherson continues to reign as the third king of the vibraphone, that percussive, eerie member of the jazz family that was first made a tool for swinging improvisation by Lionel Hampton and Milt Jackson. Hutcherson pushed the instrument to and through the post-bop era with a series of sometimes contemplative, sometimes hard-driving releases in the '60s and beyond, recording with other forward-looking giants like Herbie Hancock and Jackie McLean.

Skyline is his first as a leader in eight years, and Hutcherson again shows that he is a complete and composed improviser, expressing humor, soul-searching introspection, and joyful swing. Set opener "Who's Got You?" has the studied fury of the post-bop style that Hutcherson helped develop; he puts his mallets to the marimba in the Latin-flavored "Pomponio"; and, in the fine jazz tradition of reinventing pop material, he brings a vibrant sense of adventure to the Flamingos' 1959 hit "I Only Have Eyes for You." He is supported by an outstanding quartet that worked out the kinks with a week-long run at New York's Birdland before heading to the studio: pianist Geri Allen, sax player Kenny Garrett, drummer Al Foster, and bassist Christian McBride.

-- Bill Kisliuk