Mick Hutton

33degrees · #1 10-13-2005, 01:54 PM

anyone ever heard of this English DB?

Ashley Long · #2 10-18-2005, 09:08 AM

Hey man, yeah this guy is absolutley awesome! He cant play bass anymore though. He fell while jogging one morning and ripped a tendon in his thumb which means his hand wont work for bass playing anymore. A real shame considering how unique his playing was. Check out 'Blue Glass' by the John Taylor Trio. Its a live recording and his playing really is on top form.
He is playing Steel Drums now and has a group called (I think) the Boat Rockers. Hope this helps!

Brad Maestas · #3 10-18-2005, 01:57 PM

Whoa. I didn't know he injured himself. That is such a shame. He often used three fingers in his right hand. There's some great footage of him on Gary Husband's "instructional" video "Interplay and Improvisation on the drums" on Ritter Music/Hal Leonard. That was my first exposure to him and I have spent time trying to find more recordings. In the video you can see him using his index and middle fingers to play on the D or G string and if he needs to reach the E quickly he would use his ring finger.

33degrees · #4 10-18-2005, 07:09 PM

yes, i know him very well, i took some lessons off him too. he has a very unique approach and he's a real top classe guy, just wondered if his name lives on, its great to hear it does!

Bruce Lindfield · #5 10-20-2005, 04:13 AM

I've seen him play a few times at Brighton Jazz club - but there are many great DB players in the UK, that nobody in the US will have heard of ..and most of the TB members in the DB section are US-based.

Bruce Lindfield · #6 10-20-2005, 04:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ashley Long

Hey man, yeah this guy is absolutley awesome! He cant play bass anymore though. He fell while jogging one morning and ripped a tendon in his thumb which means his hand wont work for bass playing anymore. A real shame considering how unique his playing was. Check out 'Blue Glass' by the John Taylor Trio. Its a live recording and his playing really is on top form.
He is playing Steel Drums now and has a group called (I think) the Boat Rockers. Hope this helps!

That is a real shame - he was playing with some of the top names in UK Jazz - like Bill Bruford, Julian Arguelles,Martin Speake, Gareth Williams etc. etc.

Let's hope he can continue to play Jazz...

anonymous8547j7d7b · #7 11-24-2005, 03:26 AM

Just read the thread. That's a damn shame! I saw Mick a few times and really liked his stuff, in fact I thought it was a crime he wasn't more widely known compared with a few other overexposed & overrated british DB'ers (who for the sake of courting controversy & 10 page threads will remain nameless). On a more light-hearted note, I remember on one occaision seeing him use his ring finger dexterity in conjunction with left hand pulloffs to facilitate the faultless smoking of a cigarette during a med-up swing tune!

Hope he's happy doing what he does now.

Bruce Lindfield · #8 11-24-2005, 03:35 AM

Since last reading this thread, I noticed that his band are playing at my local Jazz club after Xmas - I shall defintley turn up and support - buy a CD if I can!

Brad Maestas · #9 11-24-2005, 03:39 AM

Wish I could be there!

Ashley Long · #10 11-24-2005, 03:44 AM

Aww man! Why is Brighton so far from Cardiff????!?!?

Mike Crumpton · #11 11-24-2005, 06:52 AM

Mick Hutton's bass playing was one of my favourites. I saw him countless times at Appleby jazz fest and other gigs. He had tone and poise, every note dropped in the slot like it was always suposed to be there. He also has great dry wit. I also used to marvel at his moving in and out of thumb position. Mick is a tall bloke, and the bass would just perhpas lean into him a touch more and he would reach down. The rest of his body would move little - just tilt a touch. no histrionic bending, just a player totally in command of his bass and his music. Majic stuff. It is a great shame he can no longer play bass. May he overcome.

oliebrice · #12 11-24-2005, 10:55 AM

one of the best. I've never heard him live, but have him on albums by martin speake and liam noble on which he plays beautifully, and also have a tommy smith album that I only keep because of mick hutton's playing!

Bruce Lindfield · #13 02-13-2006, 04:52 AM

Mick Hutton's band is at my local Jazz club next Friday - he is playing Steel Drums.

Last Friday I got to see and chat briefly to another UK TBer at a great gig - so it was the Mark Hodgson with Julian Joseph's trio .

So it was a Piano,DB and drums trio and Mark's bass sounded wonderful - really nice acoustic sound and great playing from all the band - some interesting originals from Julian Joseph and a great Gershwin "version" as well as a Monk tune where Mark played the head in a piano/bass duet.

Very nice gig, rapturously recived by a full house and I would recommend any UK TBers to get along and see them if they come anywhere near !!

Got to chat to Mark briefly afterwards - he posts as 'MarkH' - Hi Mark and once again - great gig!

oliebrice · #14 02-13-2006, 03:29 PM

Mick Hutton is listed as playing electric bass on a gig at the vortex in March. Hopefully he's recovering?

Bruce Lindfield · #15 02-14-2006, 01:39 AM

I'll ask him on Friday, if I get the chance.

Mike Crumpton · #16 02-14-2006, 04:50 AM

Please do - I wanna know too thanks Bruce.

Bruce Lindfield · #17 02-20-2006, 04:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Crumpton

Please do - I wanna know too thanks Bruce.

Great gig and I met two other local (Brighton-based) Jazz bass pros there - Nigel Thomas and Dave Whitford - we went and talked to Mick at the interval , but I felt a bit awkward as I said hello to Arnie Somgyi the bass player at the gig and mentioned Innovation strings as being the last thing we had talked about, when I met him previously!

So we realised that there were 5 DB players gathered around and Mick said - we cannot talk about strings and there were a few jokes along the lines of bass anoraks etc. etc.

So the conversation went away from bass and more to mutual friends/acquaintances and I didn't get to ask Mick if he was able to play any more - but I did mention it to somebody later on and they said he still couldn't play DB ....

But the gig did have some really nice original music/arrangements and the steel drums added an unusual sound/texture to the band - at times like Weather Report,Dave Holland's small band, Gary Burton etc. etc.

Electronics/keyboards from Mark Edwards (who also played acoustic piano) and Mick himself, who was on top from with some very funny introductions to tunes - very dry wit! He also played some nice solos on steel drums as well as comping a bit like a vibes player...?

As I said anyway - a good gig and nicely original setup!

Mike Crumpton · #18 02-20-2006, 07:05 AM

Thanks a lot Bruce - good to hear he's around gigging. A bill with Mick and Alan Barnes is worth going to for the introductions alone, sod the music (s sometimes happened at Appleby). By the way, I haven't seen you in the strings thread (well once or twice) so despite 21K posts perhaps you're not an anorak after all - BTW what strings do you use :-) ?

Joe Goose · #19 04-03-2006, 07:23 AM

i'm going to call round Mick's house for a coffee so i can ask him any questions for you, should be in the next few weeks. I don't think he will be playing bass again as he sold all his basses, i bought a 70's jazz bass off him and he sold his double bass as well, he still had a Pbass but it was up for sale. I pretty much think he did it all on double bass and now wants to move on, he's a musician, he can play piano, steel pans etc. he's still playing music that the important thing, the instrument is just a vessel for your ideas.

Bruce Lindfield · #20 04-03-2006, 07:27 AM

Yeah - I loved his tunes at the gigs I attended!