This post is by Dan
Recorded October 29 and 30, 1981
This album brings together a dream line-up, although not everyone plays on all tracks. Varying the group size allows the group to match the music better, which enhances its overall impact. 20-year-old Wynton Marsalis plays a sideman role, soloing on four of the six numbers. We are used to listening to Wynton as a leader and featured soloist. He actually sounds more comfortable as a sideman, with less to prove than on his albums as a leader.
The Penguin Jazz Guide (2010, p. 466) considers Destiny's Dance to be "one of the great jazz records of the 80s." Each of the six tunes makes a different kind of statement, and no two sound alike. The title track gives each soloist (Marsalis, Chico Freeman, Hutcherson, Cecil McBee) a few bars to show off their chops, and the elders match the young trumpeter's enthusiasm. "Same Shame" is reprised from Hutcherson's previous albums, Total Eclipse and The View from Within. This version includes just the vibes-tenor quartet, which floats easily across the simple melody. I love the vibes and drum fills behind McBee's solo in this one. Little details like that continue throughout the remainder of the album. My favorite track is "Embracing Oneness," which is dedicated to Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk. Freeman plays bass clarinet here (and on two other tunes), which produces a beguiling sound when combined with Hutcherson's vibes. The suspensions of tempo add to the mystery of "Embracing Oneness." Simply beautiful!
Even the Penguin Guide writers are occasionally distracted by sonic quality. This record was engineered by Alan Sides and pressed by Bernie Grundman, two names that most audiophiles will know. According to Discogs, Destiny's Dance was released on LP in 1982 and on CD in 1993. The absence of specially remastered, repressed audiophile versions of the LP suggests that the sound people got everything right the first time.
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