Herbie Hancock - 1979 [1986] "The Best Of Herbie Hancock"

Herbie Hancock is One Of The Baddest Musicians Ever! His Sound&Groove Here is Tight.He Can Play So Many Different Musicial Styles it will Drive you Crazy.He Gets Funky Here,Jazz,Pop,Soulful So Many Elements From this Genius.Watermelon Man&Chameleon are Timeless Songs.Very Essential Collection.

In the second half of the Seventies, Herbie Hancock put most of his energy into advancing the state of jazz/funk in the world. Initially (i.e., Headhunters), Hancock’s exploration of funk led to one of the more exciting musical adventures in modern music. Over time, however, the experiment began to feel formulaic as Hancock moved his experiment from the laboratory to the dance floor.

This compilation provides a brief summary of a very fertile period that included several crossover hits, all of which are included here. You’ll find the insidiously funky “Chameleon” from Headhunters, the lovely jazz/funk hybrid of “I Thought It Was You” from Sunlight, the epic “Hang Up Your Hang Ups” from Man-Child and the indestructible “Doin’ It” from Secrets. Also included here are two tracks from Hancock’s most recent effort, Feets Don’t Fail Me Now: “Tell Everybody” (here presented in its disco mix version) and “Ready Or Not” (replaced by “You Bet Your Love” in the UK, where it was a Top 20 hit).

FDFMN found Hancock shifting toward disco music, which has not endeared it to music critics, although there’s little question that Hancock elevates the medium even if the sum result seemed like slumming to some. Although Hancock did release a few more disco albums into the new decade, their achievements are superseded by what’s here. When this compilation was released on CD in the 80s, digital technology was perceived as its own value-add, and so Columbia simply re-issued it with the same six tracks. The decision not to expand on this in the last 25 years speaks to a cooling interest in Hancock’s funk phase. The Best of Herbie Hancock remains a good, succinct entrypoint into one of Hancock’s most creative (if least understood) periods.

Track listing:

1. Doin’ It (Remix) (Melvin Ragin/Ray Parker Jr.) (6:43)
2. I Thought It Was You (Herbie Hancock/Jeffrey Cohen/Melvin Ragin) (8:55)
3. Chameleon (Paul Jackson/Harvey Mason/Bennie Maupin/Herbie Hancock) (7:38)
4. Hang Up Your Hang Ups (Herbie Hancock/Melvin Ragin/Paul Jackson) (7:27)
5. Ready Or Not (Ray Parker Jr./Jeffrey Cohen) (6:30)
6. Tell Everybody (Disco Version) (Hancock/David Rubinson/Jeffrey Cohen/Bruce Good) (7:48)

Personnel:

Herbie Hancock with Art Baldacci (background vocals), Leon “Ndugu” Chancler (drums on track 2), Michael Clark (drums on track 4), Fred Dobbs (background vocals), Coke Escovedo (timbales on track 5), Sheila Escovedo (percussion, timblaes, congas on tracks 5 & 6), James Gadson (drums, backround vocals on tracks 1 & 6), Paul Jackson (bass on tracks 3 & 4), Don Kerr (background vocals), Chris Mancini (background vocals), Harvey Mason (drums on track 3), Bennie Maupin (saxes, flute, bass clarinet on tracks 3 & 4), Byron Miller (bass on tracks 2), Kenneth Nash (percussion), Ray Obiedo (guitar on track 6), Ray Parker Jr., (guitar, drums, background vocals on tracks 1, 2 & 5), Raul Rekow (congas on track 2), Bill Summers (percussion on tracks 3 & 4), The Waters: Oren, Maxine, Julia and Luther (vocals, background vocals on tracks 5 & 6), Eddie Watkins (bass on track 6), Wah Wah Watson (guitar,  bass, voice bag vocals on tracks 1, 2 & 4). Produced by David Rubinson & Friends, Inc. and Herbie Hancock; associate producers: Wah Wah Watson (track 1), Jeffrey Cohen (tracks 5 & 6); engineered by Fred Catero, David Rubinson, Michael Fusaro (track 1), Don Miley (track 6), Tim Rivers (track 6), Jeremy Zatkin (track 3).

Herbie Hancock - 1965 [1999] "Maiden Voyage"

Maiden Voyage is the fifth album led by jazz musician Herbie Hancock, and was recorded by Rudy Van Gelder on March 17, 1965 for Blue Note Records. It was issued as BLP 4195 and BST 84195. It is a concept album aimed at creating an oceanic atmosphere. Many of the track titles refer to marine biology or the sea, and the musicians develop the concept through their use of space and almost tidal dynamics. The album was presented with the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999.
According to Bob Blumenthal's 1999 liner notes, "Blue Note logs indicate that an attempt had been made to record 'Maiden Voyage', 'Little One', and 'Dolphin Dance' six days earlier, with Hubbard on cornet and Stu Martin in place of Williams. Those performances were rejected at the time and have been lost in the ensuing years." A different version of "Little One" was also recorded around the same time by Miles Davis and his quintet (including Hancock, Carter, Shorter and Williams) for the album E.S.P., also released in 1965.

"Maiden Voyage", "The Eye of the Hurricane" and "Dolphin Dance" have now become jazz standards and are featured in Hal Leonard's New Real Book vol. 2. Hancock rerecorded "Maiden Voyage" and "Dolphin Dance" on his 1974 album Dedication and updated the title track on his 1988 album Perfect Machine. "Dolphin Dance" was rerecorded in 1981 for the Herbie Hancock Trio album. Hancock has released live concert versions of "Maiden Voyage" on CoreaHancock (1979) and An Evening With Herbie Hancock & Chick Corea: In Concert (1980) (both with Chick Corea). Hancock recorded "Maiden Voyage" and "Eye of the Hurricane" with the VSOP Quintet on VSOP: Tempest in the Colosseum (1977).

The history of jazz is often told through the exploits of its firestarters, outsized personalities like Charlie Parker and Miles Davis who sent shockwaves through every bandstand they visited. That’s the headline level, and it’s useful for understanding various periods and styles. But as the music evolved and expanded in the 1960s, priorities shifted, and so did the roles of the players. There was need for musicians who were perhaps not always so flamboyant. The collective pursuit of a sound became as important as individual heroics, and that created opportunities for gifted team players and facilitators, musicians who sought to complement what was happening rather than dazzle people all the time.
Maiden Voyage springs from the mind of one of the most adept and creative of the sound-sculpting facilitators, pianist and composer Herbie Hancock. By the time he recorded this, Hancock had been in the Miles Davis Quintet for several years, an experience he, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams, the rhythm section here, all described as transformative. Among Hancock’s tasks in that group was to create expansive landscapes for Davis; the pianist stoked and framed what became epic discussions by drawing on a range of sources. His accompaniments might glance at the syncopated jabs of 1920s Ellington, or the clusters of free jazz, or the gorgeous pastel chords associated with Debussy. Hancock has said that in the Davis fold he learned about space and subtlety, about how something small and slight, like a three-note chord, could trigger torrents of spontaneous creativity. To hear that in action, consult virtually any recording of the ‘60s Quintet.
Or check out this record, because Hancock brought those strategies for conjuring and slyly shaping a tune into his own projects. Maiden Voyage, arguably his peak solo statement from the 1960s, appropriates elements of the Davis group dynamic for a transfixingly understated meditation on the lure of the sea. It’s a classic that’s justifiably revered for its compositions and its solos, and also, perhaps most importantly, the rich and delicate interactions that run throughout. The album is a perfect case study in the art of group interplay; it offers an array of thoughtful answers to the question “How, exactly, does conversation happen in jazz?” Hancock starts with the notion of melody: Each of these five pieces is built around a singable theme, one that’s durable enough to be inverted, paraphrased or passed around the group in the heat of improvisation. The melodies of Hancock’s tunes serve as a kind of through-line, echoing in the margins. Hancock refers to his themes, in oblique ways, when accompanying trumpeter Freddie Hubbard and tenor saxophonist George Coleman: He’s cultivating an atmosphere of expansive openness, and sometimes those glancing references help remind everyone involved about the dimensions of the canvas, the color palette and overall tone. This tactic proves particularly wise on the deceptively challenging “Dolphin Dance:” The mood is placid but the solos get stormy, and whenever it seems like the music is about to fracture, Hancock slips in some little phrase that gathers everyone back together.
In the headstrong jazz year 1965, lots of players were screaming “Look what I can do!” trying to grab attention by any contrived means possible. Hancock’s Maiden Voyage represents the flipside of all that: His windblown, undulating, intentionally low-key environment proceeds from the belief, acquired from Davis, that a minimal setting can inspire all kinds of meaningful musical conversations. Everybody is listening carefully, and out to enhance the proceedings. There is great grace, and concision, in every gesture here, and it’s not an accident that within these discussions, there are also bold, wailing outbursts and provocations. That’s what happens when everyone involved is in pursuit of musical aptness rather than audacity.

Less overtly adventurous than its predecessor, Empyrean Isles, Maiden Voyage nevertheless finds Herbie Hancock at a creative peak. In fact, it's arguably his finest record of the '60s, reaching a perfect balance between accessible, lyrical jazz and chance-taking hard bop. By this point, the pianist had been with Miles Davis for two years, and it's clear that Miles' subdued yet challenging modal experiments had been fully integrated by Hancock. Not only that, but through Davis, Hancock became part of the exceptional rhythm section of bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams, who are both featured on Maiden Voyage, along with trumpeter Freddie Hubbard and tenor saxophonist George Coleman. The quintet plays a selection of five Hancock originals, many of which are simply superb showcases for the group's provocative, unpredictable solos, tonal textures, and harmonies. While the quintet takes risks, the music is lovely and accessible, thanks to Hancock's understated, melodic compositions and the tasteful group interplay. All of the elements blend together to make Maiden Voyage a shimmering, beautiful album that captures Hancock at his finest as a leader, soloist, and composer. 

"In January 1965, jazz pianist Herbie Hancock received a call from a Hollywood jingle agency. Its client, Yardley, needed background music for a TV commercial and wanted a trio playing something jazzy, since the men’s fragrance ad took place in a sophisticated club. But instead of writing straight-ahead jazz, Mr. Hancock arranged a catchy rhythmic line that was closer to rock.

"In the weeks ahead, Mr. Hancock completed the assignment and then used the rhythmic chords as the bones for Maiden Voyage—the title song of what would become his most iconic and majestic album. The recording combined the freer, modal jazz popular at the time with a fresh romantic lyricism and vulnerability. The result is a timeless, career-defining opus of emotional uncertainty and guarded optimism——an album that would become his equivalent to the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds.”

"In the years since the release of Maiden Voyage, the album’s title song, The Eye of the Hurricane and Dolphin Dance have become jazz standards, and the album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. Today, 50 years after it was recorded on March 17, 1965, Maiden Voyage remains Blue Note’s third-most-popular legacy album and Mr. Hancock’s No. 2 best-selling recording after Head Hunters, his electro-funk hit from 1973."

Track listing

All compositions by Herbie Hancock.

1.     "Maiden Voyage"       7:53
2.     "The Eye of the Hurricane"       5:57
3.     "Little One"       8:43
4.     "Survival of the Fittest"       9:59
5.     "Dolphin Dance"       9:16

Personnel

    Herbie Hancock — piano
    Freddie Hubbard — trumpet
    George Coleman — tenor saxophone
    Ron Carter — bass
    Tony Williams — drums

Herbie Hancock Trio - 1977 "The Herbie Hancock Trio"

Herbie Hancock Trio - 1977 The Herbie Hancock Trio

The first V.S.O.P. tour triggered a flood of recording activity in July 1977, but only a fraction of it was released in the U.S. This session, recorded in San Francisco just days before the Quintet concerts in Berkeley and San Diego, finds Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams mixing it up sans the horns -- and the results are more reflective and cerebral than the full Quintet concerts. Hancock is thoroughly in control of the agenda while Williams throws in those meter-fracturing flurries that keep everyone on their toes. There is a startling re-interpretation of "Speak Like a Child," which is significantly tougher and busier than the wistful Blue Note version, as well as challenging Hancock originals like "Watcha Waiting For" and "Watch It." This is uncompromising acoustic jazz, commercial anathema in the electronic '70s -- and thus, only Japan got to hear it.

Herbie Hancock Trio is an album by Herbie Hancock released in September 21, 1977 in Japan. It features performances by Hancock with Ron Carter and Tony Williams. It is the first of two albums with the same title—this album was released in 1977, and a second Herbie Hancock Trio was released in 1982.

Track listing

1. "Watch It" - 12:25
2. "Speak Like a Child" - 13:06
3. "Watcha Waitin' For" - 6:20
4. "Look" - 7:42
5. "Milestones" (Davis) - 6:40

Personnel

Herbie Hancock – piano
Ron Carter – bass
Tony Williams – drums

Herbie Hancock - 1964 [1999] "Empyrean Isles"

Empyrean Isles is the fourth album by American jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, recorded in 1964 for Blue Note Records. The album was recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, on June 17, 1964. Pianist Hancock's quartet consisted of Freddie Hubbard on cornet, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums. The four compositions were written by Hancock.

My Point of View and Inventions and Dimensions found Herbie Hancock exploring the fringes of hard bop, working with a big band and a Latin-flavored percussion section, respectively. On Empyrean Isles, he returns to hard bop, but the results are anything but conventional. Working with cornetist Freddie Hubbard, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Tony Williams -- a trio just as young and adventurous as he was -- Hancock pushes at the borders of hard bop, finding a brilliantly evocative balance between traditional bop, soul-injected grooves, and experimental, post-modal jazz. Hancock's four original concepts are loosely based on the myths of the Empyrean Isles, and they are designed to push the limits of the band and of hard bop. Even "Cantaloupe Island," well-known for its funky piano riff, takes chances and doesn't just ride the groove. "The Egg," with its minimal melody and extended solo improvisations, is the riskiest number on the record, but it works because each musician spins inventive, challenging solos that defy convention. In comparison, "One Finger Snap" and "Oliloqui Valley" adhere to hard bop conventions, but each song finds the quartet vigorously searching for new sonic territory with convincing fire. That passion informs all of Empyrean Isles, a record that officially established Hancock as a major artist in his own right.

Even if you've never listened to "Empyrean Isles" before, you already know the track "Cantaloupe Island" off of this album, which together with its follow-up "Maiden Voyage", comprises the pinnacle of Hancock's acoustic 60s output. Listening to this set, it's almost hard to comprehend that it was recorded over fifty years ago, as it is still regularly being sampled and used in films, tv shows and commercials to this day, which is a testament to just how forward thinking this album was, and how fresh and contemporary it still sounds even today. An absolutely essential, core selection for every jazz fan's collection.

One of the great albums from the golden age of modern jazz and one of the key predecessors of post bop jazz. Empyrean Isles stuns in every way with it's variety covering hard bop (One Finger Snap), modal (Oliloqui Valley), soul (Cantaloupe Island), and free (The Egg) jazz. This is edge of your seat type stuff. Throughout the album, Herbie Hancock, Freddie Hubbard, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams stun us with astonishing inventive playing such as the shifting repetitive piano riffs of Hancock on The Egg, which are coupled by Tony Williams perfectly in sync playing, these only make up a part of The Egg which has an almost suite like structure where Hancock and Carter completely go off on their own, but not in a discordant fashion before returning to repetitive, syncopated theme with Williams. While Cantaloupe Island has Hancock repeating a single piano riff while everyone else improvises around him in true soul jazz fashion. One of Hancock's finest Blue Note era contributions, Empyrean Isles is essential.

The 60s was an exciting, inventive period in American Jazz music. And, when one looks at the line-up on this album you realize the musical strength necessary to hold up the visionary leanings of Hancock. A powerhouse of organic Jazz by the fables of the genre. 'Empyrean Isles' is a beautiful instance of the emergence of modal jazz. Those in the know will always tell you, this release is essential. Foundational. And pairs magically with 'Maiden Voyage.'

Original Album Liner Notes:
This is a quartet album for trumpet and rhythm section. In this circumstance, a problem was created for the composer-arranger, in that the lack of another instrument supporting the lower, richer register, such as a tenor saxophone, might result in a shallow sound.

With this problem in mind, Herbie Hancock, who composed and arranged all the tunes, wrote them to sound more like improvisations than ensemble melodies, so that the warmth and fullness of a supporting instrument would not be missed. Free sketches were written in such a way that each instrument is allowed great flexibility of interpretation. In many cases, no melodic line was laid out over the chords nor atonal clusters written, so that the trumpeter could supply any melody he wished.

“The Egg,” the most exemplary composition in the album, has only a short trumpet melody written out over a repeating figure in the rhythm section. This sets the mood and builds up tension; after that, the musicians’ ears do the rest!

https://jazz-rock-fusion-guitar.blogspot.com/search?q=herbie+hancock

Track listing:

1.    "One Finger Snap"    7:20
2.    "Oliloqui Valley"    8:28
3.    "Cantaloupe Island"    5:32
4.    "The Egg"    14:00
Bonus tracks on 1999 CD release
5.    "One Finger Snap" (alternate take)    7:37
6.    "Oliloqui Valley" (alternate take)    10:47

Personnel:

    Herbie Hancock – piano
    Freddie Hubbard – cornet
    Ron Carter – bass
    Tony Williams – drums

Herbie Hancock - 1977 [1988] V.S.O.P. "The Quintet"

The Quintet is an album by V.S.O.P. It was compiled from two concert performances: one at the Greek Theatre, University of California, Berkeley, on July 16, 1977; the other at the San Diego Civic Theatre on July 18, 1977. The musicians were Herbie Hancock on keyboards, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet and flugelhorn, Tony Williams on drums, Ron Carter on bass, and Wayne Shorter on tenor and soprano saxophones. The recording was originally released in October 1977 as a 2-disc LP by Columbia Records.

With the cheers and huzzahs from their 1976 one-off reunion still resounding, the reconstituted Miles Davis Quintet minus Miles went on the road in 1977, spreading their 1965-vintage gospel according to the Prince of Darkness to audiences in Berkeley and San Diego, CA. In doing so, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams, plus interloper Freddie Hubbard seem to pick up where they left off, with a repertoire mostly new to the five collectively and developed from there. It isn't exactly the same — you miss Miles' brooding presence and sense of space in Hubbard's busy, fiery playing, and Hancock is a more harmonically daring, assertive player than he was with Miles — but the interlocking telepathy and individual virtuosity of the musicians is pretty amazing. This also isn't the best tape from the tour; they were even tighter and more volatile in Japan five days later on Sony's Tempest in the Colosseum. The V.S.O.P. tours amount to a pit stop in the general shape of Hancock's evolution, but their influence upon the direction of jazz as a whole in the '80s and '90s would be staggering 

This has been a desert island disc for me for as long as I can remember. Can you call this jazz? Can you even call it music? It's something that feels like a whole lot more. This music teems with life, people, thought, emotion, creativity, joy, and insane energy like no jazz I've ever heard before or since. And Ron Carter flat out rocks the bottom out of it on acoustic bass. Give these guys a nobel.

The two selections that always kill me are "Jessica" and the hard rocking "Lawra". Jessica features a beautiful arrangement: the bass plays the lovely and poignant melody solo, accompanied by rich, dissonant, single note arpeggios from Hancock which lay out the complex terrain the soloists will then negotiate. Later, the bass is doubled by the trumpet which refines the texture even more.

The same group did a poignant and deeply beautiful version of Maiden Voyage on another live album called "VSOP" but that recording exists only on vinyl. Still the live version of Maiden Voyage is available on some compilation CD. Get it and live well!

This jazz is not a set of solos with other instrumentalists passively watching. Hancock, the Socrates of this group, pushes the band into a state of musical aporia: he doesn't accompany solos, he questions them, challenging each musician with his absurdly inventive figures; and he's coming with both jazz and modern western musical arguments. And when it's his solo he dives deeply into the darkest part of the woods and then, when you think he's lost, he's emerged out into the bright light.

Tony Williams seems to be playing in a state of ecstasy: he pounds new worlds into being and the horns have to dance in his garden or die. Ron Carter rocks out on acoustic bass - he keeps the pulse and he untethers Williams and Hancock to play with the rhythm and meter.

Hubbard plays superb and complex music on his solos; Wayne Shorter then steps beyond music and shows us that a horn can be as expressive as natural language.

Some of the best live jazz I've ever heard. For one, let's get a look at our band, shall we? Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor sax; Herbie Hancock on piano; Ron Carter on bass; Tony Williams on drums. Not only is that Miles Davis' old '60s band (minus the leader, who was in retirement at the time - Hubbard takes his place), that's also the same basic group - other than Shorter - that brought us Empyrean Isles and Maiden Voyage. Is that prestigious, or what? This is nowhere near fusion even though Shorter, Hancock and Williams are legends of the subgenre. And that might surprise the Headhunters crowd, but we must remember that before Hancock moved fusion forward he was a post-bop pioneer. And that's pretty much what the group's doing here. Not innovating post bop exactly, but playing it very well, with Hubbard channeling Miles circa 1965 on "Darts". It also contains what may Tony William's best composition: the mutlipart "Laura", with a lengthy drum solo inserted in the middle; and the eerie "Little Waltz", a moving duet dialog Shorter and Hubbard, with Hancock himself playing sweeping arpeggios and eventually a spooky, minor-key solo - followed by an awesome Carter solo spot that often gets so complex it sounds like there are two different basses playing. Meanwhile, there are a few slightly more offbeat compositions, like Ron Carter's odd "Third Plane", where he plays some excellent bass; and "One of a Kind", which has a pretty unique melody. Another good reason to listen to this album is because of the way the group handles soloing. Whenever a member is soloing, the other members play very complex backing to the solos. The last track, "Byrdlike", is about the furthest into hard bop Herbie ever explored, even sounding like Art Blakey, and it's worthwhile - especially for Tony Williams' drumming. The one loser track is "Dolores", which wanders far from the main point and totally loses me. In spite of that little quibble, everyone who has any interest in Herbie Hancock should add this to their shelf as soon as possible and play it as often as they can - it easily ranks with Empyrean Isles, Head Hunters, Maiden Voyage and The Prisoner as one of Herbie's very best

The musicians in the VSOP quintet, Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams all played on numerous records with each other in the 60's, sometimes all together, sometimes one or two or three with other musicians. In any form, their albums were always exceptional. In the late 70's, after nearly a decade of experimentation with jazz fusion (Shorter's Weather Report, Hancock's Headhunters, William's Lifetime Band, etc.) the five reunited for several albums and tours. The music they made was nothing short of incredible.

If the group had remained as a solid, tight "band" for a long period of time, like Miles Davis' quintets of the late 50's and middle 60's, or Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, VSOP would have undoubtedly be recognized as one of the most influential and finest working bands in jazz history. On this album, the group combines freebop with a bit of what they had picked up in fusion...more erratic drums, a heavier sound, etc. It all comes together beautifully to create an album that really builds off the aesthetic of 1960's Miles Davis. Everyone is top notch here, with no one stealing the show, and no one lagging behind. Each band member contributes at least one tune. My personal favorite is One of a Kind by Freddie Hubbard (which features a luminous soprano solo by Shorter) Third Plane by Ron Carter (excellent solos all around) Dolores by Shorter (Hubbard's finest moment here, IMO, and the churning group improvisation of Darts.

What's really fantastic about this band, and this album, is the LISTENING. They are all picking up on what each other is doing, and thus are constantly building, slowing down, picking things back up, burning, cooling off, all as one. Hearing Hubbard and Hancock interact, Shorter and Williams duel, and Ron Carter at like the unbreakable tree in the storm is just inspiring. This really is freebop (or however you term it) at it's best, and for anyone well versed in the jazz language, and who has heard the music of these players, this is quite simply a stunning, and immensely enjoyable listening experience. I find myself invigorated when I listen to this album, and I think you will too. My only sadness is the days of this band are gone, and will never return, as Hubbard can no longer play, Ron Carter is in semi-retirement, Williams has passed on, and Shorter and Hancock are involved in other activities. Thus, it's imperative people listen to albums like these, so we can always treasure the moments of glory created when these five exquisite musicians were in the same band, working together to create one of the highest forms of aural art: jazz.

Tracks Listing

1. One of a Kind (9:27)
2. Third Plane (7:19)
3. Jessica (7:02)
4. Lawra (9:43)
5. Darts (8:54)
6. Dolores (11:31)
7. Little Waltz (9:33)
8. Byrdlike (8:05)

Total Time 70:13

Line-up / Musicians

- Herbie Hancock / keyboards
- Freddie Hubbard / trumpet
- Tony Williams / drums
- Ron Carter / bass
- Wayne Shorter / tenor and soprano saxophones  

Herbie Hancock - 1969 [2014] "Fat Albert Rotunda"

Disc: 1
1969 "Fat Albert Rotunda"

Fat Albert Rotunda is the eighth album by jazz keyboardist Herbie Hancock, released in 1969. It also was the first album that Hancock had on the Warner Bros. Records label, since leaving Blue Note Records. The music was originally done for the TV special Hey, Hey, Hey, It's Fat Albert, which later inspired Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids TV show. Fat Albert Rotunda, along with Mwandishi and Crossings was reissued in one set as Mwandishi: The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings in 1994.

On this album Hancock changes his style radically and takes instrumental soul music rather than jazz as the basis of his compositions. Many songs also hint at his forthcoming jazz-funk style that he fully approached a few years later. A perfect example of classic songs, such as "Tell Me a Bedtime Story" (which later turned up also on the 1978 Quincy Jones album, Sounds...and Stuff Like That!! in a more funk-esque type song) and "Jessica" (which later turned up on the 1977 Hancock album, VSOP: The Quintet.)

The jazz world generally looks at Herbie Hancock's 1973 jazz-funk opus Head Hunters as the keyboardist's first foray into combining the world of funk, soul and R&B rhythms with jazz improvisation, but in fact it was four years earlier with Fat Albert Rotunda that Herbie showed how funky jazz music could really be. Fat Albert Rotunda came about when Hancock was tapped to compose some soundtrack music for the "Fat Albert" television show, after which he ended up with a full album's worth of material. It would be his first of three albums released on Warner Brothers, marking a short stop between his tenure at Blue Note and his longtime home at Columbia Records. There are, of course, major differences between Head Hunters and Fat Albert Rotunda, the main ones being the heavy use of synthesizers and only a single horn player on the former, while Hancock employed the Fender Rhodes and a full horn section on the latter. This gives Fat Albert Rotunda a more Stax/Muscle Shoals feel to the funk than Head Hunters, but there are still the basic sensibilities at work: that jazz and funk could not only co-exist, but also thrive creatively.

And the album is not only a jazz-funk experiment, but also shows that Hancock was still at a creative high point, one he had been riding since his Blue Note debut Takin' Off in 1962. While there are funky tracks like "Fat Mama," which must have blown away a certain segment of the jazz community (critics and musicians alike) when it was released, there are also more modern jazz-oriented tunes like the phenomenal "Tell Me A Bedtime Story," which other then the funky drum line is more in line with much of the soul jazz happening at the time [listen to both tracks above].
herbie-hancock-fat-albert-rotunda-back-lp

The line-up for the session is a great one, for most of the record it is a powerhouse septet, with the likes of Johnny Coles, Joe Henderson and Albert "Tootie" Heath leading the way. For the first and last tracks, the group is expanded into a much larger one - one of the first "funky orchestras" maybe - with the addition of such soon-to-be '70s jazz funksters as Joe Farrell, Eric Gale and the legendary funky drummer Bernard Purdie. Everyone's playing is on-point, but more importantly it sounds like everyone is having a grand old time playing this music, which is the whole damn point in the end, is it not?

After Fat Albert Rotunda Hancock would form his "Mwandishi" band - which was first a sextet and then a septet - and would explore a very specific kind of electronic jazz for the first time. The group would appear on Mwandishi and Crossings (on Warner Brothers), as well as on Sextant (his first record for Columbia), and these three records really stand on their own in both Hancock's discography and the history of jazz. They are in a genre all their own. After Sextant, Hancock would enter into a whole new realm of popularity and critical acclaim with Head Hunters, but one listen to Fat Albert Rotunda and you can hear the roots of that music and glimpse the vision of the man who would open up a new realm for musicians to explore and jazz aficionados to enjoy.

Track Listings:


1. Wiggle Waggle
2. Fat Mama
3. Tell Me A Bedtime Story
4. Oh! Oh! Here He Comes
5. Jessica
6. Fat Albert Rotunda
7. Lil' Brother
8. Wiggle Waggle (Mono)
9. Fat Mama (Mono)

Personnel:

Herbie Hancock — piano, electric piano
Joe Henderson — tenor sax, alto flute
Joe Farrell — tenor sax (uncredited in original LP release)
Garnett Brown — trombone
Johnny Coles — trumpet, flugelhorn
Joe Newman — trumpet (uncredited in original LP release)
Buster Williams — electric & acoustic bass
Albert "Tootie" Heath, Bernard Purdie — drums (Purdie was uncredited in original LP release)
Eric Gale — guitar (uncredited in original LP release)

Herbie Hancock - 1971 [2014] "Mwandishi"

Disc: 2
1971 "Mwandishi"

Mwandishi is the ninth album by jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, released in 1971.

It is one of Hancock's first departures from the traditional idioms of jazz as well as the onset of a new, creative and original style which produced an appeal to a wider audience, before his 1973 album, Head Hunters. In addition, Mwandishi was Hancock's attempt at continuing the musical principles and styles he began playing with Miles Davis on In A Silent Way. Hancock's previous attempts at jazz-rock fusion included Fat Albert Rotunda, an album conceived solely for Bill Cosby's Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids.
Mwandishi was recorded at Wally Heider Recording Studios, in San Francisco, California in December 1970. It was originally recorded by the Mwandishi Sextet that was built around Herbie Hancock and progressive notions of funk, jazz, and rock during this time period.
The tracks on Mwandishi are "Ostinato," the time signature of which is 15/8, "You'll Know When You Get There", and "Wandering Spirit Song". "Wandering Spirit Song" features Hancock's extensive use of tension and release, whereby he builds the tension of the song by increasing the amount of musical voices and increasing crescendos, only to release the tension with long held out chords on his synthesizer.
Mwandishi is a Swahili name Hancock adopted during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The members of the Sextet each adopted a Swahili name: Mchezaji/Buster Williams, Jabali/Billy Hart, Mganga/Eddie Henderson, Mwile/Bennie Maupin, Pepo Mtoto/Julian Priester, and Ndugu/Leon Chancler.

With the formation of his great electric sextet, Herbie Hancock's music took off into outer and inner space, starting with the landmark Mwandishi album recorded in a single session on New Year's Eve. Ever the gadgeteer, Herbie plays with electronic effects devices -- reverb units, stereo tremelo, and Echoplex -- which all lead his music into spacier, open-ended directions very much influenced by Miles Davis' electric experiments, rendering it from post-bop conventions. There are just three tracks: the insistent 15/4-meter Afro-electric-funk workout "Ostinato (Suite for Angela)," the inquisitive "You'll Know When You Get There" with its ethereal Hancock voicings, and trombonist Julian Priester's "Silent Way"-influenced "Wandering Spirit Song," which eventually dips into tumultuous free form. Eddie Henderson emerges as a major trumpet soloist here, probing, jabbing, soliloquizing; Bennie Maupin comes over from Lee Morgan's group to add his ominous bass clarinet and thoughtful alto flute; and Buster Williams' bass and Billy Hart's flexible drums propel the rhythm section. Santana's José Chepitó Areas and Leon "Ndugu" Chancler also add funky percussive reinforcement to "Ostinato," along with guitarist Ron Montrose. The group's collective empathy is remarkable, and Hancock had only begun to probe the outer limits with this extraordinary music. 

Track listing:

1. Ostinato (Suite For Angela)
2. You'll Know When You Get There
3. Wandering Spirit Song
4. Ostinato (Suite for Angela) [promo edit]
5. You'll Know When You Get There [promo edit]

Personnel:

Mwandishi / Herbie Hancock – Fender Rhodes piano
Mchezaji / Buster Williams – Bass
Jabali / Billy Hart – Drums
Mganga / Eddie Henderson – Trumpet, flugelhorn
Mwile / Bennie Maupin – Bass clarinet, alto flute, piccolo
Pepo Mtoto / Julian Priester – tenor trombone, bass trombone
Ronnie Montrose – Guitar on "Ostinato (Suite For Angela)"
Leon "Ndugu" Chancler – drums and percussion
Cepito / Jose Areas – congas and Timbales on "Ostinato (Suite For Angela)"

Herbie Hancock Wayne Shorter Ron Carter Wallace Roney & Tony Williams - 1994 "A Tribute To Miles"

A Tribute to Miles is a tribute album by four of the five members of the Miles Davis quintet: Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Tony Williams, Ron Carter. Taking over for Davis was trumpeter Wallace Roney.

This Miles Davis tribute album brings back four-fifths of his second classic quintet with Wallace Roney the logical choice to fill in for the late trumpeter. Roney comes across as a sideman and is not as forceful here as one would have hoped. Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams had all grown with time and this reunion has Hancock and Williams taking on more prominent leadership roles than in the earlier days. With the exception of the drummer's "Elegy," all of the music "("So What," "RJ," "Little One," "Pinocchio," "Eighty One" and "All Blues") was regularly performed by the quintet back in the '60s. In general this reunion is a success even if it contains no new revelations. It is particularly nice to hear Wayne Shorter in this setting again.

This Grammy-winning jazz recording is as much a tribute to the trumpeter's greatest band as a testament to Miles Davis himself. But Miles was not given to sentimental gestures, and while he cherished the band's work during the revolutionary '60s, he rarely looked back after disbanding the unit.

But jazz fans could never let go, because Shorter, Hancock, Carter and Williams redefined the freedom principle of the late 1960s, and built daring new melodic structures upon a bedrock of sophisticated harmony and complex rhythmic interaction. As a result, in one form or another--usually billed as VSOP--the quintet would hit the road and recording studios with stunt doubles as notable as Freddie Hubbard and Wynton Marsalis occupying the director's chair.

However, on A TRIBUTE TO MILES the trumpeter is the young Philadelphian anointed by Miles himself after their triumphant 1991 performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival--Wallace Roney (Miles even presented him with his horn). And on the basis of the long harmonic elisions and Davis-like ornaments Roney displays on the live renditions of Davis standards "So What" and "All Blues," the elder's respect is more than justified. There are many highlights throughout this set, from Carter's "RJ," with its brisk tempo and roaring rhythmic exchanges, through Hancock's moody waltz "Little One" and the Spanish-tinged backbeats of "Eighty One." Roney particularly inspires Shorter who responds with a keening soprano solo on his classic tune "Pinnochio," abstracting the melody, fragmenting his line and moving up the scale until the drummer is ready to bust.

 Wallace was mentored by Miles Davis after Miles heard him in 1983 at his birthday gala performance in Carnegie Hall. Their association peaked when Miles chose Wallace to share the stage at his historic performance in Montreux in 1991. After Davis died, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Wayne Shorter, Tony Williams and Roney banded together and toured the world in tribute.

This is, quite possibly, the best jazz CD ever made. If I had to take only one jazz CD to a desert island, this would be it. Oh, the Miles purist might wince, but Herbie and his mega talented crew of some of the finest talent in the business, have done him an honorable justice in this nearly 60 or minutes of virtuosity and rendition. I love the upbeat tempo of "So What", and the rest, well, just get this one. if you haven't already. And buy more than one for gifting. Your friends will thank you many times over. Enjoy!

I have owned this album since shortly after it was released, and it has been in steady rotation in my collection ever since I purchased it. I have always been amazed that it is not more widely recognized and celebrated. The 5 studio tracks are very good, but by far the highlights of the album are the live versions of All Blues and So What. All five of the musicians on this album are legendary, and hearing them all together again is a treat.

Tony Williams' brilliant performance on All Blues is worth the price of admission alone, and when you add Herbie Hancock and the other musicians on this terrific CD, you've got the makings of a classic release. There are not many things that I can recommend wholeheartedly, but I guarantee you will not be disappointed if you pick up this hidden gem.

This album won all five men the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Individual or Group at the 37th Annual Grammy Awards. This was Hancock's third Grammy Award.

Track listing:

"So What" (Live) (Miles Davis) - 10:19
"RJ" (Carter) - 4:04
"Little One" (Hancock) - 7:20
"Pinocchio" (Shorter) - 5:45
"Elegy" (Williams) - 8:43
"Eighty One" (Davis, Carter) - 7:29
"All Blues" (Live) (Davis) - 15:17

Personnel:

Herbie Hancock – piano, calliope
Wayne Shorter – tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone
Wallace Roney – trumpet
Ron Carter – bass
Tony Williams – drums

Herbie Hancock - 2014 The Warner Bros. Years (1969-1972)

Herbie Hancock's three albums for Warner Bros have been compiled before, most notably in Mwandishi: The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings in 1994. The individual titles have been reissued in various editions and formats since that time. There are several things that separate this volume (issued by Rhino) from its predecessor. The first is the package. The clamshell case contains each disc in its own cardboard sleeve with original artwork. It also contains a lengthy essay by Bob Gluck, author of You'll Know When You Get There: Herbie Hancock & the Mwandishi Band. This set compiles not only the recordings proper, but also alternate takes, promo edits -- both Mwandishi and Crossings contained three long tracks each -- and a bonus track. Fat Albert Rotunda -- developed from a handful of tracks cut for Bill Cosby's Fat Albert cartoon show -- contains alternates of "Wiggle Waggle" and "Fat Mama." Issued in 1969, this funky soul-jazz session featured saxophonist Joe Henderson, trumpeter Johnny Coles, trombonist Garnett Brown, bassist Buster Williams, and Albert "Tootie" Heath on drums in the main group, with trumpeter Joe Newman, saxophonist Joe Farrell, guitarist Eric Gale, and drummer Bernard Purdie guesting on several cuts. Disc two is the Mwandishi Band proper on its self-titled debut from 1970: only Williams and Hancock return from the previous date, joined by Bennie Maupin on reeds and winds, trumpeter Eddie Henderson, trombonist Julian Priester, and drummer Billy Hart. Various guitarists -- including Ronnie Montrose and Leon "Ndugu" Chancler -- also guest. This disc includes promo edits for "Ostinato (Suite for Angela)" and "You'll Know When You Get There" as bonus cuts. Crossings, issued in 1972, added a further bandmember in synth player Dr. Patrick Gleeson -- originally intended as a sideman, Hancock was so impressed with his contributions he asked him to join, though he only remained for this recording. The bonus material features the heavily edited (though no less hip) single version of "Water Torture" and the set's treasure piece: the rare, non-album promo single "Crossings," a spacy, funky groover that revealed the future direction of the band which would record Sextant for Columbia a year later. This is the first time the bonus material from Mwandishi and Crossings has been made available. While Fat Albert Rotunda is a blast in terms of its groove quotient, the final two recordings, with their more complex, dissonant, and open explorations, are essential not only for any Hancock fan, but for lovers of '70s electric jazz. The recordings are still the most under-celebrated classics in the artist's catalog.

This is not the first time that the 3 albums which Herbie Hancock recorded for Warner between 1969-1972 have been compiled, but this lavish reissue re-ups the bar once again, and it's not a surprise of course that this is courtesy the good folks at Rhino.
"Herbie Hancock - The Warner Bros. years (1969-1972)" (3 CDs; 18 tracks; 153 min.) starts with the 1969 album "Fat Albert Rotunda", which in addition to its 7 original tracks also contain alternative (mono) takes from "Wiggle-Waggle" (issued as a single) and its B side "Fat Mama" (remember back in those days many singles were released in mono, this was before FM became the mainstream radio channel. The 1970 album "Mwandishi" is musically quite a departure from the "Fat Albert" album, and pushes the envelope for electric jazz, In addition to the album's original 3 tracks, we also get previously unreleased promo edits of "Osinato (Suite for Angela)" (reducing the original running time from 13 min. to 6 min.), and "You'll Never Know When You Get There" (also reduced to 6 min.). It's nice to have those, although not essential. The 3rd album is 1972's "Crossings". A logical follow-up to "Mwandishi", it plays as fresh now as it did 40+ years ago. We get the three original tracks (including the epic "Sleeping Giant"), but the real surprise is the bonus track "Crossings", the title track that didn't feature on the album but was released as a single instead. It sounds like it jumped off of the "Shaft" soundtrack, just terrific. Its B side, a 3 min. version of the original 14 min. "Water Torture", is also included on here.
The 3 albums are packaged in the original album art (reduced for CD size), meaning "Crossings" can be folded open. This reissue also contains a 28 page booklet with extensive and insightful liner notes/essay from Hancock-connoisseur Bob Gluck, pictures, and all the recording details of the various album tracks. Bottom line: this is a first class reissue of the Herbie Hancock Werner Bros. albums. I wish all reissues would be done with the same care and attention for detail. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams - 1978 [1992] "Third Plane"

Third Plane is an album by jazz bassist Ron Carter, released on the Milestone label in 1977. It features performances by Carter, Herbie Hancock and Tony Williams.

A second selection of five tracks recorded by the trio during the same day's sessions was released under Herbie Hancock's name as Herbie Hancock Trio.

The second album that was released from the material recorded with Herbie, Tony, and Ron at David Rubinson's new studio in San Francisco on July 13, 1977--this one released on Milestone Records due to contractual obligations

A1. "Third Plane" (5:52) a nice little Latin-shaded tune composed and anchored by Ron that sees Herbie taking the melodic lead with vim, verve and a Antonio Carlos Jobim-like respect for space and clean phrasing. The drumming is solid though rarely Tony Williams-like in its fire and creativity. Still, an excellent, beautiful tune. (9.25/10)

A2. "Quiet Times" (7:50) a late night wanderer that slides into some Miles Davis Kind of Blue-like blues in its second minute while Ron's slip-sliding bass runs up front, Tony's brushed drums down beneath the others, and Herbie's piano somewhere in between. Though Ron is credited as the song's composer, he performs more as if this were so than on the album's opener (to which he is also the credited composer), soloing quite eruditely throughout fourth and fifth minutes. Herbie's piano play even brings in a lot of Kind of Blue phrasing and stylings. (13.625/15)

A3. "Lawra" (6:06) on this one the boys return to the light, performing a Tony Williams song that would also be exhibited in expanded form (9:43) on the September V.S.O.P. release of the Greek Theater concerts sandwiched around this date in the recording studio entitled The Quintet. (9/10)

B1. "Stella By Starlight" (8:24) another cover a jazz standard, yet another one that Miles helped to resuscitate make popular, this one a song from a film of the same name that came out in 1944 and whose music was composed by Victor Young. The song was made a jazz standard via covers by Charlie Parker, Chet Baker, Stan Getz, Bud Powell, Stan Kenton's big band as well as Nat King Cole before Miles grabbed it and twice revived it's popularity in 1955 and as part of his live concert standards in the mid -1960s. Nice rendition though I know the previous versions so little that it feels fresh and original (if a little scattered) to me. (17.75/20)

B2. "United Blues" (2:59) another Carter composition that displays Ron's propensity for bounce and syncopation with the trio being asked to hold fast and firm to a very clean and clear-cut discipline throughout. (8.875/10)

B3. "Dolphin Dance" (8:18) here reviving an old Herbie classic (originally from Maiden Voyage, it was inspired by a Count Basie tune), the band rises and falls with the ocean swells as Herbie and Ron swim playfully around each other while Tony seems content to watch like a mesmerized child. (18.5/20)

If I have any complaint of this album it would be of the continued low levels of the drums and continued far-forward push of Ron's bass: I would like to have heard from these recordings at The Automatt a little more even leveling of the three instruments as I found myself tiring a bit at trying to work past Ron's bass playing, as amazing as it is, in order to hear Tony's drum play.

Total Time 38:03

Track listing:

"Third Plane" (Carter) – 5:53

"Quiet Times" (Carter) – 7:52

"Lawra" (Tony Williams) – 6:08

"Stella by Starlight" (Ned Washington, Victor Young) – 8:26

"United Blues" (Carter) – 3:01

"Dolphin Dance" (Herbie Hancock) – 8:20

Personnel:

Ron Carter – bass

Herbie Hancock – piano

Tony Williams – drums

Miles Davis - 1976 [2002] "Water Babies"

Water Babies is a studio album by Miles Davis. Released during Miles Davis's retirement in the second half of the seventies, it is a collection of stylistically diverse "leftovers" spanning eighteen months, from the Nefertiti sessions with the Miles Davis Quintet (1967) to the experimental, transitional period between Filles de Kilimanjaro and In a Silent Way (late 1968).
Due to these recordings being released years after they were recorded, the three Wayne Shorter compositions recorded during the 1967 session had made their first appearance in 1969 on Shorter's album Super Nova in a much more free jazz, avant-garde style.
Side 1 features the second great quintet of Davis, Shorter, Hancock, Williams and Carter. On Side 2, Ron Carter is replaced by Dave Holland and Chick Corea doubles with Hancock on electric piano; this line-up is very similar to the one that recorded In a Silent Way, tracks 4 to 6 being from those sessions. Shorter would switch from tenor to soprano saxophone after this session.

This studio LP was first released almost a decade after it was recorded. The first half features the 1967 Quintet (with Wayne Shorter on tenor and soprano, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Tony Williams) performing three otherwise unknown Shorter compositions. The flip side finds Davis in 1968 leading the same group (with possibly Chick Corea and Dave Holland replacing Hancock and Carter) on two early fusion jams that look a bit toward Bitches Brew. Although not an essential set, this album fills in some gaps during Davis's transitional period from adventurous acoustic playing to early electric performances. 

Side one contains three Shorter compositions recorded on Wayne's 1969 Super Nova (Blue Note); comparisons between the performances confirm Hancock's 1969 comment that "Miles ... shapes all the tunes that come into his band." He shaped his accompanists as well, editing and muting their more extroverted tendencies — at least Shorter, Hancock and Williams sound quite different on their own Blue Note albums of the time. Yet the drummer's simple cymbal dance behind Davis' gentle "Water Babies" solo, and his melodic accompaniment for Shorter on the same piece, are still overwhelming. Carter also gets a chance to dance around Hancock's chorded spot.

The smoking "Capricorn" bears Miles' mark in the use of piano — Hancock lays out through most of the track and solos only with his right hand. Miles harks back to 1956 in his solo, but Carter and Williams boil and evaporate behind him in more contemporary fashion. The way Shorter's thoughts unravel, growing denser and more complex yet still referring to the theme, is marvelous. "Sweet Pea" (dedicated to composer and Ellington collaborator Billy Strayhorn) has a mysterious, floating theme statement. The intensely shaped sorrow in Miles' tone is buoyed by Spanish tinges in the rhythm section, Shorter's sound offers a beautiful complement, and Hancock offers homage to 1959 Bill Evans.

Both tracks on side two feature Hancock and Chick Corea on subdued electric pianos, with the keyboard on left speaker (probably Hancock) dominating throughout. Shorter's "Two Faced" sounds like a dry run for the In a Silent Way sessions; I find it more successful. Williams, Carter and the pianists converse with great spirit, and Shorter plays off the rolling keyboards brilliantly. The long Davis solo is a sustained sigh with more acute hurt occasionally cracking through. "Dual Mr. Tillman Anthony" is credited to one "W. Process" (Tillman is the first name of Anthony Williams' father); it's a funky, syncopated riff, 14 measures long, repeated for 13 minutes by Corea, Carter and bassist Dave Holland while the others cook. Miles is magnificent here, gliding over the line at his own internal, slower tempo while Hancock and Williams bubble around him. Shorter swaggers, recalling the tenor's historical lineage, and Williams takes the piece out.

Time has revealed this band to be as daring and fascinating as any in the long Davis career, and Water Babies contains some of its best music. There is simply so much happening here; hear it.

In 1976, when Miles’ withdrawal from the scene seemed to go on forever, Columbia released an album bringing together two different periods on each side of a single LP.  Side A featured three sublime pieces composed by Wayne Shorter in the spring of 1967. The opening waltz inspired each member of the quintet to such heights that one doesn’t  know who to listen to first—even if the major part was nothing but a concerto grosso of cymbals that accompanied the improbable score of nuances modulating the regular beat of the Charleston cymbal. In “Capricorn,” Herbie Hancock doesn’t come in at all until his right hand solo, but on “Sweet Pea,” his two hands join with those of Ron Carter and Tony Williams in a collective improvisation that the rhythm section maintains throughout Shorter’s homage to Billy Strayhorn. Side B offers two strange constructions from November 11 and 12, 1968. The electric piano’s swabs of color and the unison of the piano and double bass continued the shift that had begun with Filles De Kilimanjaro, leading to In A Silent Way and Bitches Brew the following year.

Track listing

All songs composed by Wayne Shorter except as noted.

1.    "Water Babies" – 5:06
2.    "Capricorn" – 8:26
3.    "Sweet Pea" – 7:59
4.    "Two Faced" – 18:00
5.    "Dual Mr. Anthony Tillmon Williams Process" (Miles Davis, Tony Williams) – 13:20
6.    "Splash" (Miles Davis) – 10:05

Personnel:

Tracks 1-3

    Miles Davis – trumpet
    Wayne Shorter – tenor saxophone
    Herbie Hancock – piano
    Ron Carter – bass
    Tony Williams – drums

Tracks 4-6

    Miles Davis – trumpet
    Wayne Shorter – tenor saxophone
    Chick Corea & Herbie Hancock – electric piano
    Dave Holland – bass
    Tony Williams – drums

Herbie Hancock - 1975 "Flood"

Herbie Hancock - 1975 Flood

Flood is the eighteenth album by Herbie Hancock. It was originally released only in Japan in 1975 as a double LP, and features the Headhunters Band, performing their hits from the Head Hunters, Thrust and Man-Child albums. It originally received a Japanese CD release & finally got a US release in 2014 on the Wounded Bird label.

Track listing

All compositions by Herbie Hancock except as indicated

"Introduction/Maiden Voyage" – 7:59
"Actual Proof" – 8:28
"Spank-A-Lee" (Mike Clark, Hancock, Paul Jackson) – 8:47
"Watermelon Man" – 5:50
"Butterfly" (Hancock, Bennie Maupin) – 12:44
"Chameleon" (Hancock, Jackson, Harvey Mason, Maupin) – 10:24
"Hang Up Your Hang Ups" (Hancock, Jackson, Melvin "Wah-Wah" Ragin) – 19:54

Personnel

Herbie Hancock – acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes, clavinet, ARP Odyssey, ARP Soloist, ARP String Ensemble
Bennie Maupin – soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, saxello, bass clarinet, flute, percussion
Dewayne "Blackbyrd" McKnight – guitar
Paul Jackson – Fender bass
Mike Clark – drum set
Bill Summers – congas, percussion

Herbie Hancock - 1973 [1997] "Head Hunters"

Head Hunters is the twelfth studio album by American pianist and composer Herbie Hancock, released October 26, 1973, on Columbia Records. Recording sessions for the album took place in the evening at Wally Heider Studios and Different Fur Trading Co. in San Francisco, California. The album was a commercial and artistic breakthrough for Hancock, crossing over to funk and rock audiences and bringing jazz-funk fusion to mainstream attention, peaking at number 13 on the Billboard 200. Hancock is featured with his ‘Mwandishi’ saxophonist Bennie Maupin and new collaborators – bassist Paul Jackson, percussionist Bill Summers and drummer Harvey Mason. The latter group of collaborators, which would go on to be known as The Headhunters, also played on Hancock's subsequent studio album Thrust (1974). All of the musicians (with the exception of Mason) play multiple instruments on the album.

Head Hunters followed a series of experimental albums by Hancock's sextet: Mwandishi, Crossings, and Sextant, released between 1971 and 1973, a time when Hancock was looking for a new direction in which to take his music:

    I began to feel that I had been spending so much time exploring the upper atmosphere of music and the more ethereal kind of far-out spacey stuff. Now there was this need to take some more of the earth and to feel a little more tethered; a connection to the earth. ... I was beginning to feel that we (the sextet) were playing this heavy kind of music, and I was tired of everything being heavy. I wanted to play something lighter.
    — Hancock's sleeve notes: 1997 CD reissue

For the new album, Hancock assembled a new band, the Headhunters, of whom only Bennie Maupin had been a sextet member. Hancock handled all synthesizer parts himself (having previously shared these duties with Patrick Gleeson) and he decided against the use of guitar altogether, favoring instead the clavinet, one of the defining sounds on the album. The new band featured a tight rhythm and blues-oriented rhythm section composed of Paul Jackson (bass) and Harvey Mason (drums), and the album has a relaxed, funky groove that gave the album an appeal to a far wider audience. Perhaps the defining moment of the jazz-fusion movement (or perhaps even the spearhead of the Jazz-funk style of the fusion genre), the album made jazz listeners out of rhythm and blues fans, and vice versa. The album mixes funk rhythms, like the busy high hats in 16th notes on the opening track "Chameleon", with the jazz AABA form and extended soloing.

Of the four tracks on the album "Watermelon Man" was the only one not written for the album. A hit from Hancock's hard bop days, originally appearing on his first album Takin' Off (1962), it was reworked by Hancock and Mason and has an instantly recognizable intro featuring Bill Summers blowing into a beer bottle, an imitation of the hindewho, an instrument of the Mbuti Pygmies of Northeastern Zaire (this is also reprised in the outro). The track features heavy use of African percussion. "Sly" was dedicated to the pioneering funk musician Sly Stone, leader of Sly and the Family Stone. "Chameleon" (the opening track) is another track with an instantly recognizable intro, the introductory line played on an ARP Odyssey synth. "Vein Melter" is a slow-burner, predominantly featuring Hancock and Maupin, with Hancock mostly playing Fender Rhodes electric piano, but occasionally bringing in some heavily effected synth parts.

Heavily edited versions of "Chameleon" and "Vein Melter" were released as a 45 rpm single.

The album was also re-mixed for 4-channel quadraphonic sound in 1974. Columbia released it on LP record in the SQ matrix format and on 8-track tape. The quad mixes feature elements not heard in the stereo version, including an additional 2-second keyboard melody at the beginning of "Sly". Surround sound versions of the album have been released a number of times on the Super Audio CD format. All of these SACD editions use a digital transfer of the original four-channel quad mix re-purposed into 5.1 surround.

Until George Benson's Breezin' (1976), it was the largest-selling jazz album of all time.

The Headhunters band (with Mike Clark replacing Harvey Mason) worked with Hancock on a number of other albums, including Thrust (1974), Man-Child (1975), and Flood (1975), the latter of which was recorded live in Japan. The subsequent albums Secrets (1976) and Sunlight (1977), had widely diverging personnel. The Headhunters, with Hancock featured as a guest soloist, produced a series of funk albums, Survival of the Fittest (1975) and Straight from the Gate (1978), the first of which was produced by Hancock and included the big hit "God Make Me Funky".

The image on the album cover, designed by Victor Moscoso, is based on the African kple kple mask of the Baoulé tribe from Ivory Coast. The image is also based on tape head demagnetizers used on reel-to-reel audio tape recording equipment at the time of this recording. Hancock is represented by the man wearing said image while playing the keyboard, and positioned clockwise around him from lower left are Mason, Jackson, Maupin and Summers.

In 2005, the album was ranked number 498 in the book version of Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. While it was not included in Rolling Stone's original 2003 online version of the list, nor the 2012 revision, it was ranked number 254 in their 2020 reboot of the list. Head Hunters was a key release in Hancock's career and a defining moment in the genre of jazz, and has been an inspiration not only for jazz musicians, but also to funk, soul music, jazz funk and hip hop artists. The Library of Congress added it to the National Recording Registry, which collects "culturally, historically or aesthetically important" sound recordings from the 20th century.

Track listing:

01 Chameleon     15:41
02 Watermelon Man 6:29
03 Sly             10:18
04 Vein Melter      9:10

Personnel:

    Herbie Hancock – Fender Rhodes electric piano, Hohner D6 Clavinet, ARP Odyssey & ARP Pro Soloist synthesizers
    Bennie Maupin – tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, saxello, bass clarinet, alto flute
    Paul Jackson – bass guitar, marímbula
    Harvey Mason – drums
    Bill Summers – agogô, balafon, beer bottles on Watermelon Man, cabasa, congas, gankogui, hindewhu, log drum, shekere, surdo, tambourine

Herbie Hancock - 1977 "V.S.O.P."

V.S.O.P. is an April 1977 jazz-funk fusion double live album by keyboard player Herbie Hancock featuring performances by the V.S.O.P. Quintet (Hancock, Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter & Tony Williams), the Mwandishi band with Eddie Henderson on two tracks, and The Headhunters featuring Bennie Maupin and Paul Jackson.

Excerpt from the LP liner notes:
"I thought it would be impossible to get people like Tony Williams or Ron Carter or Wayne Shorter or Freddie Hubbard in the same room at the same time, because so many of them are band leaders themselves. Wayne had told me later that he hadn't played that style in years - lots of fast eighth notes and long running flowing lines. This was really straight ahead jazz - walking bass, a swinging drum beat - but expressed through experiences of the musicians today. I thought of the days at Birdland when I used to sit in with Wayne Shorter, Lee Morgan or Freddie Hubbard. Freddie actually played on my first album, "Taking Off," and then played on 'Empyrean Lsles' and 'Maiden Voyage.' I played on Freddie's albums, and it made logical sense to me to have Freddie Hubbard on trumpet. A strange thing happened when I went on stage with the first group. As we started to play, I got the feeling that no matter what I would play, these musicians were so gifted that they could make music out of anything. The feeling of freedom that came over me was overwhelming.
The Sextet that I used to have from 1969 through 1973, played not only the music it had created, but all of the very first music from when I first left Miles Davis in 1968, and got my own band together. The Sextet has a special place in my heart. I was doing the album 'Speak Like a Child' and I used flugelhorn, also flute and bass trombone as an experiment. The sound killed me so much I realized, that's the sound I want for my own band. The most difficult conception to recapture was the Sextet, because of how it was originally built. The Sextet's very foundations was the intuition, empathy, teamwork, unity, and spontaneous creativity of the members of a true ensemble. From the late sixties until 1973 we had been hanging out together, studying not only music but life. We explored together, trying to analyze the creative process. We grew on each other; we became like one and the music became like one. Billy Hart had to come the farthest. He was working in London with Stan Getz, and the 29th was his one night off. Somehow he managed to fly right from London to New York, rehearse, play the concert and get back on a plane for London. When the Sextet was at its best, the whole group was like a living body. It was a music of the moment, no regular changes, bars, or even tempo - but somehow, almost miraculously, the music would have a flow and order that made me feel like I was listening to the sound from all the planets. Trying to recapture that spirit was difficult, but it came off - it was really swinging.
I suppose somebody from the twenties or thirties wouldn't call any of the three groups Jazz. There are people today who don't call the funk group a Jazz group. I hear that group incorporating jazz and funk into a very happy marriage. The third band is actually my present band. At that time I had been using Ken Nash on percussion, and in addition to Wah Wah we had Ray Parker on guitar, since he had been recording with us. Of course Bennie Maupin was one of our sextet, and is still playing with me now. The funk - now that music has such strong roots in the Earth. With all the earthiness there's always room for flight. The biggest reason I enjoy playing this new kind of funk is the contrasts between the wide open improvisation and the funky foundation at the bottom. It gives the music a character that is broad, vast, yet in touch with people."

- Herbie Hancock

Track listing

1. "Piano Introduction" - 4:33
2. "Maiden Voyage" (Hancock) - 13:18
3. "Nefertiti" (Shorter) - 5:17
4. "Introduction of Players/Eye of the Hurricane" (Hancock) - 18:35
5. "Toys" (Hancock) - 14:00
6. "Introductions" - 1:47
7. "You'll Know When You Get There" (Hancock) - 7:00
8. "Hang Up Your Hang Ups" (Hancock, Jackson, Ragin) - 11:54
9. "Spider" (Hancock, Jackson, Ragin) -10:12

Recorded Live At Newport Jazz Festival - New York City Center - New York, New York - Tuesday, June 29, 1976.
Tracks 1-4 performed by V.S.O.P., Tracks 5-7 performed by Mwandishi, Tracks 8-9 performed by the Headhunters.

Personnel

Musicians

• Ron Carter – bass
• Herbie Hancock – electric piano
• Billy Hart – drums
• Eddie Henderson – flugelhorn, sound effects, trumpet
• Freddie Hubbard – trumpet
• Paul Jackson – electric bass
• James Levi – drums
• Bennie Maupin – alto flute
• Kenneth Nash – percussion
• Ray Parker, Jr. – guitar
• Julian Priester – bass trombone
• Wayne Shorter – soprano sax, tenor sax
• Wah Wah Watson – guitar, synthesizer
• Buster Williams – bass
• Tony Williams – drums

Herbie Hancock - 1972 [2014] "Crossings"

Disc: 3
1972 "Crossings"

Crossings is the tenth album by jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, released in 1972. It is the second album in his Mwandishi period, which saw him experimenting in electronics. Notably, the album is the band's first to feature their new member - synthesizer player Patrick Gleeson. He was originally only scheduled to "set up his Moog synthesiser for Hancock to play." However, Hancock was so impressed with Gleeson that he "asked Gleason[sic] not only to do the overdubs on the album but join the group.

With the frenzied knocking of what sounds like a clock shop gone berserk, Crossings takes the Herbie Hancock Sextet even further into the electric avant-garde, creating its own idiom. Now, however, the sextet has become a septet with the addition of Dr. Patrick Gleeson on Moog synthesizer, whose electronic decorations, pitchless and not, give the band an even spacier edge. Again, there are only three tracks -- the centerpiece being Hancock's multi-faceted, open-structured suite in five parts called "Sleeping Giant." Nearly 25 minutes long yet amazingly cohesive, "Sleeping Giant" gathers a lot of its strength from a series of funky grooves -- the most potent of which explodes at the tail-end of Part Two -- and Hancock's on-edge Fender Rhodes electric piano solos anticipate his funk adventures later in the '70s. Bennie Maupin's "Quasar" pushes the session into extraterrestrial territory, dominated by Gleeson's wild Moog effects and trumpeter Eddie Henderson's patented fluttering air trumpet. Even stranger is Maupin's "Water Torture," which saunters along freely with splashes of color from Hancock's spooky Mellotron and fuzz-wah-pedaled Fender Rhodes piano, Gleeson's electronics, and a quintet of voices. Still a challenging sonic experience, this music (which can be heard on Warners' Mwandishi two-CD set) has yet to find its audience, though the electronica-minded youth ought to find it dazzling.

Track listing:

1. Sleeping Giant (24:48)
2. Quasar (7:25)
3. Water Torture (13:54)

Total Time 46:21

Personnel:

Herbie Hancock - Piano, Electric Piano, Mellotron, Percussion
Eddie Henderson - Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Percussion
Billy Hart - Drums, Percussion
Julian Priester - Bass, Tenor and Alto Trombone, Percussion
Buster Williams - Electric Bass, Bass, Percussion
Bennie Maupin - Soprano Saxophone, Alto Flute, Bass Clarinet, Piccolo, Percussion
Patrick Gleeson - Moog Synthesizer
Victor Pontoja - Congas
Voices - Candy Love, Sandra Stevens, Della Horne, Victoria Domagalski, Scott Breach