HERBIE HANCOCK

Post Bop / Funk Jazz / Fusion / Pop/Art Song/Folk / Jazz Related Soundtracks / Jazz Related Electronica/Hip-Hop / Hard Bop / RnB / Third Stream / African Fusion / Acid Jazz • United States
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Herbie Hancock will always be one of the most revered and controversial figures in jazz -- just as his employer/mentor Miles Davis was when he was alive. Unlike Miles, who pressed ahead relentlessly and never looked back until near the very end, Hancock has cut a zigzagging forward path, shuttling between almost every development in electronic and acoustic jazz and R&B over the last third of the 20th century and into the 21st. Though grounded in Bill Evans and able to absorb blues, funk, gospel, and even modern classical influences, Hancock's piano and keyboard voices are entirely his own, with their own urbane harmonic and complex, earthy rhythmic signatures -- and young pianists cop his licks constantly. Having studied engineering and professing to love gadgets and buttons, Hancock was perfectly suited for the electronic age; he was one of the earliest champions of the Rhodes electric piano and Hohner clavinet, read more...
Thanks to silent way, dreadpirateroberts, kazuhiro, snobb, js for the updates

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HERBIE HANCOCK Discography

HERBIE HANCOCK albums / top albums

HERBIE HANCOCK Takin' Off album cover 3.96 | 23 ratings
Takin' Off
Hard Bop 1962
HERBIE HANCOCK My Point of View album cover 3.62 | 16 ratings
My Point of View
Hard Bop 1963
HERBIE HANCOCK Inventions & Dimensions (aka Succotash) album cover 3.60 | 16 ratings
Inventions & Dimensions (aka Succotash)
Post Bop 1964
HERBIE HANCOCK Empyrean Isles album cover 4.65 | 32 ratings
Empyrean Isles
Post Bop 1964
HERBIE HANCOCK Maiden Voyage album cover 4.52 | 48 ratings
Maiden Voyage
Post Bop 1965
HERBIE HANCOCK Blow-Up (OST) album cover 3.57 | 9 ratings
Blow-Up (OST)
Jazz Related Soundtracks 1966
HERBIE HANCOCK Speak Like a Child album cover 4.56 | 22 ratings
Speak Like a Child
Post Bop 1968
HERBIE HANCOCK The Prisoner album cover 4.02 | 14 ratings
The Prisoner
Post Bop 1969
HERBIE HANCOCK Fat Albert Rotunda album cover 3.99 | 18 ratings
Fat Albert Rotunda
Funk Jazz 1969
HERBIE HANCOCK Mwandishi album cover 4.05 | 27 ratings
Mwandishi
Fusion 1971
HERBIE HANCOCK Crossings album cover 4.59 | 63 ratings
Crossings
Fusion 1972
HERBIE HANCOCK Sextant album cover 4.26 | 51 ratings
Sextant
Fusion 1973
HERBIE HANCOCK The Spook Who Sat by the Door (OST) album cover 2.85 | 4 ratings
The Spook Who Sat by the Door (OST)
Jazz Related Soundtracks 1973
HERBIE HANCOCK Head Hunters album cover 4.40 | 63 ratings
Head Hunters
Funk Jazz 1973
HERBIE HANCOCK Thrust album cover 4.42 | 40 ratings
Thrust
Funk Jazz 1974
HERBIE HANCOCK Death Wish (OST) album cover 4.26 | 10 ratings
Death Wish (OST)
Jazz Related Soundtracks 1974
HERBIE HANCOCK Man-Child album cover 4.02 | 27 ratings
Man-Child
Funk Jazz 1975
HERBIE HANCOCK Secrets album cover 3.50 | 17 ratings
Secrets
Funk Jazz 1976
HERBIE HANCOCK The Herbie Hancock Trio album cover 3.59 | 8 ratings
The Herbie Hancock Trio
Post Bop 1977
HERBIE HANCOCK Sunlight album cover 3.24 | 11 ratings
Sunlight
RnB 1978
HERBIE HANCOCK Directstep album cover 3.02 | 5 ratings
Directstep
RnB 1979
HERBIE HANCOCK The Piano album cover 4.13 | 6 ratings
The Piano
Post Bop 1979
HERBIE HANCOCK V.S.O.P. : Five Stars album cover 5.00 | 3 ratings
V.S.O.P. : Five Stars
Post Bop 1979
HERBIE HANCOCK Feets Don't Fail Me Now album cover 2.00 | 5 ratings
Feets Don't Fail Me Now
Pop/Art Song/Folk 1979
HERBIE HANCOCK Mr. Hands album cover 4.14 | 20 ratings
Mr. Hands
Funk Jazz 1980
HERBIE HANCOCK Monster album cover 3.00 | 4 ratings
Monster
RnB 1980
HERBIE HANCOCK Herbie Hancock Trio (With Ron Carter + Tony Williams) album cover 4.07 | 9 ratings
Herbie Hancock Trio (With Ron Carter + Tony Williams)
Hard Bop 1981
HERBIE HANCOCK Magic Windows album cover 2.08 | 5 ratings
Magic Windows
Pop/Art Song/Folk 1981
HERBIE HANCOCK Quartet album cover 4.25 | 8 ratings
Quartet
Post Bop 1982
HERBIE HANCOCK Lite Me Up album cover 2.60 | 5 ratings
Lite Me Up
Pop/Art Song/Folk 1982
HERBIE HANCOCK Future Shock album cover 2.58 | 20 ratings
Future Shock
Jazz Related Electronica/Hip-Hop 1983
HERBIE HANCOCK Sound-System album cover 3.28 | 6 ratings
Sound-System
Jazz Related Electronica/Hip-Hop 1984
HERBIE HANCOCK Village Life (with Foday Musa Suso) album cover 3.96 | 4 ratings
Village Life (with Foday Musa Suso)
African Fusion 1985
HERBIE HANCOCK Round Midnight - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack album cover 4.00 | 2 ratings
Round Midnight - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Jazz Related Soundtracks 1986
HERBIE HANCOCK Perfect Machine album cover 2.70 | 5 ratings
Perfect Machine
Jazz Related Electronica/Hip-Hop 1988
HERBIE HANCOCK A Tribute to Miles (with Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, Wallace Roney & Tony Williams) album cover 4.00 | 5 ratings
A Tribute to Miles (with Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, Wallace Roney & Tony Williams)
Post Bop 1994
HERBIE HANCOCK Dis Is da Drum album cover 3.54 | 10 ratings
Dis Is da Drum
Acid Jazz 1994
HERBIE HANCOCK The New Standard album cover 3.95 | 10 ratings
The New Standard
Post Bop 1996
HERBIE HANCOCK 1+1 (feat. Wayne Shorter) album cover 3.05 | 9 ratings
1+1 (feat. Wayne Shorter)
Post Bop 1997
HERBIE HANCOCK Gershwin's World album cover 4.00 | 6 ratings
Gershwin's World
Pop/Art Song/Folk 1998
HERBIE HANCOCK Future 2 Future album cover 1.96 | 9 ratings
Future 2 Future
Jazz Related Electronica/Hip-Hop 2001
HERBIE HANCOCK Possibilities album cover 1.91 | 7 ratings
Possibilities
Pop/Art Song/Folk 2005
HERBIE HANCOCK River: The Joni Letters album cover 3.90 | 11 ratings
River: The Joni Letters
Pop/Art Song/Folk 2007
HERBIE HANCOCK The Imagine Project album cover 1.58 | 6 ratings
The Imagine Project
Pop/Art Song/Folk 2010

HERBIE HANCOCK EPs & splits

HERBIE HANCOCK Rockit album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Rockit
Jazz Related Electronica/Hip-Hop 1983
HERBIE HANCOCK One Night With Blue Note, Volume 1 (with Bobby Hutcherson / James Newton) album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
One Night With Blue Note, Volume 1 (with Bobby Hutcherson / James Newton)
Post Bop 1985

HERBIE HANCOCK live albums

HERBIE HANCOCK Hear, O Israel - A Concert Service In Jazz album cover 2.98 | 5 ratings
Hear, O Israel - A Concert Service In Jazz
Post Bop 1968
HERBIE HANCOCK Dedication album cover 3.50 | 4 ratings
Dedication
Fusion 1974
HERBIE HANCOCK In Concert Volume 2 (Stanley Turrentine, Freddie Hubbard, Jack DeJohnette, Ron Carter, Eric Gale) album cover 3.76 | 3 ratings
In Concert Volume 2 (Stanley Turrentine, Freddie Hubbard, Jack DeJohnette, Ron Carter, Eric Gale)
Fusion 1974
HERBIE HANCOCK Flood album cover 4.37 | 15 ratings
Flood
Funk Jazz 1975
HERBIE HANCOCK V.S.O.P. album cover 4.30 | 11 ratings
V.S.O.P.
Post Bop 1977
HERBIE HANCOCK V.S.O.P. the Quintet album cover 4.01 | 10 ratings
V.S.O.P. the Quintet
Post Bop 1977
HERBIE HANCOCK V.S.O.P.:Tempest in the Colosseum album cover 4.96 | 10 ratings
V.S.O.P.:Tempest in the Colosseum
Post Bop 1977
HERBIE HANCOCK An Evening with Herbie Hancock & Chick Corea album cover 3.17 | 10 ratings
An Evening with Herbie Hancock & Chick Corea
Third Stream 1978
HERBIE HANCOCK V.S.O.P.: Live Under the Sky album cover 4.54 | 7 ratings
V.S.O.P.: Live Under the Sky
Post Bop 1979
HERBIE HANCOCK Jazz Africa album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Jazz Africa
Jazz Related Soundtracks 1987
HERBIE HANCOCK The Herbie Hancock Quartet Live album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Herbie Hancock Quartet Live
Post Bop 1994
HERBIE HANCOCK Directions in Music: Live At Massey Hall album cover 3.58 | 6 ratings
Directions in Music: Live At Massey Hall
Post Bop 2002
HERBIE HANCOCK Under Tokyo Skies (with Milton Nascimento) album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Under Tokyo Skies (with Milton Nascimento)
Post Bop 2010
HERBIE HANCOCK Live at the Boston Jazz Workshop album cover 3.00 | 1 ratings
Live at the Boston Jazz Workshop
Fusion 2015
HERBIE HANCOCK Herbie Hancock & The Headhunters ‎: Omaha Civic Auditorium, 17th November 1975 album cover 3.00 | 1 ratings
Herbie Hancock & The Headhunters ‎: Omaha Civic Auditorium, 17th November 1975
Funk Jazz 2015
HERBIE HANCOCK Herbie Hancock & Jaco Pastorius :Live At The Ivanhoe Theater, Chicago. Feb 16Th 1977 album cover 4.50 | 2 ratings
Herbie Hancock & Jaco Pastorius :Live At The Ivanhoe Theater, Chicago. Feb 16Th 1977
Fusion 2016
HERBIE HANCOCK Herbie Hancock & The HeadHunters : Paul's Mall Jazz Workshop Boston November 1973 album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Herbie Hancock & The HeadHunters : Paul's Mall Jazz Workshop Boston November 1973
Fusion 2016
HERBIE HANCOCK VSOP II - Tokyo 1983 album cover 3.00 | 1 ratings
VSOP II - Tokyo 1983
Post Bop 2017
HERBIE HANCOCK Herbie Hancock Quartet - Chicago 1981 album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Herbie Hancock Quartet - Chicago 1981
Post Bop 2017
HERBIE HANCOCK Montreux Radio Broadcast Jazz Festival 1997 album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Montreux Radio Broadcast Jazz Festival 1997
Post Bop 2019
HERBIE HANCOCK Bremen 1974 album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Bremen 1974
Funk Jazz 2020
HERBIE HANCOCK A Tribute To Miles Davis - Munchen 1992 album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
A Tribute To Miles Davis - Munchen 1992
Post Bop 2020

HERBIE HANCOCK demos, promos, fans club and other releases (no bootlegs)

HERBIE HANCOCK re-issues & compilations

HERBIE HANCOCK Best of Herbie Hancock album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Best of Herbie Hancock
Post Bop 1971
HERBIE HANCOCK Treasure Chest album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Treasure Chest
Fusion 1974
HERBIE HANCOCK The Blue Note Re-Issue Series album cover 4.05 | 3 ratings
The Blue Note Re-Issue Series
Post Bop 1975
HERBIE HANCOCK Kawaida (with Don Cherry) (aka Jazz Masters) album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Kawaida (with Don Cherry) (aka Jazz Masters)
Post Bop 1975
HERBIE HANCOCK Jammin' With Herbie (aka Rock Your Soul aka Voyager) album cover 2.56 | 6 ratings
Jammin' With Herbie (aka Rock Your Soul aka Voyager)
Hard Bop 1977
HERBIE HANCOCK The Best of Herbie Hancock album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Best of Herbie Hancock
Post Bop 1979
HERBIE HANCOCK The Best of Herbie Hancock: The Blue Note Years album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Best of Herbie Hancock: The Blue Note Years
Post Bop 1988
HERBIE HANCOCK Jazz Time album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Jazz Time
Fusion 1989
HERBIE HANCOCK The Very Best Of album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Very Best Of
Fusion 1991
HERBIE HANCOCK A Jazz Collection album cover 4.00 | 2 ratings
A Jazz Collection
Fusion 1991
HERBIE HANCOCK The Best Of, Volume 2 album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Best Of, Volume 2
Fusion 1992
HERBIE HANCOCK The Egg album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Egg
Post Bop 1993
HERBIE HANCOCK Cantaloupe Island album cover 5.00 | 3 ratings
Cantaloupe Island
Hard Bop 1994
HERBIE HANCOCK Mwandishi: Complete Warner Bros. Recordings album cover 4.00 | 4 ratings
Mwandishi: Complete Warner Bros. Recordings
Fusion 1994
HERBIE HANCOCK Jazz & Blues Collection 63: Herbie Hancock album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Jazz & Blues Collection 63: Herbie Hancock
Fusion 1996
HERBIE HANCOCK Les Incontournables album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Les Incontournables
Fusion 1996
HERBIE HANCOCK Jazz Masters (E.F.S.A. Collection) album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Jazz Masters (E.F.S.A. Collection)
Fusion 1996
HERBIE HANCOCK Dr Jazz (1962-1969) album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Dr Jazz (1962-1969)
Post Bop 1998
HERBIE HANCOCK This Is Jazz 35 album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
This Is Jazz 35
Post Bop 1998
HERBIE HANCOCK Mr Funk album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Mr Funk
Fusion 1998
HERBIE HANCOCK Complete Blue Note Sixties Sessions album cover 5.00 | 3 ratings
Complete Blue Note Sixties Sessions
Hard Bop 1998
HERBIE HANCOCK The Best of Herbie Hancock: The Hits! album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Best of Herbie Hancock: The Hits!
Funk Jazz 1999
HERBIE HANCOCK Dancin' Grooves album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Dancin' Grooves
Fusion 1999
HERBIE HANCOCK Out of This World album cover 4.00 | 1 ratings
Out of This World
Hard Bop 2000
HERBIE HANCOCK Ken Burns Jazz album cover 5.00 | 2 ratings
Ken Burns Jazz
Post Bop 2000
HERBIE HANCOCK The Herbie Hancock Box (The Columbia Years) album cover 5.00 | 3 ratings
The Herbie Hancock Box (The Columbia Years)
Post Bop 2002
HERBIE HANCOCK The Blue Note Years album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Blue Note Years
Post Bop 2004
HERBIE HANCOCK Jazz Moods: 'Round Midnight album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Jazz Moods: 'Round Midnight
Fusion 2004
HERBIE HANCOCK Live: Detroit/Chicago album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Live: Detroit/Chicago
Funk Jazz 2005
HERBIE HANCOCK The Essential Herbie Hancock album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Essential Herbie Hancock
Post Bop 2006
HERBIE HANCOCK The Finest in Jazz album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Finest in Jazz
Post Bop 2007
HERBIE HANCOCK Then and Now: The Definitive album cover 4.00 | 2 ratings
Then and Now: The Definitive
Post Bop 2008
HERBIE HANCOCK Watermelon Man:The Ultimate Hancock! album cover 3.00 | 2 ratings
Watermelon Man:The Ultimate Hancock!
Post Bop 2010
HERBIE HANCOCK Watermelon Man (Remastered) album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Watermelon Man (Remastered)
Hard Bop 2013
HERBIE HANCOCK The Complete Columbia Albums Collection 1972-1988 album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Complete Columbia Albums Collection 1972-1988
Post Bop 2013
HERBIE HANCOCK The Warner Bros. Years 1969-1972 album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Warner Bros. Years 1969-1972
Fusion 2014
HERBIE HANCOCK Empyrean Isles / Maiden Voyage album cover 5.00 | 1 ratings
Empyrean Isles / Maiden Voyage
Post Bop 2015
HERBIE HANCOCK Sunlight / Feets Don't Fail Me Now album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Sunlight / Feets Don't Fail Me Now
Pop/Art Song/Folk 2016
HERBIE HANCOCK The Early Years: Selected Recordings 1961-62 album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Early Years: Selected Recordings 1961-62
Hard Bop 2016
HERBIE HANCOCK Thrust / Manchild / Secrets album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Thrust / Manchild / Secrets
Funk Jazz 2016
HERBIE HANCOCK Broadcast Collection 1973-1983 album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Broadcast Collection 1973-1983
Post Bop 2017
HERBIE HANCOCK River: The Joni Letters [Expanded Edition] album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
River: The Joni Letters [Expanded Edition]
Pop/Art Song/Folk 2017
HERBIE HANCOCK Takin Off / Hub-Tones album cover 5.00 | 1 ratings
Takin Off / Hub-Tones
Hard Bop 2018
HERBIE HANCOCK Sleeping Giant album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Sleeping Giant
Fusion 2018
HERBIE HANCOCK The Story Of Herbie Hancock album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Story Of Herbie Hancock
Post Bop 2021

HERBIE HANCOCK singles (0)

HERBIE HANCOCK movies (DVD, Blu-Ray or VHS)

.. Album Cover
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World Of Rhythm - Live In Lugano
Post Bop 1983
.. Album Cover
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Live At The Munich Philharmonie
Post Bop 1988
.. Album Cover
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Hurricane!
Post Bop 2002
.. Album Cover
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Future 2 Future Live
Jazz Related Electronica/Hip-Hop 2003
.. Album Cover
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Live In Lugano: Supertrio In Concert
Post Bop 2010

HERBIE HANCOCK Reviews

HERBIE HANCOCK Sextant

Album · 1973 · Fusion
Cover art Buy this album from MMA partners
FunkFreak75
The band is loose and funked up, maybe having more fun now that they're all so comfortable with each other, and with Herbie really going out there with his experimentations into electronic keyboards and sounds but, on the other end, there seems to be less attention to quality sound engineering on this album than on Mwandishi and Crossings.

Line-up / Musicians: - Herbie Hancock / Steinway piano, Fender Rhodes, Mellotron, Hohner D6 clavinet, handclaps With: - Bennie Maupin / soprano sax, bass clarinet, piccolo, cabasa, kazoo - Eddie Henderson / trumpet, flugelhorn - Julian Priester / bass, tenor & alto trombones, cowbell - Patrick Gleeson / ARP 2600 & Soloist synths - Buster Williams / electric (with wah-wah & fuzz) & acoustic basses - Billy Hart / drums - Buck Clarke / congas, bongos - Billy Bonner / Fx

1. "Rain Dance" (9:18) lots of experimental sounds here (mostly synthesizer generated). Drums and bass are probably the two most prominent and loyal to their acoustic origins than any other instrument here. As a matter of fact, there is very little input from the horn players on this one. Interesting for the fact that it previews the later world of computer sounds and sequencers but not really a song that I enjoy or wish to hear repeatedly. On the outlying edges of what I'd call music. (17/20)

2. "Hidden Shadows" (10:12) funky with quite a variety of keyboards under Herbie's hand (including Mellotron!), there is quite a bit more dynamic range in this sonic presentation of this song than that of the previous Mwandishi albums. (18/20)

3. Hornets (19:31) I wouldn't doubt that this song was the inspiration for the famous SNL "Killer Bees" sketches a year or two later, as trumpet, clavinet, kazoo, ARP, percussion, and other crazed sounds coming from Bennie Maupin all contribute to a serious attempt to reproduce the chaotic busy-ness of the eusocial wasps known as "hornets." Crazy yet brilliant, chaotic yet so disciplined and focused. Just like hornets. Though Herbie and Billy Hart make a strong play for the title, Bennie Maupin, however, is by far the craziest hornet of them all. Entertaining and fun/funny, historically important, but not really a song that draws me back. (I wonder if the band were able to replicate this song live, in concert.) (34.5/40)

Total Time 39:02

B/four stars; a solid piece of progressive rock music from the domain of experimental jazz-rock fusion--where it may be deserving of more acclaim and accolades.

HERBIE HANCOCK Head Hunters

Album · 1973 · Funk Jazz
Cover art Buy this album from MMA partners
FunkFreak75
Herbie's first studio album since decommissioning his Mwandishi project. Herbie is stated to have said that he was tired of the spacey, high-end stuff and just wanted to bring it back down to Earth with some funk. It is important when listening to this album to remember how influential it was: both to other artists as well as on the tastes of the popular ear; this was, after all, at the time (until the 1976 phenomenon of George Benson's Brezzin'), the highest selling jazz album of all-time! 1. "Chameleon" (15:41) the opening funk bass sound and line lets us know right off the bat what's going to be different about this music compared to the famous "Mwandishi sound" of Herbie's previous three years of work: Funk is paramount here. The problem here is how long Herbie stays affixed to a particular pattern and motif: it's as if it takes him 30 measures to get the feel of a pattern enough to be able to play within much less diverge or solo above it. I don't know if the rhythm section (or engineer) realized that they were speeding up in the sixth minute, beneath Herbie's funky ARP Soloist solo, but it's awkward for a bit until they all return to the pocket. At 7:40 there is a reset to let Paul Jackson and Harvey Mason reset their rhythm pattern. Now we're in Fender Rhodes territory--the soundscape that will become BOB JAMES' standard/go-to palette. Paul and percussionist Bill Summers start playing off one another, which is highly entertaining despite Herbie supposedly being in the lead up top. Harvey's innovative use of the hi-hat here might also have served to influence all future Disco drummers. I prefer this middle section to the opening one. At the 12-minute mark there is a reset bridge with those rich ARP strings and panning Fender Rhodes play. J-R Fuse Heaven! Now this is where Smooth Jazz came from! At 13:15 there is another reset bridge that allows the band to restart the opening motif. Here Bennie Maupin finally gets some front-time on his tenor sax. Nice. A song that contains so much innovation I can't justify down-rating it despite my not really liking the majority of it. (27/30)

2. "Watermelon Man" (6:29) a very popular song that is denigrated by the fact that to me it is a very thinly-veiled revisitation on Dobie Gray's big hit from 1964 (a Billy Page compostion), "The 'In' Crowd." Then there is the presence at the opening and ending of the odd breath and voice percussion (what would probably inspire a whole generation of Bobby McFerrins. (8.875/10)

3. "Sly" (10:18) a reference to the "Sly" of the Family Stone? What starts out deceptively in some disarray becomes, quite suddenly, at the two-minute mark, a meteoric flight through high altitude with bass, drums, percussion, and clavinet all rushing wildly along in a very loose weave beneath Bennie Maupin's wild soprano saxophone play. Then Herbie gets a turn on his Fender electric piano. The man is so smooth! Paul Jackson's low end bass play paired up with Harvey Mason's hi-hat and cymbal work is pure genius! Somebody (Bennie Maupin) must be playing the clavinet beneath/alongside Herbie's two-handed Fender Rhodes exposition. I have to admit that I'd never really appreciated the drumming of Harvey Mason before this--cuz I'd never heard anything quite like this before. High marks for the extraordinary work of that dynamic middle section. (19/20)

4. "Vein Melter" (9:10) It would seem here that Harvey's semi-automatic militaristic snare and hi-hat riff would run contrary to the somber, etheric world being created by the rest of the band, but somehow it all works (except the ARP sounds: they sound so dated!) My favorite part is hearing Bennie Maupin playing with such feeling and emotion without having to blast it or even raise his "voice." Also, you can hear here the reverberating Fender Rhodes electric piano sound that everybody will be using over the next ten years: KOOL AND THE GANG "Summer Madness," Donald Fagen/STEELY DAN, BOZ SCAGGS Silk Degrees and so many more. (17.5/20)

Total Time 41:38

Thrust is my favorite Herbie album.

A-/five stars; a minor-masterpiece (and landmark album) of Jazz-Rock Fusion.

HERBIE HANCOCK Mwandishi

Album · 1971 · Fusion
Cover art Buy this album from MMA partners
FunkFreak75
An album of brave, masterful performances, production, and mutually supportive collaboration--the first in a series of albums produced over the course of three years in which experimental techniques in collaboration, song structure, and sound manipulation were radically explored. Even the discordant, unstructured 'free jazz' parts of "Wandering Spirit Song" are eminently listenable, enjoyable, even add to the spiritual 'letting go' space and process that the band has lulled you into by that time. Though some people choose to begin this period of Herbie's creativity with the 1969 album Fat Albert's Rotunda because it marked his first release under his new Warner Brothers label after some years in the Blue Note stable, I choose to begin with this album due to the fact that it's the first appearance of the lineup of musicians that he played with over the next five years--his so-called "Mwandishi sextet."

1. "Ostinato (for Angela)" (13:10) starts the album off with an incredibly infectious groove and many fascinating production effects that introduce the listener to the new Herbie: Engineer and Producer. Herbie's fender playing is the glue over which his band mates perform highly entertaining, often unusual solos, but these are never obtrusive or outside or above the thread and weave of the group's mix (a feat due, in part, to the recording engineering). The use of two drummers (at times flanged!) and along with a percussionist is, to my ears, highly entertaining and enjoyable. Eddie Henderson's lead trumpet play is great, as is Bennie Maupin's bass clarinet, but it's Herbie's keyboard work that I find most engaging--whether it's in the lead or support role. Again, however, it's the effects used on the instruments and track orientations that make the sound of this song so ground-breaking and fascinating. (23/25)

2. "You'll Know When You Get There" (10:15) is a beautiful piece of kind of ambient jazz in which echo and space, slow tempo, and subtlety are kings for the day. It's easy to float off and let go of this one, but so worth paying attention if you can/when you do. The first half is almost an Eddie Henderson solo but then the music congeals again in a truly beautiful and intricate weave in the fifth minute. Great bass play from Buster Williams and awesome interplay of sometimes-conflicting or tension-building melodies by Herbie, Bennie, and others. Truly a masterpiece of experimental jazz music. (19/20)

3. "Wandering Spirit Song" (21:28) My favorite of this album of sublime music. This is for me a soundtrack for deep spiritual introspection and regeneration. Amazing things music can do! Definitely a masterpiece of music--offering the highest gifts to humans that other humans can give: transportation and transcendence. Kudos to Buster, Herbie, and the horn players and percussionists for this mighty piece. (37/40)

Total Time 44:50

A/five stars; a masterpiece of experimental jazz fusion and, by inclusion, a milestone in progressive rock music. Despite the fact that I like the lineup's next album, Crossings, better (due, I think to the fresh injection provided by Patrick Gleeson's synthesizers and the all-female background vocalists), this one rates slightly better on my Fishscales metric system (in the Top 25, in fact).

HERBIE HANCOCK Crossings

Album · 1972 · Fusion
Cover art Buy this album from MMA partners
FunkFreak75
Of Herbie's three Mwandishi sextet/septet albums, this is my favorite. Here the band (now a septet since the official addition of synthesizer guru Patrick Gleeson) is more seasoned, working seamlessly, almost effortlessly, in cohesion. The music feels more rehearsed, more repeatable, and still quite organic despite the addition of Patrick Gleeson's synthesizers and the advent of spacier sonic backdrops. The production is so clean and clear, with each instrument standing prominently in the mix wherever its place. (The previous album had a more equanimous washed feel to it and the next album Sextant suffered from poor sound engineering.)

1. "Sleeping Giant" (24:48) Herbie's lone compositional credit on the album manages to fill an entire side of the album and, to my ears, represents the most structured jazz-like tune on the album. Opening with an awesome polyrhythmic percussive tribute to Africa, the song jumps into more Western-friendly arenas with bass and electric piano in the fourth minute. This is a sonic palette and style that will be replicated with much success by the likes of Emir Deodato and Brian Auger within the next year. A song that plays out like a smooth MILES DAVIS song (despite the Fat Albert-like theme interjected into the twelfth minute). (46.25/50)

2. "Quasar" (7:25) though the structure and flow are quite unusual and experimental, the sounds used, for the most part, are pretty straightforward traditional jazz instruments. (14/15)

3. "Water Torture" (13:54) piccolo and percussion and strange ARP and Moog sounds open this Bennie Maupin composition, truly mimicking some of the sounds of water. That feeling and sensation of waterflow somehow is maintained continuously, though in varying forms, throughout this extraordinary piece. After 90 seconds an actual musical soundscape is built around bass, keys, and clarinet while percussives and trumpet play around on the edges. (28/30)

Total Time 46:21

A/five stars; a masterpiece of progressive rock music coming from the jazz-rock fusion subgenre. My favorite of Herbie's three "Mwandishi" albums--earning a Top 20 ranking among my Favorites.

HERBIE HANCOCK Thrust

Album · 1974 · Funk Jazz
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FunkFreak75
After the final sessions with his Mwandishi collaborators, Herbie was all-in for the Funk and all-in for exploring the latest sounds that technology could provide. Thrust is the result of his deep dive--on of the first jazz artists and jazz albums to take music into the Second, more melodic and pop-oriented, Wave of Jazz-Rock Fusion.

Line-up / Musicians: - Herbie Hancock / ARP Odyssey, 2600, String & Soloist synths, Fender Rhodes, Hohner D6 Clavinet, co-producer With: - Bennie Maupin / soprano & tenor saxophones, saxello, bass clarinet, alto flute - Paul Jackson / electric bass - Mike Clark / drums - Bill Summers / percussion

1. "Palm Grease" (10:37) using simpler structures, simpler melodic hooks, simpler more pop-oriented rhythm patterns, Herbie turns his music into a product that is more oriented toward the entertainment of the masses instead of something trying to impress the traditionalists. The musicians he has chosen to surround himself on this one are, of course, incredibly solid but also carry that single-minded vision of serving the masses and thus help in producing eminently listenable, enjoyable, and danceable songs. Great drumming from Mike Clark and great bass play from Paul Jackson while Bennie Maupin and Herbie test all the funk sound boundaries with their futuristic sounds. (17.75/20)

2. "Actual Proof" (9:40) with the smooth synth strings and floating flute, this one crosses both the Stevie Wonder-like funk and Bob James-like Smooth Jazz worlds despite the wonderfully funky bass and clavinet play. From a keyboard-perspective, this song lets me know that Herbie had heard Eumir DEODATO's hit-generating music from Prelude. From a bass and drums perspective I can hear that Paul Jackson and Mike Clark had been hearing the stuff that Buster Williams and Stanley Clarke as well as Billy Cobham and Lenny White were doing since the Bitches Brew sessions; just stupendous play from both of them! One of the coolest funk-laden Smooth Jazz songs you will ever hear! (19.75/20)

3. "Butterfly" (11:17) awesome late night cabana smooth jazz with Bennie Maupin's bass clarinet and saxello carrying a lot of the melody load--but from the back! Herbie sits back with his synth strings supporting the scene for the first two minutes before revealing his clavinet and Fender Rhodes while Bennie solos. The drums, percussion and bass are simple--like a good R&B rhythm section in relax and groove mode throughout Bennie's two-plus minute solo. Herbie takes the next extended solo--for the next five mintues!--on his Fender. Lovely. What a great earworm of a bass riff! At 7:00 Herbie moves to his clavinet for a bit and, with it, the band into a great funkified variation of the main theme before he returns to a more vibrant solo form on his Fender. (19/20)

4. "Spank-A-Lee" (7:12) an exercise in pure funk à la the recent STEVIE WONDER work (think "Boogie on Reggae Woman"). The four rhythmatists are wonderful--and obviously having a great time grooving with one another, but from the one-minute mark on it's really the Bennie Maupin show and I'm not really a sax man. While not as catchy or melodic as the previous songs, it is still demonstrative of some mighty high talent. (13.375/15)

Total Time 38:46

I think that humble, uber-talented bandleader Herbie Hancock here demonstrates that he is finally convinced that his keyboard playing can be front and center--as the main attraction--and that all of the funk tendencies taking over the radio waves and technological advances going on in keyboard instrumentation needed tending to--and advantage taken of. While I loved his 1960s work and his Mwandishi period, I am LOVING this stuff WAY more!

A/five stars; a certifiable masterpiece of Second Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion, my favorite Herbie album of all-time, and one of my favorite albums in the J-R Fuse lexicon.

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