Jazz Archives

It's impossible to hear Jaco Pastorious' debut album today as it sounded when it was first released in 1976. The opening track -- his transcription for fretless electric bass of the bebop standard "Donna Lee" -- was a manifesto of virtuosity; the next track, the funk-soul celebration "Come On, Come Over" was a poke in the eye to jazz snobs and a love letter to the R&B greats of the previous decade (two of whom, Sam & Dave, sing on that track); "Continuum" was a spacey, chorus-drenched look forward to the years he was about to spend playing with Weather Report. The program continues like that for three-quarters of an hour, each track heading off in a different direction -- each one a masterpiece that would have been a proud achievement for any musician. What made Jaco so exceptional was that he was responsible for all of them, and this was his debut album. Beyond his phenomenal bass technique and his surprisingly mature compositional chops (he was 24 when this album was released), there was the breathtaking audacity of his arrangements: "Okonkole Y Trompa" is scored for electric bass, French horn, and percussion, and "Speak Like a Child," which Pastorious composed in collaboration with pianist Herbie Hancock, features a string arrangement by Pastorious that merits serious attention in its own right. For a man with this sort of kaleidoscopic creativity to remain sane was perhaps too much to ask; his gradual descent into madness and eventual tragic death are now a familiar story, one which makes the bright promise of this glorious debut album all the more bittersweet. (This remastered reissue adds two tracks to the original program: alternate takes of "(Used to Be a) Cha Cha" and "6/4 Jam").

:::Review by Rick Anderson:::

Jaco Pastorius - s/t (1976)
1. Donna Lee 2:28
Electric Bass – Jaco Pastorius
Congas – Don Alias
Written-By – C. Parker

2. Come On, Come Over 3:52
Electric Bass – Jaco Pastorius
Trombone [Bass] – Peter Graves
Saxophone [Baritone] – Howard Johnson
Clavinet, Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes] – Herbie Hancock
Saxophone [Tenor] – Michael Brecker
Written-By – B. Herzog, J. Pastorius
Vocals – Dave Pratter, Sam Moore
Drums – Narada Michael Walden
Featuring – Sam & Dave
Trumpet – Randy Brecker, Ron Tooley
Congas – Don Alias
Saxophone [Alto] – David Sanborn

3. Continuum 4:33
Written-By – J. Pastorius
Electric Bass – Jaco Pastorius
Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes] – Alex Darqui, Herbie Hancock
Drums – Lenny White
Bells – Don Alias

4. Kuru/Speak Like A Child 7:42
Electric Bass – Jaco Pastorius
Cello – Beverly Lauridsen, Charles McCracken, Kermit Moore
Viola – Manny Vardi, Julian Barber, Stewart Clarke
Arranged By [String Arrangement] – Jaco Pastorius
Violin – David Nadien, Harold Kohon, Harry Cykman, Harry Lookofsky, Joe Malin, Paul Gershman
Drums – Bobby Economou
Bongos, Congas – Don Alias
Concertmaster – David Nadien
Piano – Herbie Hancock
Written-By – H. Hancock, J. Pastorius
Conductor [Strings] – Michael Gibbs

5. Portrait Of Tracy 2:22
Electric Bass – Jaco Pastorius
Written-By – J. Pastorius

6. Opus Pocus 5:29
Saxophone [Soprano] – Wayne Shorter
Electric Bass – Jaco Pastorius
Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes] – Herbie Hancock
Steel Drums – Leroy Williams, Othello Molineaux
Written-By – J. Pastorius
Percussion – Don Alias
Drums – Lenny White

7. Okonkole Y Trompa 4:25
French Horn – Peter Gordon
Electric Bass – Jaco Pastorius
Bata [Okonkolo Iya], Congas, Cabasa [Afuche] – Don Alias
Written-By – D. Alias, J. Pastorius

8. (Used To Be A) Cha-Cha 8:57
Electric Bass – Jaco Pastorius
Written-By – J. Pastorius
Flute [Piccolo] – Hubert Laws
Drums – Lenny White
Piano – Herbie Hancock
Congas – Don Alias

9. Forgotten Love 2:14
Electric Bass – Jaco Pastorius
Viola – Al Brown, Manny Vardi, Julian Barber, Stewart Clarke
Arranged By [String Arrangement] – Jaco Pastorius
Written-By – J. Pastorius
Double Bass – Homer Mensch, Richard Davis
Cello – Alan Shulman, Beverly Lauridsen, Charles McCracken, Kermit Moore
Violin – Arnold Black, David Nadien, Harold Kohon, Harry Cykman, Harry Lookofsky, Joe Malin, Matthew Raimondi, Max Pollikoff, Paul Gershman
Concertmaster – David Nadien
Piano – Herbie Hancock
Conductor [Strings] – Michael Gibbs

Bonus Tracks (Previously Unreleased)

10. (Used To Be A) Cha-Cha 8:49
Electric Bass – Jaco Pastorius
Written-By – J. Pastorius
Flute [Piccolo] – Hubert Laws
Drums – Lenny White
Piano – Herbie Hancock
Congas – Don Alias

11. 6/4 Jam 7:45
Written-By – J. Pastorius
Electric Bass – Jaco Pastorius
Congas – Don Alias
Drums – Lenny White
Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes] – Herbie Hancock

Get Up With It was Miles' last studio album before he took a long break, and shows him at the absolute apex of his mid-70s creativity. All the elements he had been experimenting with are here, crazy psychedelic guitars, Stockhausen influenced attempts to stretch time and space, futuristic polyrhythmic African grooves and bizarre, almost satirical de-constructionist takes on common blues, funk and rock licks all combine to make an album that was way ahead of it's time in the mid-70s, and still sounds modern to this day.
Songs like Rated X and Mtume stand out with their polyrhythmic wall of wah-wah guitars, percussion, bass and distorted organ recreating a futuristic psychedelic yet somewhat traditional African music. On Honky Tonk the band stretches common funk riffs into pointillist abstraction by slowing down the time and leaving a lot of space between their interactions. Maiysha opens with a loungey latin groove that becomes strangely unsettling and menacing before the song eventually breaks into a harsh blues riff played at a numbingly slow tempo while psychedelic guitar wizard Pete Cosey's solo sounds like it was recorded on a tape that was underwater and slipping badly, this is absolute de-constructed blues from beyond hell.
Another stand-out track is Calypso Frelimo, this song takes up side three as it winds itself through different sections before it ends with a chaotic, almost punkish, double-time African jam that has gutarists Cosey and Reggie Lucas trading harsh distorted psych-funk licks with weird repeated spaghetti western type melodies. This totally bizarre song always has something new to hear in it's thick collage of almost incongruos sounds.
Probably the best song on the album, and the most prophetic and forward looking, is He Loved Him Madly, a lengthy improvisation which takes up all of side one. On this cut Miles presents two guitars, flute, bass, drums and percussion playing a patient and slow unfolding of musical events that is part Stockhausen and part raga before the percussion kicks in. Anywhere from ten to twenty years ahead of it's time, this song would pre-date much of the ambient, new-age and trip-hop music that would follow in it's wake. Brian Eno has often praised this song for what an effect it had on his own musical direction.
It is really hard to describe this album and do it justice, words like rock and funk etc could apply to millions of albums, but there is no album like this one, fueled with a malicious sense of mischief, a dark sarcastic sense of humor and tempered with a deep love for music, and a love for those that feel as strongly about music as he does, Miles produced an absolute masterpiece, an album that never could, nor never will be repeated.

1. He Loved Him Madly (32:20)

2. Maiysha (14:56)

3. Honky Tonk (5:57)

4. Rated X (6:53)

5. Calypso Frelimo (32:10)

6. Red China Blues (4:10)

7. Mtume (15:12)

8. Billy Preston (12:35)

- Miles Davis / trumpet

- Steve Grossman / soprano saxophone

- John McLaughlin / electric guitar

- Keith Jarrett / electric piano

- Herbie Hancock / clavinet

- Michael Henderson / bass guitar

- Billy Cobham / drums

- Airto Moreira / percussion

- Miles Davis / organ

- Cedric Lawson / electric piano

- Reggie Lucas / electric guitar

- Khalil Balakrishna / electric sitar

- Michael Henderson / bass guitar

- Al Foster / drums

- James Mtume Foreman / percussion

- Badal Roy / tabla

- Sonny Fortune / flute

- Carlos Garnett / soprano saxophone

- Miles Davis / trumpet, electric piano, organ

- Dave Liebman / flute

- John Stubblefield / soprano saxophone

- Pete Cosey / electric guitar

- Reggie Lucas / electric guitar

- Michael Henderson / bass guitar

- Al Foster / drums

- James Mtume Foreman / percussion

- Miles Davis / trumpet, organ

- Dave Liebman / soprano saxophone, flute

- Sonny Fortune / flute

- Pete Cosey / electric guitar

- Dominique Gaumont / electric guitar

- Michael Henderson / bass guitar

- Al Foster / drums

- James Mtume Foreman / percussion

Perhaps the single album that best sums up Bobby Hutcherson's early musical personality, Components is appropriately split into two very distinct halves. The first features four Hutcherson originals in a melodic but still advanced hard bop style, while the latter half has four free-leaning avant-garde pieces by drummer Joe Chambers. Hutcherson allots himself more solo space than on Dialogue, but that's no knock on the excellent supporting cast, which includes Herbie Hancock on piano, James Spaulding on alto sax and flute, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, and Ron Carter on bass. It's just more Hutcherson's date, and he helps unite the disparate halves with a cool-toned control that's apparent regardless of whether the material is way outside or more conventionally swinging. In the latter case, Hutcherson's originals are fairly diverse, encompassing rhythmically complex hard bop (the title track), pensive balladry ("Tranquillity," which features a lovely solo by Hancock), down-and-dirty swing ("West 22nd Street Theme"), and the gaily innocent "Little B's Poem," which went on to become one of Hutcherson's signature tunes and contains some lyrical flute work from Spaulding. The Chambers pieces tend to be deliberate explorations that emphasize texture and group interaction in the manner of Dialogue, except that there's even more freedom in terms of both structure and tonal center. (The exception is the brief but beautiful closing number, "Pastoral," an accurate title if ever there was one.) Components illustrated that Hutcherson was not only the most adventurous vibes player on the scene, but that he was also capable of playing more straightforward music with intelligence and feeling.

:::Review by Steve Huey:::

Bobby Hutcherson - Components (1965)

1. Components 6:23
2. Tranquillity 5:01
3. Little B's Poem 5:08
4. West 22nd Street Theme 4:42
5. Movement 7:29
6. Juba Dance 5:21
7. Air 4:45
8. Pastoral 2:02

Credits
Bass - Ron Carter
Composed By - Bobby Hutcherson (tracks: 1 to 4) , Joe Chambers (tracks: 5 to 8)
Drums - Joe Chambers
Piano - Herbie Hancock
Saxophone [Alto], Flute - James Spaulding
Trumpet - Freddie Hubbard
Vibraphone [Vibes], Marimba - Bobby Hutcherson

Also released by the Freedom label, this was trumpeter Charles Tolliver's full-length album as a leader. One of the top brassmen to emerge during the era (although he never quite lived up to his potential), Tolliver had the fat tone of a Freddie Hubbard, the adventurous spirit of Woody Shaw and a somewhat original conception of his own that bridged the gap between hard bop and the avant-garde. He performs six of his originals with pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter, drummer Joe Chambers and (on three of the selections) altoist Gary Bartz. This explorative and stirring music is well worth investigating.

:::Review by Scott Yanow:::

Charles Tolliver - Paper Man (1968)

A1. Earl's World 4:23
A2. Peace With Myself 9:37
A3. Right Now 5:47
B1. Household Of Saud 6:06
B2. Lil's Paradise 7:05
B3. Paper Man 6:11

Credits
Bass - Ron Carter
Composed By, Trumpet, Producer - Charles Tolliver
Drums - Joe Chambers
Piano - Herbie Hancock
Saxophone [Alto] - Gary Bartz (tracks: B1 to B3)

Recorded in 1973 as a foray away from the Modern Jazz Quartet, Milt Jackson's second entry on the CTI label is also one of its highlights. This is one of Creed Taylor's finest productions both in terms of material and sidemen. Drummer Steve Gadd, flutist Hubert Laws, bassist Ron Carter, and pianist Cedar Walton accompany Jackson on the majority of the album. Indeed, Jackson's ability to swing funky is evidenced to delightful extremes on "Old Devil Moon," with a rolling cymbal shakeout from Gadd, whose rim shots and tempo-pushing musculature are a sharp contrast to those of the MJQ's Connie Kay. Likewise, Laws, whose playing is usually over the top, stays inside melodic nuances here and provides Jackson with an essential harmonic foil. And Ron Carter is playing throughout with a popping edge he never had before or since. On Jackson's own SKJ, recorded in December of 1972, Don Sebesky conducted a jazz orchestra for Taylor that included Herbie Hancock, Freddie Hubbard, Billy Cobham, Carter, a string section, a reed and woodwind and brass section, and a harp. Sounds sticky, eh? Hardly, Jackson is pure Bags here, playing it blue-black and rolling out around the ends of the turnarounds into deep, funky, post-bop terrain.
The orchestra is mixed way down and is added for texture so the sextet is what one hears most -- along with a burning Freddie Hubbard solo. The other number of real note here is a ripping rendition of Horace Silver's "Opus de Funk," which sprawls the slim harmonic edge, rolls it out on a carpet, and turns it inside on itself, before rolling through the blues to move the intervals into a sequence Silver might not have considered when he wrote it, but which Jackson reveals was in there all the time.

:::Review by Thom Jurek:::

Milt Jackson - Goodbye (1973)

1. Detour Ahead
2. Goodbye
3. Old Devil Moon
4. SKJ
5. Opus De Funk

Credits
Drums - Billy Cobham, Steve Gadd
Flute - Hubert Laws
Piano - Cedar Walton, Herbie Hancock
Vibraphone - Milt Jackson

My rating of four stars is based on the assumption that the listener considers the confluence of jazz-rock fusion, disco and almost Zeuhl-like Magma-ish material, from a pioneer Miles Davis Alumni, of interest to a progarchives denizen. Admittedly, it's hard for me to imagine how this album might come across to a modern listener who didn't live through the disco age, the Miles late 70's electric period, and the Prog heyday of the mid-late 70's. The closest modern reference I can think of (minus the disco era vocals) is Squarepusher's "Music is Rotted One Note". I was notorious for toting the vinyl of this album with me circa 1977, and subjecting my friends to it. I found it's mix of booty shaking grooves, funky Weather Report and Miles-like textures, and spaced out background vocals to be a stand out of the era, and still enjoy listening to it today. If your taste in prog encompasses the jazz-rock and funk experiments of the mid 70's, Magma, or even the Japanese Zeuhl expressions of Koenjihyakkei and Bondage Fruit, I'd recommend giving this album a listen. Miroslav Vitous may not be a prog icon, but he certainly is a major figure in jazz and fusion history, and this particular entry should interest those with a broader interest and definition of what constitutes *prog*.

:::Review by G. Hogweed:::

Miroslav Vitous - Magical Shepherd (1976)

1. Basic Laws 11:46
2. New York City 9:32
3. Synthesizers Dance 5:09
4. Magical Shepherd 6:09
5. From Far Away 2:30
6. Aim Your Eye 6:57

Credits
Bass - Miroslav Vitous
Drums - Jack DeJohnette , James Gadson
Guitar - Miroslav Vitous
Keyboards - Herbie Hancock
Percussion - Airto Moreira
Vocals - Cheryl Grainger

Before changing label, Hancock had to record one more album with Mwandishi, and it came in early 73, when he did the soundtrack music of the very confidential film The Spook Who Sat By The Door, for which both Hancock and Rubinson (his producer) added funds to finish it. Someday maybe, this soundtrack will get an official release. The third and last album of the Mwandishi trilogy is the first album Hancock recorded for his new label Columbia (home of all the electric jazz rock stars) in the spring 73 and the least we can say is that the closing tier of the said-trilogy is definitely no easier on the ears than its precessors. Going through Hancock's discography in the racks of the record store, the proghead's attention can only be drawn and stop his eyes on this album's stupendous artwork, courtesy of Stringett (already responsible for Crossings), and the proghead will immediately know that this is Herbie's most progressive album (along with Crossings). Indeed Herbie was still following Miles' Bitches Brew's footsteps and that album's awesome artwork proves it. So the potential Hancock investigators will normally head towards Sextant and Crossings, the Mwandishi albums closest to Miles' Bitches.
With an unchanged line-up, the sextet attacks Sextant as if they were in the middle of a song from the previous album Crossings. And the least we can say is that Rain Dance is probably one of Hancock's most hermetic tracks he ever wrote. Completely experimental with electronic sounds that could've escaped from Isao Tomita's soundscape albums, the song is close to nightmarish and presents some Krautrock reminiscence ala Can or early TD. Somehow, this track is also reminiscent of Genesis' Waiting Room on the Lamb album. Indeed these gloomy sounds from outer space come from their seventh member Patrick Gleason and he's never been so present than on Rain Dance. He's also fairly present in the following Hidden Shadows, busy with a mellotron (among others), while Maupin pulls out some superb sounds from his wide array of horns. Outstanding stuff, making you forget the previous track's obtuse stand on in/excluding the listener.
The flipside is again taken by a sidelong track, the almost 20-mins Hornets, one of his funkiest so far (wait 'till HH, to see/hear funk), but the tracks has moments that evoke indeed a flight of hornets. Musically it's halfway between Rain Dance and Shadows, but it's overstaying its welcome by at least 5 minutes.
Hancock himself has turned towards the synths and with Gleeson, they started using loops
Again faced with public incomprehension, Sextant failed to sell anymore than the other two Mwandishi albums on WB. But this time it was clear that HH's troupes were now struggling to find further grounds to explore and were starting to repeat themselves. With albums selling too few, an irregular public presence and questionable gigs (even finding The Pointer Sister as openers), stolen tapes in front of the Vanguard Village and the usual road fatigue, the group So Herbie folded Mwandishi and his next project would be bringing him exactly what lacked this one: commercial success. In the meantime, Sextant is probably the least "accessible" Mwandishi album, but it's no less worthy and maybe my preferred one.

:::Review by Sean Trane:::

Herbie Hancock – Sextant (1972)

1. Rain Dance (9:18)
2. Hidden Shadows (10:12)
3. Hornets (19:31)

Credits
- Herbie Hancock - piano, Fender Rhodes, Hohner D-6 clavinet, mellotron
- Bennie Maupin - soprano sax, bass clarinet, piccolo, afuche, hum-a-zoo
- Dr. Eddie Henderson - trumpet, flugelhorn
- Julian Priester - bass trombone, tenor trombone, alto trombone, cowbell
- Buster Williams - electric bass, acoustic bass
- Billy Hart - drums
- Dr. Patrick Gleeson - ARP 2600 and soloist
- Buck Clarke - percussion

Drummer Tony Williams' first recording as a leader (made when he was 18 and still billed as Anthony Williams) gave him an opportunity to utilize an advanced group of musicians: tenor saxophonist Sam Rivers, vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, pianist Herbie Hancock, and both Richard Davis and Gary Peacock on bass. Williams wrote all four of the pieces and has a different combination of players on each song. The freely improvised "Memory" features Hutcherson, Hancock, and Williams in some colorful and at times spacy interplay; "Barb's Song to the Wizard" is a Hancock-Ron Carter duet; "Tomorrow Afternoon" has Rivers, Peacock and Williams in a trio; and all of the musicians (except Hutcherson) are on the sidelong "2 Pieces of One." The unpredictable music holds one's interest; a very strong debut for the masterful drummer.

:::Review by Scott Yanow:::

Tony Williams - Life Time (1964)

1. Two Pieces Of One: Red 8:03
2. Two Pieces Of One: Green 10:36
3. Tomorrow Afternoon 5:31
4. Memory 8:02
5. Barb's Song To The Wizard 5:56

Credits
Artwork By [Cover Design] - Reid Miles
Artwork By [Creaive Director For Rvg Series] - Gordon H Jee
Artwork By [Design For Rvg Series] - Eric Bernhardi , Michael Boland
Bass - Gary Peacock (tracks: 1 to 3) , Richard Davis (2) (tracks: 1, 2) , Ron Carter (tracks: 5)
Drums - Tony Williams (tracks: 1 to 3)
Drums [Drum Set], Percussion [Wood Block], Timpani, Maracas, Triangle - Tony Williams (tracks: 4)
Other [Original Liner Notes] - Lawrence Rutter
Other [Reissue Liner Notes] - Bob Blumenthal
Photography [Cover Photograph, Liner Photographs From The Actual Session] - Francis Wolff
Piano - Herbie Hancock (tracks: 4, 5)
Producer - Alfred Lion
Recorded By, Mastered By [Remastered By] - Rudy Van Gelder
Reissue Producer - Michael Cuscuna
Saxophone [Tenor] - Sam Rivers (tracks: 1 to 3)
Vibraphone, Marimba - Bobby Hutcherson (tracks: 4)
Written-By - Tony Williams

Though some will argue about whether Wayne Shorter's primary impact on jazz has been as a composer or as a saxophonist, hardly anyone will dispute his overall importance as one of jazz's leading figures over a long span of time. Though indebted to a great extent to John Coltrane, with whom he practiced in the mid-'50s while still an undergraduate, Shorter eventually developed his own more succinct manner on tenor sax, retaining the tough tone quality and intensity and, in later years, adding an element of funk. On soprano, Shorter is almost another player entirely, his lovely tone shining like a light beam, his sensibilities attuned more to lyrical thoughts, his choice of notes becoming more spare as his career unfolded. Shorter's influence as a player, stemming mainly from his achievements in the 1960s and '70s, has been tremendous upon the neo-bop brigade who emerged in the early '80s, most notably Branford Marsalis. As a composer, he is best known for carefully conceived, complex, long-limbed, endlessly winding tunes, many of which have become jazz standards yet have spawned few imitators.

:::www.allmusic.com:::

:::Review Scott Yanow@allmusic.com:::

Wayne Shorter - The All Seeing Eye (1965)

1.The All Seeing Eye (10:30)

2. Genesis (11:42)

3. Chaos (6:54)

4. Face Of The Deep (5:27)

5. Mephistopheles (9:39)

Credits

Bass - Ron Carter

Drums - Joe Chambers

Flugelhorn - Freddie Hubbard

Piano - Herbie Hancock

Producer - Rudy Van Gelder

Saxophone [Alto] - James Spaulding

Saxophone [Tenor] - Wayne Shorter

Trombone - Grachan Moncur III

Trumpet - Freddie Hubbard

Grachan Moncur III was one of the top trombonists of the jazz avant-garde in the 1960s although he had only a few chances to lead his own record sessions. This 1964 set (which has been reissued on CD) was one of his finest, a quintet outing with bassist Cecil McBee, two of the members of the Miles Davis Quintet (pianist Herbie Hancock and drummer Tony Williams), and tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter just a brief time before he joined Miles. The group performs four of Moncur's challenging originals, including "Nomadic" (which is largely a drum solo) and "The Twins," which is built off of one chord. None of the compositions caught on but the strong and very individual improvising of the young musicians is enough of a reason to acquire the advanced music.

:::Review by Scott Yanow:::

Grachan Moncur III - Some Other Stuff (1964)

1.Gnostic (11:42)
2. Thandiwa (8:17)
3. The Twins (12:53)
4. Nomadic (7:41)

Credits
Bass - Cecil McBee
Drums - Anthony Williams
Engineer - Rudy Van Gelder
Piano - Herbie Hancock
Producer - Alfred Lion
Saxophone [Tenor] - Wayne Shorter
Trombone - Grachan Moncur III

The Herbie Hancock Septet was technically out of business around this time, superseded by the Headhunters, yet the group shouldered on briefly in the studio for a second album under the leadership of its trumpeter, Eddie Henderson. With Bennie Maupin back on a variety of reeds, Hancock on electric keyboards, Patrick Gleeson on synthesizers, Buster Williams on bass, and Billy Hart on drums, Henderson again had rounded up everyone in the group except Julian Priester, adding second drummer Eric Gravatt (from Weather Report) and Bill Summers (from the Headhunters) on congas. One can feel the funky influence of the Headhunters entering the building, particularly in the basslines and Hancock's wah-wah keyboard work, but this is still very much the music of the Septet -open-ended and almost free, heavily electronic, spiritual in intent, and enormously stimulating. Although Henderson and Maupin control the repertoire, the trumpeter continues to interact virtually as an equal among equals, sounding more haunting and free-floating now. Drier in texture and less frantically driven than Realization (its Capricorn label predecessor), Inside Out nevertheless is the de facto swan song of one of the great bands of jazz-rock.

:::Review by Richard S. Ginell:::

Eddie Henderson - Inside Out (1973)

1. Moussaka 8:59
2. Omnipresence 2:14
3. Discoveries 5:08
4. Fusion 3:33
5. Dreams 7:21
6. Inside Out 9:25
7. Exit #1 2:54

Credits
Bass, Bass [Fender] - Buster Williams
Clarinet, Clarinet [Bass], Flute, Flute [Alto], Piccolo Flute, Saxophone [Tenor] - Bennie Maupin
Congas - Bill Summers
Drums - Billy Hart , Eric Gravatt
Piano [Electric], Clavinet, Organ - Herbie Hancock
Producer - Skip Drinkwater
Synthesizer - Patrick Gleeson
Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Cornet - Eddie Henderson

After years on the road with the Modern Jazz Quartet and a series of sterling solo and all-star jazz performances, vibist Milt Jackson decided it was time to see some green. Watching kids half his age, possessing half his talent, earn millions playing rock, he insisted he could earn more without the restraints of the MJQ. He sought out Creed Taylor in 1972 and Sunflower became his first (and best) of three CTI albums. The album is significant in many ways, not the least of which is Pete Turner's lovely ostriches-in-the-morning cover photo and a peerless version of Freddie Hubbard's classic ode, "Little Sunflower."

Jackson is joined here by an outstanding aggregate of younger all-star musicians including Hubbard on trumpet and flugelhorn, Herbie Hancock, swapping chores on piano and Fender Rhodes, Ron Carter (of course) on bass and Billy Cobham on drums. Don Sebesky provides the subtle, and quite complimentary, string and horn arrangements. Acoustic guitarist Jay Berliner is also heard to enchanting effect on Jackson's "For Someone I Love." In addition to the alluring beauty of Hubbard's title track, Sunflower also includes one of the best instrumental versions of the popular "People Make The World Go Round." Hubbard carries the tune (as he did on the 1972 Hollywood Bowl record issued by CTI in 1977). Jackson scores one clever lick after another off the changes. Hancock comps seductively on Rhodes but gives one of his baddest-ever all-piano funk solos (his piano solo on "Sunflower" is a jazz beauty to behold too). Carter, as you'd expect, churns the groove like it boils in his blood. This quintet sounds so good together that it's a shame "SKJ" (which stuck out originally on the vibist's 1973 CTI follow-up, Goodbye ) is the only bonus track available. I don't know if Milt Jackson made any money from Sunflower. But despite all the great music he's made over the years, Sunflower is certainly one of his most memorable.

:::Review by Douglas Payne:::

Milt Jackson – Sunflower (1972)

1. For Someone I Love 10:20
2. What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life? 7:06
3. People Make the World Go Round 8:28
4. Sunflower 10:01
5. SKJ 6:47

Credits
Alto Flute, English Horn, Oboe - Romeo Penque
Bass - Ron Carter
Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Alto Flute, English Horn - George Marge
Drums - Billy Cobham
Flute, Alto Flute, Piccolo, English Horn - Phil Bodner
Guitar - Jay Berliner
Harp - Margaret Ross
Percussion - Ralph MacDonald
Piano - Herbie Hancock
Trumpet, Flugelhorn - Freddie Hubbard
Vibes - Milt Jackson

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.

:::Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine:::

Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage (1969)

1. Maiden Voyage (7:58)
2. The Eye Of The Hurricane (6:02)
3. Little One (8:50)
4. Survival Of The Fittest (10:08)
5. Dolphin Dance (9:18)

Credits
Bass - Ron Carter
Drums - Tony Williams*
Piano - Herbie Hancock
Producer - Alfred Lion
Recorded By - Rudy Van Gelder
Saxophone [Tenor] - George Coleman
Trumpet - Freddie Hubbard

The follow-up to the breakthrough Headhunters album was virtually as good as its wildly successful predecessor: an earthy, funky, yet often harmonically and rhythmically sophisticated tour de force. There is only one change in the Headhunters lineup — swapping drummer Harvey Mason for Mike Clark — and the switch results in grooves that are even more complex. Hancock continues to reach into the rapidly changing high-tech world for new sounds, most notably the metallic sheen of the then-new ARP string synthesizer which was already becoming a staple item on pop and jazz-rock records. Again, there are only four long tracks, three of which ("Palm Grease," "Actual Proof," "Spank-A-Lee") concentrate on the funk, with plenty of Hancock's wah-wah clavinet, synthesizer textures and effects, and electric piano ruminations that still venture beyond the outer limits of post-bop. The change-of-pace is one of Hancock's loveliest electric pieces, "Butterfly," a match for any tune he's written before or since, with shimmering synth textures and Bennie Maupin soaring on soprano (Hancock would re-record it 20 years later on Dis Is Da Drum, but this is the one to hear). This supertight jazz-funk quintet album still sounds invigorating a quarter of a century later.

:::Review by Richard S. Ginell:::

Herbie Hancock – Thrust (1974)

1. Palm Grease (10:34)
2. Actual Proof (9:41)
3. Butterfly (11:18)
4. Spank-A-Lee (7:11)

Credits
Artwork By [Cover] - Rob Springett
Bass [Electric Bass] - Paul Jackson
Drums - Mike Clark
Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes], Clavinet [Hohner D-6], Synthesizer [Arp Odyssey, Arp Soloist, Arp 2600, Arp String] - Herbie Hancock
Engineer [Recording Engineer] - Fred Catero
Percussion - Bill Summers
Producer - David Rubinson , Herbie Hancock
Saxophone [Soprano & Tenor Saxophone], Clarinet [Bass Clarinet], Flute [Alto Flute] - Bennie Maupin
Written By - Bennie Maupin (tracks: 3) , Herbie Hancock , Mike Clark (tracks: 4) , Paul Jackson (tracks: 4)

Recorded with a who's who of fusion titans including trumpeter Eddie Henderson, bassist Stanley Clarke, and keyboardist Herbie Hancock, Dance of Magic channels the lessons drummer Norman Connors learned in the employ of Pharoah Sanders, Sam Rivers, and Sun Ra, marshaling Latin rhythms, electronic textures, and cosmic mysticism to create nondenominational yet deeply spiritual funk-jazz. The sprawling 21-minute title cut spans the entirety of the record's first half, capturing a monumental jam session that explores the outer edges of free improvisation but never steps past the point of no return. Connors' furious drumming is like a trail of bread crumbs that leads his collaborators back home. The remaining three tracks are smaller in scale but no less epic in scope, culminating with the blistering "Give the Drummer Some."

:::Review by Jason Ankeny:::

Norman Connors - Dance Of Magic (1972)

A. Dance Of Magic (21:00)
B1. Morning Change (6:29)
B2. Blue (10:20)
B3. Give The Drummer Some (2:22)

Credits:
African Percussion, Baliphone - Anthony Wiles
African Percussion, Congas - Nat Bettis
African Percussion, Shakers - Babafemi (tracks: A)
Alto And Soprano Saxophones - Gary Bartz
Bass - Cecil McBee (tracks: A, B1) , Stanley Clarke
Drums - Norman Connors
Flute - Art Webb
Percussion - Airto Moreira (tracks: B1, B2, B3) , Alphonse Mouzon (tracks: A, B2) , Billy Hart (tracks: B1, B2, B3)
Piano, Fender Rhodes Electric Piano - Herbie Hancock
Producer - Dennis Wilen , Skip Drinkwater
Tenor And Soprano Saxophones - Carlos Garnett
Trumpet - Eddie Henderson
Vocals - U.B.F. Singers, The (tracks: A)

On Contours, his second Blue Note album, tenor saxophonist Sam Rivers fully embraced the avant-garde, but presented his music in a way that wouldn't be upsetting or confusing to hard bop loyalists. Rivers leads a quintet featuring trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Joe Chambers through a set of originals that walk a fine line between probing, contemplative post-bop and densely dissonant avant-jazz. Each musician is able to play the extremes equally well while remaining sensitive to the compositional subtleties. Rarely is Contours anything less than enthralling, and it remains one of the high watermarks of the mid-'60s avant-garde movement.

1. Point Of Many Returns (9:20)

2. Dance Of The Tripedal (10:07)

3. Euterpe (11:43)

4. Mellifluous Cacophony (8:58)

Bass - Ron Carter

Drums - Joe Chambers

Piano - Herbie Hancock

Saxophone [Tenor, Soprano], Flute, Written-by - Sam Rivers

Trumpet - Freddie Hubbard

Originally released as Blue Note BST 84206, recorded on May 21, 1965

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.

 

1. One Of A Kind

2. Third Plane

3, Jessica

4, Lawra

5. Introduction Of Players, Darts

6. Dolores

7. Little Waltz

8. Byrdlike

Ron Carter (Bass), Herbie Hancock (Synthesizer), Herbie Hancock (Piano), Herbie Hancock (Keyboards), Herbie Hancock (Vocals), Herbie Hancock (Main Performer), Bennie Maupin (Percussion), Bennie Maupin (Wind), Julian Priester (Trombone), Wayne Shorter (Saxophone), Wayne Shorter (Sax (Soprano)), Wayne Shorter (Sax (Tenor)), Tony Williams (Drums), Eddie Henderson (Percussion), Eddie Henderson (Trumpet), V.S.O.P. (Performer), Conrad Silvert (Liner Notes), Bryan Bell (Engineer), Bryan Bell (Audio Engineer), Fred Catero (Engineer), Jeffrey Cohen (Associate Producer), Freddie Hubbard (Trumpet), Freddie Hubbard (Flugelhorn), Paul Jackson (Bass), James Levi, Chris Minto (Assistant Engineer), Shawn Murphy (Remote Recording Crew), David Rubinson (Producer), Ray Thompson (Remote Recording Crew), Wah Wah Watson (Guitar), Buster Williams (Bass), Buster Williams (Percussion), Herbie Green (Design), Paul Sandweiss (Remote Recording Crew), Bruce Talamon (Photography), Dennis Mays (Remote Recording Crew), Russ Anderson (Design), Les D. Cooper (Remote Recording Crew)

Recorded live at: The Greek Theatre University of California, Berkeley, July 16, 1977 and The San Diego Civic Theatre, July 18, 1977.

This unusual set (reissued on CD by Blue Note) was one of the most successful uses of a gospel choir in a jazz context. Trumpeter Donald Byrd and a septet that also includes tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley, guitarist Kenny Burrell, and pianist Herbie Hancock are joined by an eight-voice choir directed by Coleridge Perkinson. The arrangements by Duke Pearson are masterful and one song, "Cristo Redentor," became a bit of a hit. This is a memorable effort that is innovative in its own way, a milestone in Donald Byrd's career.

 

1. Elijah 9:21

2. Beast Of Burden 10:07

3. Cristo Redentor 5:43

4. The Black Disciple 8:12

5. Chant 7:31

Arranged By - Duke Pearson

Bass - Butch Warren

Drums - Lex Humphries

Guitar - Kenny Burrell

Other [Voices Directed By] - Coleridge Perkinson

Photography - Reid Miles

Piano - Herbie Hancock

Recorded By - Rudy Van Gelder

Saxophone [Tenor] - Hank Mobley

Trumpet - Donald Byrd

Vibraphone - Donald Best

Cat no. printed on the cover as BLP-4124/84124, on the spine as 81424, on the label as BST-84124 and in the run-out groove as BNST-84124-A-1/B-2. This is a United Artists pressing with no reissue date listed on the cover or label.

Listening to Miles Davis' originally released version of In a Silent Way in light of the complete sessions released by Sony in 2001 (Columbia Legacy 65362) reveals just how strategic and dramatic a studio construction it was. If one listens to Joe Zawinul's original version of "In a Silent Way," it comes across as almost a folk song with a very pronounced melody. The version Miles Davis and Teo Macero assembled from the recording session in July of 1968 is anything but. There is no melody, not even a melodic frame. There are only vamps and solos, grooves layered on top of other grooves spiraling toward space but ending in silence. But even these don't begin until almost ten minutes into the piece. It's Miles and McLaughlin, sparely breathing and wending their way through a series of seemingly disconnected phrases until the groove monster kicks in. The solos are extended, digging deep into the heart of the ethereal groove, which was dark, smoky, and ashen. McLaughlin and Hancock are particularly brilliant, but Corea's solo on the Fender Rhodes is one of his most articulate and spiraling on the instrument ever. The A-side of the album, "Shhh/Peaceful," is even more so. With Tony Williams shimmering away on the cymbals in double time, Miles comes out slippery and slowly, playing over the top of the vamp, playing ostinato and moving off into more mysterious territory a moment at a time. With Zawinul's organ in the background offering the occasional swell of darkness and dimension, Miles could continue indefinitely. But McLaughlin is hovering, easing in, moving up against the organ and the trills by Hancock and Corea; Wayne Shorter hesitantly winds in and out of the mix on his soprano, filling space until it's his turn to solo. But John McLaughlin, playing solos and fills throughout (the piece is like one long dreamy solo for the guitarist), is what gives it its open quality, like a piece of music with no borders as he turns in and through the commingling keyboards as Holland paces everything along. When the first round of solos ends, Zawinul and McLaughlin and Williams usher it back in with painterly decoration and illumination from Corea and Hancock. Miles picks up on another riff created by Corea and slips in to bring back the ostinato "theme" of the work. He plays glissando right near the very end, which is the only place where the band swells and the tune moves above a whisper before Zawinul's organ fades it into silence. This disc holds up, and perhaps is even stronger because of the issue of the complete sessions. It is, along with Jack Johnson and Bitches Brew, a signature Miles Davis session from the electric era.

1. Shhh / Peaceful (18:30)

Written-By - Miles Davis

2. In A Silent Way / It's About That Time (20:00)

Written-By - Joe Zawinul , Miles Davis

Shhh / Peaceful', & 'It's About That Time' by Miles Davis.
'In A Silent Way' by Joe Zawinul.

Recorded between trumpeter Freddie Hubbard's better-known classics Red Clay and First Light, Straight Life is actually arguably Hubbard's greatest recording. Hubbard, joined by an all-star group that includes tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, keyboardist Herbie Hancock, guitarist George Benson, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Jack DeJohnette, is frequently astounding on "Straight Life" (check out that introduction) and "Mr. Clean," constructing classic solos. The very memorable set is rounded off by the trumpeter's duet with Benson on a lyrical version of the ballad "Here's That Rainy Day." This exciting CD is essential for all serious jazz collections.

 

Recorded at Van Gelder Studios, November 16, 1970