Classic Exploratory Herbie Hancock Material
DOWNBEAT magazine was my 1976 point of entry into the jazz world, helping me to figure out what records I needed to buy. When Herbie Hancock's SECRETS received a mere two-star DOWNBEAT review, I supposed, "That Hancock guy must not have a lot going for him!" To this day SECRETS may not make my favorite Hancock records list--I'm not a fan of everything he's done--but since 1976 I've largely reversed my earlier opinion. THE COMPLETE WARNER BROTHERS RECORDINGS material is a major reason why I now regard Herbie Hancock so highly.
This was a transitional period for Herbie--1969-1972--following his Blue Note years that produced some classic albums. The Columbia years would follow, starting with SEXTANT, a continuation of the direction presented in this set. Then came the best-selling HEAD HUNTERS. Yet, for many of his listeners--myself included--1969-1972 is a favorite Hancock period. Herbie made just three records for Warner Brothers: FAT ALBERT ROTUNDA, MWANDISHI, and CROSSINGS. The main FAT ALBERT band is a sextet consisting of Johnny Coles, trumpet; Joe Henderson, tenor sax; Garnett Brown, trombone; Herbie, keyboards; Buster Williams, bass; and Albert Heath, drums. A couple of tracks on that record use a different bassist and drummer and some additional horn players. Yet, it's the other two records here, MWANDISHI and CROSSINGS, that I value the most highly. Here the sextet includes Hancock and Williams as well as trumpeter Eddie Henderson, reed man Bennie Maupin, trombonist Julian Priester, and drummer Billy Hart. Each of the two original LP's included only three compositions, with a side-long composition on each record. The music is exploratory and impressionistic; solo space for the horn players is generous. CROSSINGS is the first Hancock record to include a synthesizer--though here it's played by Patrick Gleason, not Hancock. In case you wonder, MWANDISHI is a Swahili word for "composer," the name of one of the band's records as well as the name that Herbie adopted for himself.
Herbie jumps into the world of electric instruments at this point--most obviously in the use of the Fender Rhodes piano and other effects. Yet, if you expect this to be "fusion music" in today's common sense of the term, you'll not really grasp what it's all about. MWANDISHI's opening track--"Ostinato: Suite For Angela"--is written in 15/4 time--essentially eight-beat and seven-beat measures alternating. The influence of the free jazz of that era is present. In a 1976 DOWNBEAT article writer Charles MItchell calls this band "a stunning aggregation of young talent that many believe to be the best electric jazz group ever to play." That's quite a compliment, even though electric jazz was still pretty new in 1976. Yet, I can name no other band--with the possible exception of early Weather Report--that makes me question that opinion. CROSSINGS, the next record, takes the MWANDISHI band and adds Gleason's synthesizers, some multi-tracking, and other studio devices. SEXTANT--not a part of this reissue--brought the band's story to a close. Still to come were a couple of Eddie Henderson albums featuring most of the band members and then Herbie's publicized New York City 1976 VSOP reunion concert. Apart from these items, fans of this band don't have a great abundance of riches from which to choose.
In short, this is classic material that makes my short "desert island" list.Read full review
