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Maiden Voyage

Herbie hancock.

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Basic Jazz Record Library

Herbie hancock: 'maiden voyage'.

A. B. Spellman

Murray Horwitz

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MURRAY HORWITZ, American Film Institute: Hello, I'm Murray Horwitz asking you to close your eyes, because A.B. Spellman and I have to ask you to visualize something, right now. Jazz musicians sometimes like to paint tone pictures, and Herbie Hancock gives us a seascape in this week's entry into the NPR Basic Jazz Record Library with Maiden Voyage .

A.B. SPELLMAN, National Endowment for the Arts: And a deep and rolling sea it is, Murray. Herbie said that he wanted to evoke everything in the ocean: the flow of the current; the creatures, great, small and mythical, who live in the water; the response of voyagers, who experience it for the first time. And he's done that. But mostly, he and his collaborators have made some very satisfying music. Here's the saxophonist George Coleman at his most lyrical on the title cut.

SPELLMAN: And again from the title composition, here's Freddie Hubbard doing a John Coltrane imitation on the trumpet.

HORWITZ: Then, there's always this magnificent rhythm section, the same one that Miles Davis assembled, leading the soloists and making a context for everything that happens.

SPELLMAN: I love every minute of all the music that Hancock, the bassist Ron Carter, and the drummer Tony Williams have made together. All are strong stylists, and together they have this sensitive coherence.

HORWITZ: Not least, two of Herbie Hancock's compositions for this record date became jazz standards — "Dolphin Dance" and "Maiden Voyage." And that's not surprising, because he is one of the best composers for small ensemble in the history of jazz music.

SPELLMAN: No doubt about it, Murray.

HORWITZ: We're listening to, and we've been talking about Herbie Hancock's Maiden Voyage . It's on the Blue Note label, and it's in the NPR Basic Jazz Record Library. The Basic Jazz Record Library is funded by NPR member stations and by the Lila-Wallace Reader's Digest Fund.

SPELLMAN: For information about Maiden Voyage , and other selections, visit our Web site. For NPR Jazz, I'm A.B. Spellman.

HORWITZ: And, I'm Murray Horwitz.

• Tony Williams
• Herbie Hancock

Maiden Voyage (Herbie Hancock album)

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. Featuring Hancock with tenor saxophonist George Coleman , trumpeter Freddie Hubbard , bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams , it is a concept album aimed at creating an oceanic atmosphere. As such, many of the track titles refer to marine biology or the sea, and the musicians develop the concept through their use of space. [4] [5] The album was presented with the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999.

Track listing

Cover versions.

Coleman, Carter, Williams and Hancock himself were all recently a part of the Miles Davis quintet.

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 recorded by Miles Davis and his quintet (by then including Wayne Shorter instead of Coleman) for the album E.S.P. , also released in 1965.

Hancock cites Count Basie 's "Shiny Stockings" as the main source of inspiration for "Dolphin Dance". [6]

The Penguin Guide to Jazz designated the album as part of its Core Collection with a four star rating, calling it "a colossal achievement from a man still just 24 years old". [7] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic describes the album as "arguably his finest record of the '60s, reaching a perfect balance between accessible, lyrical jazz and chance-taking hard bop". [8]

"Maiden Voyage", "The Eye of the Hurricane" and "Dolphin Dance" have become jazz standards and are featured in Hal Leonard's New Real Book vol. 2 . While being interviewed for KCET in 2011, Hancock said he considered "Maiden Voyage" to be his favorite of all of the compositions he had written. [9] During an interview on KTLA in 2020, the composer told Frank Buckley that he originally wrote the tune for a television commercial. Hancock was the pianist on another version of "Maiden Voyage" for Bobby Hutcherson 's album Happenings which was recorded in February 1966. 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).

All tracks are written by Herbie Hancock

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

Artists who have covered "Maiden Voyage", the title track, include:

• Bobby Hutcherson , on his 1966 album Happenings
• Brian Auger and the Trinity , on the 1970 album Befour [10]
• Grant Green , on his 1970 live album Alive! ( CD reissue only )
• Blood, Sweat, and Tears , on their 1972 album New Blood
• Kellee Patterson, on her 1973 album Maiden Voyage
• Bobby Valentín , on his 1975 live album Va a la Cárcel
• Gary Boyle , on his 1978 album The Dancer [11]
• The rock band Phish performed the song in their early concerts. A live version was released on their album Colorado '88 .
• Toto , on their 2002 album Through the Looking Glass . This recording included elements of Hancock's 1974 song " Butterfly ".
• Robert Glasper , on his 2004 album Mood . [12] He recorded it again on his 2007 album In My Element .
• Austin Peralta , on his 2006 album Maiden Voyage [13]
• Joey Alexander , on his 2016 album Countdown [14]

Artists who have covered "Dolphin Dance" include:

• Ahmad Jamal , on his 1971 album The Awakening [15]
• Grover Washington Jr. , on his 1976 album A Secret Place
• Bill Evans , on the 1980 album I Will Say Goodbye
• Kazumi Watanabe , on his 1989 album Kilowatt

Other covers include:

• Christian McBride , Nicholas Payton , and Mark Whitfield recorded a version of "The Eye of the Hurricane" on their 1997 album Fingerpainting: The Music of Herbie Hancock .
• Madlib remixed "Dolphin Dance" and combined it with the song " Peace " by Horace Silver on his 2003 album Shades of Blue .
• In 2008, jazz pianist John Beasley released a tribute to Hancock called Letter to Herbie , which features a re-working of "Maiden Voyage" called "Bedtime Voyage". The album also features a recording of "Eye of the Hurricane".

• 1965 in music
• Herbie Hancock discography

Related Research Articles

Herbert Jeffrey Hancock is an American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the post-bop sound. In the 1970s, Hancock experimented with jazz fusion, funk, and electro styles, using a wide array of synthesizers and electronics. It was during this period that he released perhaps his best-known and most influential album, Head Hunters .

Anthony Tillmon Williams was an American jazz drummer. Williams first gained fame as a member of Miles Davis' "Second Great Quintet", and later pioneered jazz fusion with Davis' group and his own combo, the Tony Williams Lifetime. In 1970, music critic Robert Christgau described him as "probably the best drummer in the world". Williams was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1986.

Frederick Dewayne Hubbard was an American jazz trumpeter. He played bebop, hard bop, and post-bop styles from the early 1960s onwards. His unmistakable and influential tone contributed to new perspectives for modern jazz and bebop.

Filles de Kilimanjaro is a studio album by American jazz trumpeter Miles Davis. It was recorded in June and September 1968, and released on Columbia Records. It was released in the United Kingdom by the company's subsidiary Columbia (CBS) in 1968 and in the United States during February 1969. The album is a transitional work for Davis, who was shifting stylistically from acoustic recordings with his "second great quintet" to his electric period. Filles de Kilimanjaro was well received by contemporary music critics, who viewed it as a significant release in modern jazz. Pianist Chick Corea and bassist Dave Holland appear together on two tracks, their first participation on a Davis album.

E.S.P. is an album by Miles Davis, recorded on January 20–22, 1965 and released on August 16 of that year by Columbia Records. It is the first release from what is known as Davis's second great quintet: Davis on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor saxophone, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums. The album was named after a tune by Shorter, and was inspired by the fact that, "since Wayne Shorter's arrival, the five members of the quintet seemed to communicate by mental telepathy."

Miles in the Sky is a studio album by American trumpeter and composer Miles Davis, released on July 22, 1968, by Columbia Records. It was the last full album recorded by Davis' "Second Great Quintet" and marked the beginning of his foray into jazz fusion, with Herbie Hancock playing electric piano and Ron Carter playing electric bass guitar on opening track “Stuff”. Additionally, electric guitarist George Benson features on “Paraphernalia”.

George Edward Coleman is an American jazz saxophonist known for his work with Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock in the 1960s. In 2015, he was named an NEA Jazz Master.

Happenings is an album by the jazz vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, released in 1967 on the Blue Note label. The album contains six compositions by Hutcherson, and one by Herbie Hancock, "Maiden Voyage".

Empyrean Isles is the fourth studio album by American jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, recorded in 1964 for Blue Note Records. It features Hancock with his Miles Davis bandmates, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams, along with trumpeter Freddie Hubbard.

An Evening with Herbie Hancock & Chick Corea: In Concert is a live album recorded over the course of several live performances in February 1978 and released that same year as a double LP. The album features just Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea playing acoustic piano. The use of the acoustic instruments comes as a marked departure from both men's favoring of electric keyboards at that time. Herbie Hancock received top billing on this album, while Chick Corea was credited first on the album CoreaHancock , another recording from the same tour released by Polydor.

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 quintet were keyboardist Herbie Hancock, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, drummer Tony Williams, bassist Ron Carter and saxophonist Wayne Shorter. The album was originally released in October 1977 as a 2-disc LP by Columbia Records.

Quartet is the thirty-fourth album by jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, featuring a quartet with trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams. It was originally issued in Japan on CBS/Sony, and later given a US release by Columbia.

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V.S.O.P : Live Under the Sky is a 1979 live album by the V.S.O.P. Quintet, a record of a performance at the 1979 Live Under the Sky Festival as it was performed live in Japan over two days. The first day, which took place during a furious rainstorm, was broadcast live on national television. The original release featured the first day, while the 2004 re-master/re-release also featured the second concert. This, the fourth VSOP release, once again featured pianist Herbie Hancock, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, drummer Tony Williams, bassist Ron Carter and trumpeter Freddie Hubbard.

V.S.O.P. is a 1977 double live album by keyboardist Herbie Hancock, featuring acoustic jazz performances by the V.S.O.P. Quintet, jazz fusion/ jazz-funk performances by the ‘Mwandishi’ band and The Headhunters. The concert was advertised as a "Herbie Hancock Retrospective," and Miles Davis, who was several months into his temporary retirement, was advertised as playing with the V.S.O.P. group. According to concert attendees, on the night of the show a handwritten sign was posted on the lobby door announcing that Davis would not be playing, but that Hubbard would be appearing instead.

CoreaHancock is an acoustic live album by Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock. It was recorded over the course of several live performances in February 1978 and released in 1979. Corea has top billing on this album, as Hancock did for An Evening with Herbie Hancock & Chick Corea: In Concert , another recording of the same tour released on Hancock's label. The CD version heavily edits what was released on the final side of the vinyl version.

Round Midnight is a soundtrack album by Herbie Hancock featuring music recorded for Bertrand Tavernier's film Round Midnight released in 1986 on Columbia Records. The album features performances by Hancock, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, bassist Ron Carter, drummer Tony Williams, vocalist Bobby McFerrin, tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon, bassist Pierre Michelot, drummer Billy Higgins, guitarist John McLaughlin, trumpeter/vocalist Chet Baker, vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, vocalist Lonette McKee, and pianist Cedar Walton, most of whom appear in the film. It won the Academy Award for Best Music, Original Score in 1986, beating Ennio Morricone's The Mission and Jerry Goldsmith's Hoosiers , among others. Additional music recorded during the making of the film was released under Dexter Gordon's name as The Other Side of Round Midnight (1986).

" Maiden Voyage " is a jazz composition by Herbie Hancock from his 1965 album Maiden Voyage . It features Hancock's quartet – trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams – together with saxophonist George Coleman. It is one of Hancock's best-known compositions and has become a jazz standard.

In the late 1960s, Latin jazz, combining rhythms from African and Latin American countries, often played on instruments such as conga, timbale, güiro, and claves, with jazz and classical harmonies played on typical jazz instruments broke through. There are two main varieties: Afro-Cuban jazz was played in the US right after the bebop period, while Brazilian jazz became more popular in the 1960s. Afro-Cuban jazz began as a movement in the mid-1950s as bebop musicians such as Dizzy Gillespie and Billy Taylor started Afro-Cuban bands influenced by such Cuban and Puerto Rican musicians as Xavier Cugat, Tito Puente, and Arturo Sandoval. Brazilian jazz such as bossa nova is derived from samba, with influences from jazz and other 20th-century classical and popular music styles. Bossa is generally moderately paced, with melodies sung in Portuguese or English. The style was pioneered by Brazilians João Gilberto and Antônio Carlos Jobim. The related term jazz-samba describes an adaptation of bossa nova compositions to the jazz idiom by American performers such as Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd.

V.S.O.P. was an American jazz quintet consisting of Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter (bass), Tony Williams (drums), and Freddie Hubbard . Hancock, Shorter, Carter, and Williams had all been members of the Miles Davis Quintet during the 1960s.

• ↑ "Penguin Guide to Jazz: 4-Star Records in 8th Edition" . Tom Hull . Retrieved 9 July 2020 .
• ↑ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide . USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p.   93. ISBN   0-394-72643-X .
• ↑ Wendell, Eric. (2018). Experiencing Herbie Hancock . Rowman & Littlefield. p.32. ISBN   9781442258389 .
• ↑ Hancock, H. (1965). Original Album Liner Notes; Blumenthal, B. (1999). Reissue Album Liner Notes.
• ↑ "Herbie Hancock: The Ethics of Jazz" . Mahindra Humanities Center, Harvard University, accessed via YouTube . Retrieved 16 February 2017 .
• ↑ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2002). The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD (6th Ed.) Penguin Books. ISBN   9780140515213
• ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2011). "Maiden Voyage - Herbie Hancock | AllMusic" . allmusic.com . Retrieved 13 May 2013 .
• ↑ KCET https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEUP6ttUL1E
• ↑ "Befour - Brian Auger & the Trinity" . AllMusic .
• ↑ "Gary Boyle - The Dancer" . Discogs . Retrieved 2020-12-18 .
• ↑ Allmusic review of Mood
• ↑ "Austin Peralta - Maiden Voyage" . AllMusic . Retrieved 2021-02-24 .
• ↑ Countdown - Joey Alexander | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic , retrieved 2021-09-10
• ↑ Allmusic review of The Awakening
• ↑ "Ultratop.be – Herbie Hancock – Maiden Voyage" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
• ↑ "Ultratop.be – Herbie Hancock – Maiden Voyage" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
• ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Herbie Hancock – Maiden Voyage" . Hung Medien. Retrieved October 4, 2021.

Maiden Voyage: Herbie Hancock’s Journey into Jazz Elegance

Introduction:

In the realm of jazz, certain albums stand as timeless masterpieces, weaving narratives of musical innovation and creative brilliance. “Maiden Voyage,” an iconic album by Herbie Hancock, is one such gem that transcends time and genre, leaving an indelible mark on the landscape of jazz. Released in 1965, this album represents a pivotal moment in Hancock’s career and a significant contribution to the evolution of modern jazz.

Setting Sail: The Birth of “Maiden Voyage”

As the 1960s dawned, Herbie Hancock was already gaining recognition as a pianist and composer, having worked alongside jazz luminaries such as Miles Davis and Donald Byrd. “Maiden Voyage” emerged because of his artistic maturation, capturing his distinctive voice as a bandleader and visionary composer. Recorded for the Blue Note label, the album became a sonic voyage that pushed boundaries while retaining an air of elegance.

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The Artistic Crew: A Stellar Lineup

“Maiden Voyage” gathered a constellation of talented musicians who enriched the album’s sonic tapestry. Joining Hancock were Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, George Coleman on tenor saxophone, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums. This ensemble not only represented a convergence of virtuosity but also an alchemical fusion of individual styles, contributing to the album’s timeless allure.

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Freddie Hubbard’s trumpet is an integral part of the album’s sonic tapestry. His virtuosity and lyrical approach infuse each note with emotion and depth. Hubbard’s ability to alternate between soulful melodic lines and fiery improvisations adds layers of complexity to tracks like “Maiden Voyage” and “The Eye of the Hurricane.” His interplay with the other instruments creates a dynamic dialogue that resonates with listeners.

George Coleman’s tenor saxophone brings a warm and expressive quality to “Maiden Voyage.” His velvety tone and melodic phrasing provide a counterpoint to Hubbard’s trumpet, contributing to the album’s harmonious balance. Coleman’s solos are marked by a sense of storytelling, weaving narratives through the music that draw the audience into the heart of the composition.

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The basslines of Ron Carter serve as the foundation upon which the album rests. Carter’s impeccable technique and melodic sensibility provide a steady anchor for the ensemble’s explorations. His interactions with Hancock’s piano create a rhythmic pulse that guides the music, while his solos demonstrate his prowess as a soloist and collaborator.

Tony Williams’ drumming infuses “Maiden Voyage” with rhythmic vitality and intricate textures. His ability to shift between various rhythms and patterns adds a dynamic layer to the album’s sound. Williams’ use of cymbals, snare, and toms creates an immersive sonic environment, enhancing the album’s atmospheric quality.

At the heart of the ensemble is Herbie Hancock, the visionary composer and pianist whose compositions and arrangements shape the album’s narrative. Hancock’s playing transcends virtuosity, revealing a deep emotional connection to the music. His ability to seamlessly blend various elements, from modal harmonies to innovative improvisations, showcases his unparalleled artistry.

The incredible chemistry between the ensemble members of “Maiden Voyage” is what makes it so successful. Each performer contributes their distinct voice and sensibility to the music, resulting in a unified whole that appeals to audiences of all ages. The group’s comradery and deep musical knowledge are demonstrated by their ability to communicate and react to each other’s musical signals.

The group in “Maiden Voyage” is a perfect example of how effective jazz teamwork can be. Their combined efforts contributed to the album’s continuing appeal and influence, leaving a permanent imprint on its history. In “Maiden Voyage,” listeners are invited to experience the enchantment of musicians who, through their individual artistry, produced a seamless whole that never fails to enthrall and inspire.

Navigating the Tracks: A Musical Odyssey

The album opens with the eponymous “Maiden Voyage,” an ethereal composition that immediately immerses the listener in Hancock’s atmospheric soundscapes. The intertwining melodies of Hubbard and Coleman mirror the ebb and flow of waves, while Hancock’s piano dances like sunlight on water. The journey continues with “The Eye of the Hurricane,” a composition marked by its rhythmic intricacy and moments of improvisational brilliance.

A Brush with Timelessness: The Legacy of “Maiden Voyage”

“Maiden Voyage” is more than just an album; it’s a demonstration of Hancock’s talent for using sound to create feelings. His works transcend the limitations of space and genre, producing an audible sensation that is just as captivating now as it was when it was first performed. The album’s enduring popularity stems from its capacity to connect with listeners across generations and inspire them to set out on their own journeys of reflection and fantasy.

References:

• Cook, R. & Morton, B. (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. Penguin Books.
• Swenson, J. (1985). Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. Random House.
• Wendell, E. (2018). Experiencing Herbie Hancock: A Listener’s Companion. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
• “Maiden Voyage” album cover art. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Maiden_Voyage_(Hancock).jpg

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Classic Recordings , Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage

By Maiden Voyage Hancock was only a few years into his career as a bandleader at just twenty-four years old, yet had gained a wealth of experience as a sideman in many other Blue Note sessions, as well as his role in Miles Davis’s second great quintet. Joining him during the Maiden Voyage sessions were two colleagues from the Davis group, Williams on drums and bassist Ron Carter, alongside soon-to-be star-trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, all three returning from Hancock’s previous record Empyrean Isles . Completing the lineup was George Coleman, an under-rated saxophonist who had also been an occasional member of the pre-Wayne Shorter Miles Davis group, most memorably on My Funny Valentine , recorded alongside Hancock in 1964. Loosely conceptualised around themes of the ocean, Maiden Voyage treads familiar hard bop ground, but also finds plenty of uncharted water to discover.

The title track really steals the show, a tune that remains one of Hancock’s personal favourites to this day and became a jazz standard, opening the record with an ominous melody that takes us straight into modal territory. It’s a spacious composition that offers ample room for his soloists to flourish, setting Hancock’s atmospheric tone for the record. It’s a subtle yet imposing opener, no doubt stemming from his exposure to Miles Davis’ cool approach. That being said, the energetic ‘Eye of the Hurricane’ quickly blows us off-course into choppier, Coltrane-esque waters, picking up with a quick swing tempo, a frenetic melody and an especially fiery solo from Hubbard.

Channelling the dynamism of the music he was making with the Davis group in the same period, Hancock’s compositions allow for some fluid conversations between the players. There’s a nice balancing of moods, so that while the quintet enters more chaotic territory again on ‘Survival of the Fittest’, the Count Basie-inspired ‘Dolphin Dance’ brings calm after the storm, returning us to more comfortably melodic territory with Hancock at the helm after the extended soloing of the previous track. In amongst the longer, more adventurous tracks the quaint melodicism of ‘Dolphin Dance’ and ‘Little One’ bring a welcome accessibility to the record. Hancock plays into some of the accelerating trends of modern jazz, with fast tempos and extended virtuosic soloing, while carefully balancing it with toneful and understated tunes; invoking Debussy with his sprinkles of washy piano chords across the record. While Hancock would go on to experiment in avant-garde jazz and the popular synth-funk sound that overshadows much of his earlier output, Maiden Voyage features some of his finest early work.

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Maiden Voyage

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Joshua joined Presto Music shortly after completing his BSc in Psychology, firstly as a member of our shop team and later as a writer covering new jazz releases. His taste in music ranges from jazz to metal, folk to electronica, and he enjoys writing his own music with guitar and electronic synthesisers at home.

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Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Herbie Hancock: Maiden Voyage

Herbie Hancock: Maiden Voyage

Herbie Hancock

Rudy Van Gelder

Duke Ellington

Horace Silver

McCoy Tyner

John Coltrane

Dexter Gordon

Paul Chambers

Freddie Hubbard

George Coleman

Track listing.

Maiden Voyage; The Eye of the Hurricane; Little One; Survival of the Fittest; Dolphin Dance.

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

Album information

Title: Maiden Voyage | Year Released: 2011 | Record Label: Blue Note Records

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Maiden Voyage

Maiden Voyage sounds like the title of a debut, but it was Herbie Hancock’s fifth outing for Blue Note, recorded all in one day in March 1965, when the young piano master was in the thick of his association with the trailblazing Miles Davis Quintet. The Maiden Voyage line-up was in fact a version of Davis’ band, with Freddie Hubbard on trumpet in place of Davis, Wayne Shorter’s predecessor George Coleman on tenor saxophone, and the unrivalled rhythm section of bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams. (The same line-up, without Coleman, appeared on Hancock’s Empyrean Isles in 1964.) The short yet impactful program includes some of Hancock’s most famous and widely played compositions, including the title track, with its mesmerising vamp and hovering chords; “The Eye of the Hurricane”, with its darting obstacle course of a theme leading to galloping minor-key blues; and “Dolphin Dance”, a model of advanced harmony and lyrical songcraft, the perfect modern midtempo swing tune to bring it to a close. “Survival of the Fittest” points to a kind of open-form improvisation that Tony Williams and others on Blue Note were exploring at this time. (“The Egg” from Empyrean Isles is another specimen.) And “Little One”, recorded in rawer form by the Miles Davis Quintet two months earlier for the album E.S.P., gains a bit more expressive clarity here in the out-of-tempo passages (the contrast between the Shorter and Coleman tenor solos also proves fascinating). Arguably, it’s “Little One” that best captures the album’s dark and magical mood, which Nora Kelly sought to evoke in her impressionist liner notes: “A single ship, perhaps on her maiden voyage, her mast a black spike against the sky, hovers near the horizon, until the curving waters sink her sail from view.”

1 May 1965 5 Songs, 42 minutes A Blue Note Records Release; ℗ 2012 Capitol Records, LLC

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Maiden Voyage

Reissued, remastered.

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Track listings, editorial reviews, product description.

With Maiden Voyage, Hancock fashioned a modern jazz milestone with extraordinary compositions, interplay and solos. The result: every single cut here - from the haunting "Maiden Voyage" to the gentle, swinging "Dolphin Dance" - has found it's way into the standard jazz repertoire. This Rudy Van Gelder Edition reissue features 24-bit, state-of-the-art remastering and is part of Blue Note's 60th Anniversary celebration.

In the mid-'60s, a distinctive postbop style evolved among the younger musicians associated with Blue Note, a new synthesis that managed to blend the cool spaciousness of Miles Davis's modal period, some of the fire of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, and touches of the avant-garde's group interaction. Maiden Voyage is a masterpiece of the school, with Hancock's enduring compositions like "Maiden Voyage" and "Dolphin Dance" mingling creative tension and calm repose with strong melodies and airy, suspended harmonies that give form to his evocative sea imagery. Trumpeter Freddie Hubbard was at a creative peak, stretching his extraordinary technique to the limits in search of a Coltrane-like fluency on the heated "Eye of the Storm," while the underrated tenor saxophonist George Coleman adds a developed lyricism to the session. --Stuart Broomer

Product details

• Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.63 x 4.84 x 0.39 inches; 3.32 ounces
• Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ Blue Note
• Item model number ‏ : ‎ 2126024
• Original Release Date ‏ : ‎ 1999
• Date First Available ‏ : ‎ October 21, 2006
• Label ‏ : ‎ Blue Note
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00000IL29
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
• #66 in Modern Postbebop (CDs & Vinyl)
• #69 in Jazz Fusion (CDs & Vinyl)
• #71 in Bebop (CDs & Vinyl)

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Speak Like A Child

“Between 1965’s Maiden Voyage and 1968’s Speak Like A Child , Herbie Hancock was consumed with his duties as part of the Miles Davis Quintet, who happened to be at their creative and popular peak during those three years. When Hancock did return to a leadership position on Speak Like A Child , it was clear that he had assimilated not only the group’s experiments, but also many ideas Miles initially sketched out with Gil Evans.

Like Maiden Voyage , the album is laid-back, melodic, and quite beautiful, but there are noticeable differences between the two records. Hancock’s melodies and themes have become simpler and more memorable, particularly on the title track, but that hasn’t cut out room for improvisation. Instead, he has found a balance between accessible themes and searching improvisations that work a middle ground between post-bop and rock.

Similarly, the horns and reeds are unconventional. He has selected three parts — Thad Jones’ flügelhorn, Peter Phillips’ bass trombone, Jerry Dodgion’s alto flute — with unusual voicings, and he uses them for tonal texture and melodic statements, not solos. The rhythm section of bassist Ron Carter and drummer Mickey Roker keeps things light, subtle, and forever shifting, emphasizing the hybrid nature of Hancock’s original compositions. But the key to Speak Like A Child is in Hancock’s graceful, lyrical playing and compositions, which are lovely on the surface and provocative and challenging upon closer listening.” – Allmusic

Original Album Liner Notes:

Speak Like a Child is Herbie Hancock’s first album as a leader for Blue Note since Maiden Voyage , and it represents a further extension of discoveries Herbie made during that preceding journey. It is related to Maiden Voyage , Herbie notes, “in a way none of my previous albums were related to each other. That set was a sort of jumping off point for me, and I go on from there here.”

I asked him for specifics, “What I was into then, and have been thinking about more and more,” Herbie answered, “was the concept that there is a type of music in between jazz and rock. It has elements of both but retains and builds on its own identity. Its jazz elements include improvisation and it’s like rock in that it emphasizes particular kinds of rhythmic patterns to work off of.

“This album,” he continued, “also is an extension of Maiden Voyage in terms of my use of simple, singable melodies, Now what’s different in Speak Like a Child as a whole has to do, first of all, with harmony. For the most part, the harmonies in these numbers are freer in the sense that they’re not so easily identifiable chordally in the conventional way. I’m more concerned with sounds than chords, and so I voice the harmonies to provide a wider spectrum of colors that can be contained within the traditional chord progressions. In much of the album, there are places where you could call the harmonies by any one of four designations, but no one designation would really include everything involved. That’s how I write; that’s how it comes out.

“Similarly,” Herbie went on, “on those tracks with the horns, I was more interested in sounds than in definite chordal patterns. I tried to give the horns notes that would give color and body to the sounds I heard as I wrote. Some of this way of thinking and writing comes from listening to Gil Evans and Oliver Nelson and from having worked with Thad Jones from time to time, certainly one of the ways I’m going to go from here on is writing for large groups.”

The first number, “Riot”, was recorded originally by Miles Davis. “When I listened to the record,” Herbie said, “it sounded like a riot to me with regard to the emotions being expressed. This version, however, is less riotous. It does contain an element of turmoil, but it’s there more as an undercurrent than on the surface, Incidentally, when I wrote this song. I wrote the melody first and then I added the harmonies I wanted underneath, I suppose I heard them vaguely in my head from the beginning; I just had to find them.”

“Speak Like A Child”, as a title, Herbie explains, “came from Frank Wolff, and it’s a result of a picture that a friend of mine, David Bythewood, took. I dug it so much brought it to Frank for use as the cover for this album, Frank said it was so evocative a photograph because of the innocence and naivete in it. And so I started thinking about that quality of innocence while writing this song. Clearly this music doesn’t sound too much like what’s going on today – war, riots, the stock market getting busted up. And the reason it doesn’t, I realized, is that I’m optimistic. I believe in hope and peace and love. It’s not that I’m blind to what’s going on, but I feel this music is a forward look into what could be a bright future. The philosophy represented in this number, and to a large extent in the album as a whole, is child-like. But not childish. By that I mean there are certain elements of childhood we lose and wish we could have back – purity, spontaneity. When they do return to us, we’re at our best. So what I’m telling the world is: “Speak like a child. Think and feel in terms of hope and the possibilities of making ourselves less impure.'”

Herbie also points out that “Speak Like A Child” is a sectional piece, and has no definite tonal centers. It should also be noted that the attractive young lady on the cover is Herbie’s fiancee, Gigi Meixner.

“First Trip” is by Ron Carter, and both the title and the tune itself strike Herbie as having a sense of childhood. “When I played the melody.” Herbie adds, “I didn’t play it straight. I made some small changes, played a little with the time, and staggered some of the phrases. As for the time, I played some phrases in five, some in seven. It’s the kind of thing I’ve become used to working with Tony Williams and Ron Carter so now that kind of approach to time just comes out naturally as I play.” Herbie also spoke about the rhythmic feeling of the album as a whole. “I’ve been trying for a long time to Work on swinging, to feel more and more comfortable in terms of swinging. And of all the albums I’ve done, this to me swings the most.”

As for the harmonies of “First Trip”, “this tune too has the kind of progressions that go in and out of the traditional dividing lines,” Herbie emphasized. “The emotions here and in other pieces require freer harmonic developments, and as a result, we get away from finite structural and chordal limitations.” Ron Carter wrote the song originally for his little boy, Ron Junior. At the time, his son was going to a nursery school where the kids who behaved well in class came home on the first trip. The ones who acted up had to wait for the second trip. “My son,” Ron remembers, “was elated that day, and the song is about how he felt and is also a little tribute from me to him for one of the times he did indeed behave very well.”

“Toys”, Herbie observes, “originally came about because I was thinking of writing a blues without it being a blues-a tune with the colors of the blues but not the form. Like “Blues for Pablo”. Some of the techniques in the writing of it. I think I’ve gotten from Gil Evans. There are times, for instance, when I sacrifice the vertical for the horizontal structure in going from one chord to another a few bars later, and the reason is to allow certain instruments to play a melodic line even though that line may involve some harmonic clashes. But I make sure those clashes have their own kind of validity and body. There are also, as in “Riot” and some of the other pieces, carefully conceived contrasts in dynamics.”

“Goodbye to Childhood” reflects, Herbie says, “that particular quality of sadness you feel at childhood being gone. In the writing of it, I again didn’t think about what the chords were. I had to figure out what they were afterwards.”

“The Sorcerer”, originally written for Miles Davis, receives its title, Herbie smiles, “because Miles is a sorcerer. His whole attitude, the way he is, is kind of mysterious. I know him well but there’s still a kind of musical mystique about him. His music sounds like witchcraft. There are times I don’t know where his music comes from, it doesn’t sound like he’s doing it. It sounds like it’s coming from somewhere else.”

Speaking of the album as a whole, Herbie concluded: “All the sounds in these pieces are a product of everything I’ve learned, particularly in recent work with Gil Evans and, of course, in the five years I’ve been with Miles and the other men in the band. I feel I have to go on and write more for horns, explore more possibilities of textures. There are things I hear in my head that I don’t often hear in other people’s music, and I want to get more of those down. And I keep hearing new things, and I have to find out what value they have, how they work out.”

It sounds clear to me that Speak Like A Child is an impressive further stage in the evolution of Herbie Hancock as writer and player. From the first time I heard him, I felt Herbie had a singular quality of incisive, searching lyricism. And as his experience has deepened and become diversified, his music has become both more personal and more challenging. In Speak Like A Child , Herbie Hancock has created a durably pleasurable montage of those elements of childhood which remain in people who continue to be responsive, spontaneous, open to hope and to that sense of wonder that is essential to being fully alive. – Nat Hentoff

1998 Complete Blue Note Sixties Sessions Box Set Liner Notes:

RECORDED MARCH 6 & 9, 1968

January and February of 1967 saw the Miles Davis Quintet in residence at the Vanguard. Joe Henderson, Eddie Gomez, Scotty Holt (on a one-nighter in Baltimore) and Jack DeJohnette graced the stand during this bleak time for jazz. As recalled by Ron McClure, “Herbie called me at about eight o’clock on a Saturday night to come down and play with Miles Davis for union scale ($87.50 at the time). I went down there and the band was Wayne, Joe Henderson, Tony Williams and Herbie. Miles didn’t come. the band never said a word to me about what they were going to play, they just started to play. I still don’t know what we played.”

On January 13, Herbie, Wayne and Ron entered the studio to record a date with Lee Morgan. Standards (CDP-23213), remained unissued until 1997, but upon its release added to both Lee’s vast Blue Note legacy and memorable Hancock solos. March 20 found Herbie in the studio again as a sideman on Wayne Shorter’s Schizophrenia (BN-84:297), with Ron and Joe Chambers. Herbie’s solo on “Miyako” is a treasure.

Miles then took the Quintet on a West Coast tour, to climax at the Berkeley Jazz Festival (On April 7). The Berkeley concert was incredible, with Albert Stinson now on bass. The group was now beginning to burn like before, and Herbie was starting to add touches of his post-Miles style. After working two weeks at Shelly’s Manne Hole at the end of April and early May (with Buster Williams on bass), Miles went into the Columbia Studios in Hollywood on May 9 and recorded a single track “Limbo,” which was eventually released in 1979.

When the Quintet returned to New York, Miles decided to remain in town and book the Village Gate as a home base. For the months of June July and August, Miles would rent out the basement club and promote his own concerts. This gave Miles a rest and Herbie became available for sessions. Little did he know that he was about to embark on an unprecedented series of recording sessions. From May 16, Miles went into the studio seven times. The albums Sorcerer , Nefertiti and Water Babies were issued from these sessions. During June, Herbie participated in Wes Montomery’s hit A Day In The Life (A&M-3001).

Lee Morgan went into the studio on July 14 to record another Blue Note album. On the date was Wayne, Herbie, Hutcherson, Ron Carter and Billy Higgins. The album was eventually released as The Procrastinator (BN-LA-582) in 1977. Just five days later, on July 19, Herbie, Wayne and Ron finished Miles’s epic Nefertiti album (Columbia CS-9594). To hear the full depth of Herbie’s style, compare the two recordings. For Miles. Herbie plays in a style unique to the Quintet, but for Lee, Herbie gives the date a classic Blue Note feel. What musicianship!

Just two days later (July 21) Herbie played on a quartet date with Bobby Hutcherson, that, strangely enough, was never released until 1979. The album is called Oblique (GFX-3016), and it is quite possibly one of the finest recordings in jazz. With Albert Stinson on bass and Joe Chambers on drums, this sessions literally redefines sensitivity and sophistication. Herbie’s “Theme From Blow-Up” was recorded at this session, and is included in this box set to showcase the composition and this incredible performance. During August, Herbie recorded Harold Vick’s The Melody Is Here (RCA-3902), and the high spots from these sessions are three quartet performances with Harold Vick, Harbie, Cranshaw and Grady Tate. “If Ever I Would Leave You” has a great Herbie solo.

In the fall of 1967, Miles took the group out of town again, and the band was on the West Coast. The band set house records at the Penthouse in Seattle, and eventually ended up in Los Angeles. The band returned to the Village Gate in October for a couple of weeks before heading for a two week tour of Europe organized by George Wein. Because of the relationship between the Concerts and European radio and TV there are many verite recordings of this tour that are available. You can hear the band about to explode, and Herbie feeds the fire. His style with Miles was unlike his albums on Blue Note.

When Miles went back into the studio on December 4, the sound of the band expanded for the first time. Herbie played celeste. The track was Circle In The Round (Columbia KC-36278) and was the start of Miles’s crossover period. At the end of the month, on the 28th, Miles went into the studio and recorded “Water On The Pond.” These sessions were kept in the can and only released in 1979 and 198O.

Also in December, Herbie recorded with Cal Tjader ( Hip Vibrations ) and Kenny Burrell ( Blues The Common Ground ), both for Verve, and reunited with Wes Montgomery for Down Here On The Ground (A&M 3OO6). On the Tjader date, Herbie connects with Ron on Django. As with most sessions for Creed Taylor, who was hiring Herbie whenever Herbie was in town, the final album might take two to five sessions over two months. The Burrell date, the Montgomery date, and sessions for Artie Butler ( Have You Met Miss Jones? ), George Benson ( Giblet Gravy ), Kai and J.J. ( Israel ) and the Soul Flutes ( Trust In Me ) kept Herbie busy January and February of 1968. Herbie was on 12 sessions on those two months, not including the Miles Davis sessions, which he squeezed in.

Miles Davis’s Miles In The Sky was the first album to feature Herbie playing the Fender Rhodes electric piano. The sessions from January and February show the band in disintegration, but conceptually heading for the future. “Side Car,” “Sanctuary,” “Fun,” Herbie’s composition “Teo’s Bag” (aka: “The Collector”) and “Paraphernalia” were outlining the next step. On January 25, 1968 Herbie brought in two new compositions for Miles to consider. These versions of “I Have A Dream” and “Speak Like A Child” show that Herbie was beginning to break the musical bonds of Miles Davis and go in a direction that was all his own. The harmonic demands of Herbie’s new music were a bit too much for Miles, who preferred his music simplified. The Quintet could not get the vibe Herbie was reaching for, and this music was left in the vaults. These rehearsals were finally issued on the Complete Studio Recordings Of The Miles Davis Quintet: 1965-68 (Columbia).

After finishing up studio sessions for Verve and A&M, Herbie went back into the studio for Blue Note this time as a leader, the first since the July, 1966 funk session. Herbie owed Blue Note a lot of records, but his constant travel and the difficulties of actually putting together recording sessions made his studio output as a leader less frequent than Blue Note may have wanted.

The alternate takes from these sessions were chosen for two reasons; they represent a work-in-progress view: how musicians create a memorable performances from the continuity of earlier takes, and the fact that any Herbie solo is worth hearing. “Riot” clearly demonstrates this model. The first alternate take (take 1) shows the ensemble not quite blending on the melody statements, and by the second alternate take (take 4) you can hear the group jell. The master take of “Riot” is fully defined and flawless. Yet in the earlier takes, you can hear Herbie go for it in a way that he didn’t go for on the master.

The alternate take of “Goodbye To Childhood” is a lost gem. Hidden in the vaults for 30 years, this is Herbie’s first solo piano recording. After a brief ensemble introduction, it’s only Herbie until the band returns at the end. And what beautiful Herbie it is. His style was now at a turning point, and this solo shows us the new Herbie: harmonically complex, and filled with dense, polychordal voicings. And yet, with all of this complexity, the melodies themselves are hauntingly beautiful, and evocative of an individual view.

The album Speak Like A Child catapulted Herbie into the forefront of jazz composition. Meanwhile, he was still a member of the Miles Davis Quintet, and that had some drawbacks. The band was going through constant turnover on the bass chair, and the work schedule was determined more by when Miles wanted to work. Herbie rehearsed with Miles at his house before record dates, and recorded and gigged with him, yet by 1968, Herbie wanted to move on. In April, Herbie was on the West coast with Miles and the Gil Evans Orchestra. When Miles returned to New York, he went back into the Village Gate and again, Herbie was free to record.

“I used to see Herbie on jingle and TV dates.” Phil Woods told me. “Herbie and Wayne one day, Herbie and Ron the next day. Sometimes we would work for these guys named Murtaugh, and they would hire the best jazz musicians in town to do Commercial dates. Herbie was on my album Round Trip (Verve).” Herbie was the first call for many arrangers, including Don Sebesky and Oliver Nelson.

In May and June, Herbie recorded with Miles “Stuff,” “Country Son,” and “Black Comedy” to finish out the Miles In The Sky album. “Tout de Suite” (a rough draft) and the master takes of Fille de Kilimanjaro, “Petits Machin” and “Tout de Suite” were destined for the mind shattering Filles de Kilimanjaro album. These June sessions would be the last that Herbie would participate in as a member of the Quintet.

In the midst of this tumultuous musical scene with Miles, Herbie also found time to record with Roy Ayers Stone Soul Picnic (Atlantic) with Charles Tolliver, Gary Bartz and Miroslav Vitous, (who had been subbing with Miles) and Grady Tate’s Windmills Of Your Mind (Skye). In July, Herbie appeared on Charles Tolliver’s Paper Man album (with Ron and Joe Chambers) and in August. Miles was still holding down weekends at the Village Gate during those months, with an occasional gig in Philadelphia at the Show Boat. Miles was going to take a European vacation in September and then get married, so there was no work for the Quintet.

Herbie himself got married and went on his honeymoon to Brazil in September 1968. “I got sick, that’s all there was to it.’ Herbie said. “Jack Whitemore (Miles’s agent) called about some gigs, and I said I couldn’t make them because I’m down here sick…and he thinks I don’t want to do the dates.” The next thing you know Chick Corea is in the band by late September (for a week at the Plugged Nickel). Miles also recruited a young English bass player named Dave Holland, and voila!, the new Miles Davis Quintet was born.

This development gave Herbie a newfound initiative to form his own group. With the music from Speak Like A Child (which had been released in September 1968) as his foundation, and with solid hits from the past behind him, Herbie was ready in a musical way to go on his own. In October, Herbie debuted his new sextet at the Village Vanguard. In the band was Johnny Coles on trumpet, Joe Henderson on tenor sax, Garnett Brown. On trombone, Buster Williams on bass and Albert “Tootie” Heath on drums. This group was a magical band, and would often expand upon the music, until an entire set would be comprised of just one song (shades of the electric sextet a few years later).

Herbie also remained busy in the studios. In October, Herbie recorded an album for Paul Desmond ( Summertime on A&M, arranged by Don Sebesky), on which Herbie provides one of the greatest performances by a sideman in support of an album. On October 14, Herbie joined back up with Stanley Turrentine in a big band setting arranged by Thad Jones (A lways Something There BN-84298). More sessions followed into November, and Herbie found himself on sessions for J.J. and Kai ( Betwixt And Between , A&M), Luis Gasca ( The Little Giant , Atlantic) and back with Miles Davis for his first multi-keyboard session. “Directions,” “Ascent,” “Two Faced,” “Splash” and “Dual Mr. Tillmon Anthony” were recorded in November 1968. Miles was keenly aware of Herbie’s ability to work with other musicians, and Herbie and Chick Corea forged a musical bond playing together on these sessions that continues till this day.

The session calls kept coming in: Milton Nascimento ( Courage for A&M), Toots Thielemans ( Toots for Command ), Peter, Paul and Mary (!!) ( Late Again for Warner Brothers) and an odd session for Columbia which ended up on a Christmas compilation (“Deck The Halls” from Jingle Bell Jazz ) which featured Woody Shaw, Herbie and Chick Corea on Fender pianos, Al Caiola and Ed Shaughnessy. But his next session would be an important gathering of musicians, who would change the course of jazz history.

On February 18, 1969, Miles Davis assembled Wayne, Herbie, Chick Joe Zawinul on keyboards, John McLaughlin on guitar, Dave Holland on bass and Tony Williams on drums to record. The resulting album, In A Silent Way (Columbia CS-9875) had a profound affect on jazz for years to come. The album announced, not with a bang, but with a feeling, the start of the jazz fusion movement. Highly influential, even to this day. In A Silent Way took both the musicians and listeners on a trip. Sessions continued in March with Roy Ayers ( Daddy Bug , Atlantic) and an unissued session with Attila Zoller for Embryo.

2013 HDTracks Remastered Edition Liner Notes:

There’s nothing like flunking, picking yourself up and learning from your mistakes. That’s what Herbie Hancock’s story was in the mid-60s. After his 1965 Blue Note milestone, Maiden Voyage (his fifth for the label and most popular to date), Herbie decided to conjure up a funk-inflected album in 1966 with a nine-piece band. The only problem was that at the time he didn’t know much about funk, or rock for that matter (that would be rectified in 1973 with his Columbia Records funk-filled fusion Head Hunters album highly influenced by the likes of Sly and JB) and still considered himself a “jazz snob.” That project ended up on the scrap heap.

Meanwhile, also in 1966, Herbie scored the soundtrack to director Michelangelo Antonioni’s first English-speaking film, Blow-Up , about the swinging London scene. Herbie told Billboard that this music appears “only when someone turns on the radio or puts on a record.” (His filmic experience came in handy in 1969 when he composed the music for an episode of Bill Cosby’s Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids TV show that was released as the album Fat Albert Routunda on Warner Bros. Records, and in 1984 when he wrote the Oscar-winning score for Bertrand Tavernier’s Round Midnight film starring Dexter Gordon.)

The mid-60s was a busy time for Herbie, who was helping to pioneer new jazz ground as a member of the Miles Davis Quintet. Nevertheless he headed back into Rudy Van Gelder’s New Jersey studio in 1968 on March 3 and 9 to record Speak Like a Child , the long-awaited follow-up to Maiden Voyage . But in the almost three years since that release, Herbie had matured as a compelling pianist as well as an imaginative composer. He was being influenced by his Miles bandmates – tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter and the dynamic rhythm team of bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams – and was also all ears to the orchestral arrangements of Gil Evans, Oliver Nelson and Thad Jones, with whom he performed periodically.

As a result of the latter, Herbie enlisted three players – Thad on Flugelhorn, Peter Philips on bass trombone and Jerry Dodgion on alto flute – to color his tunes harmonically in lieu of sharing solo duties. In fact, neither Ron nor drummer Mickey Roker jump in with choruses either. Ron keeps the steady beat that undergirds the sessions and Mickey provides the drum drive. Happily there are no round-robin solo contests on any of the six tracks. Instead, it’s largely Herbie’s show to deliver his bedazzling frills and fancies on the piano. Though it’s hardly a one-man show, there’s much to be said about listening to this album by focusing on Herbie, who puts on a captivating-but never show-offy-performance.

While Speak Like a Child shares a common lineage with Maiden Voyage in its infectious lyricism, Herbie was an evolutionary musician who was hearing music in a new and fresh way. His songbook for the session includes two tunes he had written that had become part of Miles’s setlist: “Riot” (instigated by the social and political turbulence of the outside world) and “The Sorcerer” (Herbie’s descriptor for Miles the enchanter) that bookend the album. Herbie plays buoyantly on the tracks that are swinging, skipping affairs.

Another Herbie original, “Toys,” swings with horn/flute luminosity, with Herbie reflecting on the keys the riffs the trio of pastel colorists paint. The song dashes with the sensibility of a chase. This tune comes after the only non-Herbie composition, the bright and playful “First Trip” that Ron brought to the date. In a trio setting of piano-bass-drums, Ron’s bass is delightfully and importantly high in the mix, while Herbie sends up a sweeping flourish of notes and phrases.

The highlights of the album come in its most reflective moments, including the slow-tempo title track that exudes a quality of trusting innocence, soft dreams and wistful nostalgia. The finale is the resplendent ballad, “Goodbye to Childhood.” At once, grand and intimate, it’s a sobering end to the overall tender album. Talking to original liner note writer Nat Hentoff, Herbie said that the wellspring of the recording was “child-like. But not childish.”

There’s a sense of hope amidst the tumult – 1968 was a hellacious year where less than a month after these sessions, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, followed two months later by Robert Kennedy’s assassination – that belies the time. Again from the liners on the theme of the album, Herbie sagely spoke: “… there are certain elements of childhood we lose and wish we could have back – purity, spontaneity. When they do return to us, we’re at our best. So what I’m telling the world is: ‘Speak like a child.’”

Forty-five years later, with bipartisan politics run amuck and threats of international and domestic terrorism rampant, Herbie’s sentiment still holds true. Culturally, we need to “speak like a child” as much now as then. While Speak Like a Child didn’t make for a game-changer in the ’60s, it continues to shower beauty and belief, optimism and anticipation. If could very well be Herbie’s most profound jazz contribution. – Dan Ouellette

Herbie Hancock: “The time I actually heard the Hi-Lo’s, I started picking that stuff out; my ear was happening. I could hear stuff and that’s when I really learned some much farther-out voicings – like the harmonies I used on “Speak Like a Child” – just being able to do that. I really got that from Clare Fischer’s arrangements for the Hi-Lo’s. Clare Fischer was a major influence on my harmonic concept…. He and Bill Evans, and Ravel and Gil Evans, finally. You know, that’s where it came from.”

Originally recorded on March 6th (tracks #1-3, 7, 8) and March 9th (tracks #4-6, 9), 1968 at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

Remastered in 2004 by Rudy Van Gelder.

All transfers from analog to digital were made at 24-bit resolution.

Tracks #1-6 originally issued in 1968 as BST 84279.

Tracks #7-9 originally issued in 1998 on CD box set B2-95569.

Note: Herbie Hancock’s 2003 performance of the song “Speak Like A Child”, which appeared on Harvey Mason’s With All My Heart album, won a Grammy Award in 2004 for ‘Best Jazz Instrumental Solo’.

Maiden Voyage by Herbie Hancock

Maiden Voyage Album February 1966

Added by Bastien

• Highlights 3
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Maiden Voyage written by Herbie Hancock instrumental

Maiden Voyage written by Jean Hancock English