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Review 1
Maiden Voyage, despite its title, is Herbie Hancock's fifth Blue Note release, and arguably one of the most influential jazz albums of all time. The follow-up to Empyrean Isles finds the pianist in the company of bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams, his rhythm section mates in the second great Miles Davis quintet. Tenor saxophonist George Coleman, who had left the quintet in 1964 (a year prior to this session), reunites with his erstwhile colleagues for one of his strongest performances on record. Freddie Hubbard, who played cornet on Empyrean Isles, rounds out the front line on trumpet. (This lineup, with Wayne Shorter in place of Coleman, would reappear in the late 70s as the supergroup V.S.O.P.)
Like Empyrean Isles, Maiden Voyage is a concept album; Hancock's five original compositions are intended to evoke the forbidding mysteries of the sea. The RVG Edition presents the original program, with no alternate takes or additions. The opening title track, with its shifting suspended harmonies, sustained melodic tones, and repeating bass motif, has become a modal jazz classic. "Eye of the Hurricane" follows, its astonishingly complex theme giving way to a driving minor blues. "Little One," a tone poem with a haunting rubato introduction, also appears on Miles Davis's ESP album, recorded only two months before this session. "Survival of the Fittest," a tour de force for Tony Williams, moves unpredictably from straightahead swing to free-form and incorporates elements of 20th-century classical harmony. The lilting "Dolphin Dance" closes out the side, its simple, singable melody belying its witheringly complex harmonic structure.
Maiden Voyage continues to set the standard for modern small-group jazz. Hancock may still have been a Miles Davis employee, but he was well on his way to becoming a major innovator in his own right.  |
Players
Ron Carter : Bass
George Coleman : Sax (Tenor)
Herbie Hancock : Piano
Freddie Hubbard : Trumpet
Anthony Williams : Drums
Tony Williams : Drums |
Tracks
1. Maiden Voyage Hancock
2. The Eye Of The Hurricane Hancock
3. Little One Hancock
4. Survival Of The Fittest Hancock
5. Dolphin Dance Hancock |
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