Sold Date: December 30, 2018
Start Date: December 23, 2018
Final Price: $22.50 (USD)
Bid Count: 1
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1970's Dark Blue Label Stereo Reissue of Classic 1965 Blue Note Release of Bandleader/Composer/Master Pianist Herbie Hancock Entitled Maiden Voyage, Produced by Alfred Lion, Recording By Rudy Van Gelder, Liner Notes by Nora Kelly & Herbie Hancock, All Compositions Written by Herbie Hancock - "Herbie Hancock will always be one of the most revered and controversial figures in jazz -- just as his employer/mentor  was when he was alive. Unlike , who pressed ahead relentlessly and never looked back until near the very end,  has cut a zigzagging forward path, shuttling between almost every development in electronic and acoustic jazz and R&B over the last third of the 20th century and into the 21st. Though grounded in  and able to absorb blues, funk, gospel, and even modern classical influences, 's piano and keyboard voices are entirely his own, with their own urbane harmonic and complex, earthy rhythmic signatures -- and young pianists cop his licks constantly. Having studied engineering and professing to love gadgets and buttons,  was perfectly suited for the electronic age; he was one of the earliest champions of the Rhodes electric piano and Hohner clavinet, and would field an ever-growing collection of synthesizers and computers on his electric dates. Yet his love for the grand piano never waned, and despite his peripatetic activities all over the musical map, his piano style continued to evolve into tougher, ever more complex forms. He is as much at home trading riffs with a smoking funk band as he is communing with a world-class post-bop rhythm section -- and that drives purists on both sides of the fence up the wall. Having taken up the piano at age seven,  quickly became known as a prodigy, soloing in the first movement of a  piano concerto with  at the age of 11. After studies at Grinnell College,  was invited by  in 1961 to join his group in New York City, and before long, Blue Note offered him a solo contract. His debut album, , took off after covered one of the album's songs, "Watermelon Man." In May 1963,  asked him to join his band in time for the  sessions, and he remained with him for five years, greatly influencing ' evolving direction, loosening up his own style, and, upon ' suggestion, converting to the Rhodes electric piano. During that time, 's solo career blossomed on Blue Note, as he poured forth increasingly sophisticated compositions like "Maiden Voyage," "Cantaloupe Island," "Goodbye to Childhood," and the exquisite "Speak Like a Child." He also played on many East Coast recording sessions for producer and provided a groundbreaking score to Michelangelo Antonioni's film Blow Up, which gradually led to further movie assignments. Having left the  band in 1968,  recorded an elegant funk album, , and in 1969 formed a sextet that evolved into one of the most exciting, forward-looking jazz-rock groups of the era. By then deeply immersed in electronics,  added 's synthesizer to his Echoplexed, fuzz-wah-pedaled electric piano and clavinet, and the recordings became spacier and more complex rhythmically and structurally, creating their own corner of the avant-garde. By 1970, all of the musicians used both English and African names ('s was ). Alas,  had to break up the band in 1973 when it ran out of money, and having studied Buddhism, he concluded that his ultimate goal should be to make his audiences happy. The next step, then, was a terrific funk group whose first album, , with its -influenced hit single, "Chameleon," became the biggest-selling jazz LP up to that time. Handling all of the synthesizers himself, 's heavily rhythmic comping often became part of the rhythm section, leavened by interludes of the old urbane harmonies.  recorded several electric albums of mostly superior quality in the '70s, followed by a turn into disco around the decade's end. In the meantime,  refused to abandon acoustic jazz. After a one-shot reunion of the 1965  (, , , , and  sitting in for ) at New York's 1976 Newport Jazz Festival, they went on tour the following year as  The near-universal acclaim of the reunions proved that  was still a whale of a pianist; that ' loose mid-'60s post-bop direction was far from spent; and that the time for a neo-traditional revival was near, finally bearing fruit in the '80s with  and his ilk.  continued to hold sporadic reunions through 1992, though the death of the indispensable  in 1997 cast much doubt as to whether these gatherings would continue. Hancock continued his chameleonic ways in the '80s: scoring an MTV hit in 1983 with the scratch-driven, electro-influenced single "Rockit" (accompanied by a striking video); launching an exciting partnership with Gambian kora virtuoso  that culminated in the swinging 1986 live album ; doing film scores; and playing festivals and tours with the  brothers, , , and many others. After his 1988 techno-pop album, ,  left Columbia (his label since 1973), signed a contract with Qwest that came to virtually nothing (save for  in 1992), and finally made a deal with Polygram in 1994 to record jazz for Verve and release pop albums on Mercury. Well into a youthful middle age, 's curiosity, versatility, and capacity for growth showed no signs of fading, and in 1998 he issued . His curiosity with the fusion of electronic music and jazz continued with 2001's , but he also continued to explore the future of straight-ahead contemporary jazz with 2005's . An intriguing album of jazz treatments of compositions called  was released in 2007 and won a Grammy for Album of the Year in 2008. Two years later,  released his  album, recorded in seven countries with a host of collaborators including , , and . He was also named Creative Chair for the New Los Angeles Philharmonic. In 2013, he was the recipient of a Kennedy Center Honors award, acknowledged for his contribution to American performing arts. An expanded tenth anniversary edition of  was released in 2017, and he continued to perform regularly." - "Less overtly adventurous than its predecessor, ,  nevertheless finds  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  for two years, and it's clear that Miles' subdued yet challenging modal experiments had been fully integrated by . Not only that, but through ,  became part of the exceptional rhythm section of bassist  and drummer , who are both featured on , along with trumpeter  and tenor saxophonist . The quintet plays a selection of five  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 's understated, melodic compositions and the tasteful group interplay. All of the elements blend together to make  a shimmering, beautiful album that captures  at his finest as a leader, soloist, and composer." - Spectacular Personnel for the Quintet Features Living Legend Herbie Hancock on Piano, the Great Freddie Hubbard on Trumpet, the Talented George Coleman on Tenor Saxophone, the Amazing Ron Carter on Bass and the Brilliant Tony Williams on Drums! - Selections on Side One Are Maiden Voyage, the Eye of the Hurricane & Little One at 8 Minutes 47 Seconds - Tracks for Side Two Consist of Survival of the Fittest at 10 Minutes 3 Seconds and Dolphin Dance - Used Copy, Cover Is Slightly Faded with a Light Surface Ring, Record Very Good++ - Stereo Recording, Product Code BST-84195 - California Residents Add 9.75% Sales Tax - International S & H Extra -