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Sextant

Herbie Hancock - Sextant Audio CD

A fair review of the Herbie Hancock "Sextant" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Herbie Hancock reviews here, or go back to the Herbie Hancock tabs.

Band: Herbie Hancock
Title: Sextant
Rating:

Release Date: 2008-02-01
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Rain Dance 2: Hidden Shadows 3: Hornets

To Dr. Gleason
I think that what you say is basically true. Hi there. However, a lot of people actually recognize your innovations as your own and give you credit for introducing sophisticated synth work into jazz-fusion. A s far as Hancock is concerned I never thought of him as an innovator in terms of synths. More as a brilliant jazz pianist who enjoyed playing all sorts of electric keyboards, which is ok too.

Play That Funky Music

Hidden Shadows is a masterpiece, which propelled by an incredible piano solo by Hancock and an infectious beat that is a delectable treat. The final offering from Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi project is funky fusion fueled with cutting-edge keyboard technology. Hancock dips into the Miles Davis classic - On The Corner - for the key elements on Hornets, which features Dr. Eddie Henderson on trumpet. Acoustic bassist Buster Williams brings rays of sunshine on Rain Dance.

The nearly 40 minutes of music has been vastly underrated over the years - the critically-acclaimed and popular Headhunters was the next release - but that does not diminish the power and vision Hancock delivered with Mwandishi.
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Great album of experimental fusion
Herbie Hancock felt he could not go any further with what he done with Sextant, not to mention the album wasn't exactly selling, so it's little wonder his next venture, Head Hunters, would be a more accessible, commercially successful venture. If you want a more adventurous brand of fusion, let me suggest you Sextant, Herbie Hancock's last album with the Mwandishi band (Bennie Maupin, Eddie Henderson, Julian Priester, Buster Williams, Billy Hart), and the last one to feature Patrick Gleeson and his ARP 2600. "Rain Dance" is full of spacy electronic effects, and strange experimental passage, with horns (courtesy of Eddie Henderson and Julian Priester) and electric piano (from Herbie, naturally), double bass, and drums. "Hidden Shadows" is closer to prog rock, especially those big Mellotron passages. But he gave it an almost Lizard-era King Crimson feel to it (Crimson was experimenting with horns on that album), but with a rhythm that reminds me more of Weather Report. The Mellotron was new to America at that time and Herbie Hancock was quick to get a hold of one (Americans had to do with the Chamberlin, the American predecessor to the Mellotron until the early 1970s). "Hornets" is an extended side-length jam with great playing from all around. A kazoo, from Benny Maupin is used to great effect, never in some cheesy or silly manner, nor in a manner commonly heard on a Frank Zappa album. Actually it's a Hum-a-Zoo, a round kazoo meant for small children for those who fear they would choke on a standard kazoo. I really like how the band never lets up throughout this whole extended piece.

While the more average listener would likely prefer Head Hunters, Sextant seems to be the album preferred by prog rock fans, for the complex arrangements, prog rock elements that are there with the jazz, avant garde and electronic, and not to mention the use of Mellotron, not typical of fusion (the German group Passport used one on all their albums up to Infinity Machine, and Jan Hammer on The First Seven Days, although that's more of a prog rock album than Mahavishnu), simply because usually fusion artists tend to play fast which wouldn't work too well in context of the Mellotron. Luckily Hancock and his band knew that fusion needs to be more than just chops or they're sunk (the reason fusion frequently gets criticized by many is too many groups frequently put too much emphasis on chops forgetting there's more to music than just how fast they can play). Even so, Sextant will not be easy going for the average rock fan, that's for sure.

It's a great and challenging listen that I can highly recommend for the adventurous.

Nothing like this done better than this ANYWHERE !
I was astonished by Hancock's "Thrust" and "Headhunters" super funk type albums (yes, they were new albums when I was in high school), so I saw this in the racks with the great artwork and thought, "this will be really good". Listener beware: this is not your ordinary music fare. But when I took it home and listened to it I couldn't believe my ears. What am I listening to !? It was totally foriegn to me. Beyond comphrehension. I am SOO GLAD I gave it several listenings. This was a rosetta stone that opened up unknown worlds to me, musically, culturally, and just general thought development. I soon discovered Miles in his electronic period after picking up this album. This "Sextet" group is probably my favorite Hancock period. "Sextant" is part of a very short, underfunded, non-comercial period of electronic experimentation in jazz that only a handfull ventured to. Different than Mahavishnu and Return To Forever's type. Different than Weather Report. This is earthy and abstract, rooted in the ground and exploring the cosmos. Similar albums include "Mwandishi" & "Crossings" by Hancock, and Julian Priester's "Love, Love" (excellent work!). To a more "accessable" pop extent is Eddie Henderson's "Sunburst" and quieter is Bennie Maupin's "Jewel In The Lotus". . . . oh, yeah, "Survival Of The Fittest" by the Headhunters can get tossed in this ring as well, however it is of the more accessable leanings, and I think that's about it! What, four or six albums ? How rare is this music? It was incredable, but it didn't "hit", so the artists moved on. The public wasn't ready for this music when it was heard. Are you?
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Get 'em while they last!
Sony just put a sticker with a different barcode on the outside of the jewel case over the old bar code. Just a quick note to let you know that this is the exact same issue as the 1998 Sony domestic release which is apprently OOP and the cheapest used copy here on Amazon is going for $18+. This is apparently how cut-outs are done now.

You can see a complete list of all Herbie Hancock discography, or go back to the Herbie Hancock tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.