HERBIE HANCOCK — Maiden Voyage (review)

HERBIE HANCOCK — Maiden Voyage album cover Album · 1965 · Post Bop Buy this album from MMA partners
5/5 ·
bsidePL
This is one of these records that will forever be listed on any "best jazz albums ever" rankings. No wonder - this IS a truly masterpiece and you can discover it from the very first notes.

First of all - this album is way different from many other hard-bop album typical for the 60's maistream jazz. It's not this kind of LP that only consist of simple jazz tunes with some good solos. What differs "Maiden Voyage" from other records are compositions. They mostly leave boring hard-bop pattern for something much more vivid, for some kind of jazz landscape.

The title track is a monument of the size of first part of "A Love Supreme" by John Coltrane. In fact "Maiden Voyage" is Supreme. It's blisfull theme is so colorful that you can nearly see in your mind the maiden voyage, discovering brand new lands. Also interesting is the pleasent play of rhythm section that reminds the sound of sea in the morning or afternoon with calm waves splashing on the shore.

Second memorable track - The Eye of the Hurricane - is surely not as perfect as previous one, but the fiery hard-bop jam also suits the title. Also the last piece, a nice ballad entitled "Dolphin Dance" became quickly a jazz standard.

Hancock shows that he is not "only" capable of composing hard-bop and "new-school" composition, but also a bit of his free-jazz or modern explorations with a track "Survival Of The Fittest". Within few years he will completly leave mainstream for extremely original directions. But still many other young artist and Hancock himself goes back to his brilliant music from "Maiden Voyage" to constatly search for news direction, new lands, new sounds.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Jazz Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

Here For A While Post Bop
NEIL SWAINSON
Buy this album from MMA partners
Roll With Me Blues
DUKE ROBILLARD
Buy this album from MMA partners
Pink Elephants On Parade Avant-Garde Jazz
SUN RA
Buy this album from MMA partners
Freedom Weaver (The 1959 European Tour Recordings) Hard Bop
SONNY ROLLINS
Buy this album from MMA partners
Furniture of the Mind Rearranging 21st Century Modern
BLACK DIAMOND
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

Alyson Cawley Martin Speake TENDRILS
MARTIN SPEAKE
js· 1 day ago
Canto proibito (feat. Giovanni Falzone)
ADA MONTELLANICO
snobb· 2 days ago
BADBADNOTGOOD - Audacia
BADBADNOTGOOD
js· 2 days ago
BADBADNOTGOOD - Sunday Afternoon's Dream
BADBADNOTGOOD
js· 2 days ago
dark little narratives
OMAWI (WARELIS / GOVAERT / DE JOODE)
js· 3 days ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed