"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 – with additional saxophonist George Coleman. It is one of Hancock's best-known compositions and has become a jazz standard.[3]
The piece was used in a Fabergé commercial and was originally listed on the album's master tape as "TV Jingle" until Hancock's sister came up with the new name.[4] In the liner notes for the Maiden Voyage album, Hancock states that the composition was an attempt to capture "the splendor of a sea-going vessel on its maiden voyage".
A modal jazz piece, the composition follows a 32-bar AABA form with only two chords in each section[6]:
AMI7/D | | | | CMI7/F | | | AMI7/D | | | | CMI7/F | | | BbMI7/Eb | | | | C#MI7/F# | | | AMI7/D | | | | CMI7/F | | |[5]
The chord voicings used by Hancock make extensive use of perfect fourths. Jazz.com's Ted Gioia describes the harmonic progression used as, "four suspended chords,"[7] Jerry Coker describes the progression as, "only sus. 4 chords,"[8] while The Real Book lists the chords as four minor seventh chords with the bass note a fifth below the root[9] which matches Hancocks' description of the opening chord (right).[5]