Maiden Voyage (Herbie Hancock album)

Maiden Voyage
Studio album by Herbie Hancock
Released May 17, 1965
Recorded March 17, 1965
Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs
Genre Modal jazz
Hard bop
Length 42:20
Label Blue Note
BST 84195
Producer Alfred Lion
Herbie Hancock chronology

Empyrean Isles
(1964)
Maiden Voyage
(1965)
Speak Like a Child
(1968)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]

Maiden Voyage is the fifth album led by jazz musician Herbie Hancock, and was recorded by Rudy Van Gelder on May 17, 1965 for Blue Note Records. It was issued as BLP 4195 and BST 84195. It is a concept album aimed at creating an oceanic atmosphere. Many of the track titles refer to marine biology or the sea, and the musicians develop the concept through their use of space and almost tidal dynamics. The album was presented with the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999.

According to Bob Blumenthal's 1999 liner notes, "Blue Note logs indicate that an attempt had been made to record 'Maiden Voyage', 'Little One', and 'Dolphin Dance' six days earlier, with Hubbard on cornet and Stu Martin in place of Williams. Those performances were rejected at the time and have been lost in the ensuing years." A different version of "Little One" was also recorded around the same time by Miles Davis and his quintet (including Hancock, Carter and Williams) for the album E.S.P., also released in 1965.

Reception

The Penguin Guide to Jazz designated the album as part of its Core Collection with a four star rating, calling it "a colossal achievement from a man still just 24 years old."[2] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic describes the album as "arguably his finest record of the '60s, reaching a perfect balance between accessible, lyrical jazz and chance-taking hard bop."[3]

Legacy

"Maiden Voyage", "The Eye of the Hurricane" and "Dolphin Dance" have now become jazz standards and are featured in Hal Leonard's New Real Book vol. 2. Hancock rerecorded "Maiden Voyage" and "Dolphin Dance" on his 1974 album Dedication and updated the title track on his 1988 album Perfect Machine. "Dolphin Dance" was rerecorded in 1981 for the Herbie Hancock Trio album. Hancock has released live concert versions of "Maiden Voyage" on CoreaHancock (1979) and An Evening With Herbie Hancock & Chick Corea: In Concert (1980) (both with Chick Corea). Hancock recorded "Maiden Voyage" and "Eye of the Hurricane" with the VSOP Quintet on VSOP: Tempest in the Colosseum (1977).

Track listing

All compositions by Herbie Hancock.

  1. "Maiden Voyage" – 7:53
  2. "The Eye of the Hurricane" – 5:57
  3. "Little One" – 8:43
  4. "Survival of the Fittest" – 9:59
  5. "Dolphin Dance" – 9:16

Personnel

Other Versions

References

  1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2011). "Maiden Voyage - Herbie Hancock | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
  2. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2002). The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD (6th Ed.) Penguin Books. ISBN 9780140515213
  3. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2011). "Maiden Voyage - Herbie Hancock | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  4. Allmusic review of The Awakening
  5. Allmusic review of Mood