7.
Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage (1965)
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)
Introduction:
Heading out on a ship at dawn, the sea sparkles in a silent way, nothing more than a wet calm around you in the wake of the rising sun. Perhaps there's a sense of anticipation in reaching the eventual destination, but the time you spend looking out upon the water can seem, in many ways, a memory that you will look back upon with fondness and perhaps the tiniest bit of longing...
Well, that's merely one sort of feeling I get when I pop in this modal classic from the mid 60's, released by everyone's favorite C
ock in a rather good year for jazz, though Coltrane's
A Love Supreme surely overshadowed this album at the time of its release. Regardless of how much more important or beloved other releases of the classic jazz decade(s) are though, I always end up coming to the conclusion that this is among the most awesome releases above them all. Hell, it's perhaps my favorite jazz record of all time when all is said and done, and that in and of itself is a tall order considering how much I collect.
But why is this my favorite? Well one one hand, I love the general, sorta spacious atmopshere; the mood is very laid back, authentic, tranquill and features piano sometimes prominently even when I normally hate it (see Thelonius Monk). The sax is rarely harsh, the drumming quiet oftentimes, and all in all it is simply unlike the majority of hard-bop releases. It stands out sharply in a year where nearly everyone was beginning to experiment with jazziness in some way or another.
On the other hand, I find the tidal-esque instrumentals and song titles compelling in a way that's a bit iffy to discern in words. For me I guess,
Maiden Voyage feels like a really cool concept album without being one in name. The motifs flow like water and continually come back to one another through the five tracks. The whole package is, in a word, fantastic.
Here are my impressions of each piece:
The Album:
1. Maiden Voyage: Piano, drums coupled with some very chill and memorable trumpet work kicks this record off on a high note, with more emphasis given to the trumpet as the atmosphere reels you down into the sea. Sax peeks in every so often, providing a nice touch, and the piano near the end is wonderfully fragile. Conclusion: its a jazz staple for a reason!.
2. The Eye Of The Hurricane: The most swingin' track of the five and noticeably nimble. Trumpet is strong here, but the crazy sax work that comes up after the two minute mark and beyond is where its at. Drums aren't full blown but noticeably a bit higher in the mix. Great piece from start to stop!
3. Little One: A drumroll echoes from a distant place as sax and trumpet entwine with a definite melancholy edge. The two take turns over the next few minutes as the drum comes back into audible range. A little around halfway the piano quietly takes first seat, leading off until the interplay comes back, making the track a full circle. Not too bad at all!
4. Survival Of The Fittest: Longest track. We're led off at the beginning with drumming thats a bit more energetic and heavy than we've heard so far. Piano is erratic, trumpet marches and twitters and sounds frankly fun whenever its around. Overall this is a fairly frantic and tense affair, but that's why it's awesome!
5. Dolphin Dance: And we now return to a track very much in the vein of the opening track, except perhaps a bit less introspective and more hopeful in tone. If there's a better closer for a work like this one, I certainly can't think of it, haha.
Conclusion:
The ship has sailed, and now you are once again on land. Standing on the glittering shore you sigh with something like regret. It's been a long day; already the sun is growing darker than the ocean that's swallowing it up. The feelings of awe and quiet you felt on your journey and the sight of the deep ocean waves are no longer quite clear in memory. You are ready to return to life and movement and productivity. Slowly, but with conviction, you turn from the shore and head back to what's familiar.
But, every once in awhile, when the night is long and you cannot sleep, you set 'Maiden Voyage' to play and it all comes back again as if you never left. It is wonderful to behold with every listen, even if each song lasts only for but a moment within the span of your busy, busy lifetime.