THE PRISONER

When one typically thinks of the year 1969 in music, the role of Jazz is scarcely mentioned. While most of the spotlight was on the giants of psychedelia and Woodstock, the young pianist Herbie Hancock would go to release this overlooked jazz relic,'The Prisoner.' Fresh from his experience playing for Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock was ready and quite able to take the reins of his own project entirely. While this album does seem to get far too caught up in it's own musical wandering and lacks some of the hooks that may define some of Hancock's greater work, it is played beautifully by a great ensemble, and goes to show the great talent of this brilliant jazz artist.

While listening to 'The Prisoner,' Miles Davis' standard opus from a decade before, 'Kind Of Blue' comes to mind. The chilled, relaxing vibe is still evident here, and Davis' influence permeates alot of what Hancock does in this record. There is a bit more of an unsettled feeling here however, that gives 'The Prisoner' a slightly more aggressive sound. With such song titles as 'I Have A Dream,' it's clear that Hancock has made this record as a tribute to one of his contemporary heroes, Martin Luther King Jr. While it may be difficult to discern any subject matter from the instrumental music alone, the passion with which each musician plays certainly reflects the fiery theme that Hancock wrote this music around.

While this is certainly a well-played album, the big issue here is with the compositions themselves. Although the opening remarks of 'I Have A Dream' show some very structured writing, most of the album trails off into a great relay game, in which each soloist passes the torch to the next. While this is a well-marked convention in jazz music, a few added sections of melody and emphasized composition may have really improved the enjoyment of this record. All in all, I can see 'The Prisoner' spurring the hearts of quite a few jazz afficionados. The music here is very well performed. The heaviest weighted issue here however, really affects my personal enjoyment as a listener, and a little more distinction between tracks may have made for a greater impression.

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