FAT ALBERT ROTUNDA

3.5 stars really!!!

As the writer of Watermelon Man's (one of the 60's best known soul-jazz hit), Hancock was used to a certain non-jazz fame, although he tried his best to shrug it off. But writing some of Antonioni's Blow Up soundtrack (a seminal counter-culture movie) and writing music for Bill Cosby's comedy shows (this album is result of that collaboration), this was more of an anti-mainstream attitude, very in vogue in the serious jazz circles that was applauding albums like Maiden Voyage or Speak Like A Child..

Fat Albert Rotunda is probably HH's most important record one of the hinges between his different periods, the previous being his Blue Note era (65 to 69) straight jazz series of solo album (he was also a member of Miles Davis' 60's quintet) with Maiden Voyage being the highlight of the era. The FAR release is the first of what we shall call his Mwandishi period (70 to 74) , or if you want, when HH veered towards jazz rock, and the next period being a bit later (in 75) his next period the Head Hunter jazz-funk era. FAR is the hinge between his acoustic jazz and his electric jazz rock career, but it's also the first album of a new contract with a new label (Warner Bros), under which he will have almost total artistic freedom, and under which he will make four stunning album, three of them close to experimental jazz-rock, going a tad further than Zawinul's cohorts of Weather Report.

If FAR (released in 69 and sporting a fridge artwork) gets included in this period, it's partly because of the label it is published on, and partly because Herbie finally attacks (includes) electricity in his music, but if a jazz-rock album in some forms, it can't really be a Mwandishi album. First the line-up is full-jazz line-up playing sometimes exciting jazz-rock, but also often carrying an instrumental Chicago Transit Authority-type of brass-rock, that gets my nod, because not only are the musicians top masters at their trades, they make their rock counterparts looks twee and unrehearsed (which is probably even worse, since these giants were probably winging it on the second take).

Starting on the delicious brass-rock of Wiggle Waggle, the album hovers between straight jazz and full- blown jazz-rock, often taking the brass rock route as middle road. When we talk of HH's electric jazz rock, one must realize we're talking of Herbie's electric piano and Buster Williams' electric bass and that's it..As in WW as well as Lil' Brother, when HH's cohorts approach this style/genre, they simply dwarf all these rock formations, but it's clear these guys are seasoned veterans (sometimes entering their third decade of music business) whereas the rock groups where just recording their first albums.

Other tracks attack more directly the newly Davis-founded jazz rock, but taking the shy approach, not daring to go deep into it with this '"standard" line-up. Tracks like Fat Mama, Here He Comes, Fat Albert Rotunda (the track) are incredibly fascinating, showing Herbie's slow gradual grasp of the "rock" world, even if his "black attitude' guided him towards funk. In general these are my fave tracks, but I like the brass-rock as well and even the straight jazz tune are nice. not a weak track ob FAR. As mentioned above, there are still some pure jazz tracks on FAR, and Bedtime Story and Jessica are two of them. What's most striking is that the FAR overall feeling is a very happy one, one floating on goodwill and bon entendre, one flowing easily for the listener and groovy to have dance. Indeed, remember that the music was set for Cosby's comedy show, and we can easily see that the music fit Cosby's usually superb humour.

It's a real shame that these WB issue cannot be found in another shape than that ugly orange masters series (they've done the same for most of Ertegun's Atlantic label jazz artiste, doubled by the stupid idea of making these ugly series on Digipack format casing, thus ruining that format's intended artwork enhancement project completely ineffective. Another bad point is that the visible end-side now boasts a replica of Coltrane's Impulse label, with its orange and black colours. Outside these collector's consideration, the sound is perfect, the music fascinating and that's probably the most important.

First after-Miles Herbie Hancock solo album. Hancock turned jazz-funk for a first time and released perfect album. Musicians team is almost all-stars ( still jazz-stars), Hancock is playing vintage 60-s funk jazz with Fender piano rich inclusions. All musicians are high level professionals, and you can hear it! Originally the album is based on soundtrack for the Bill Cosby TV show Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids. Still not his heavy, complex and in moments monotonous funk fusion of later works, there is melodic, light and groovy mix of funk and brassy be-bop. Still as very early fusion example, it is perfect be-bop and fusion mix, demonstrating great Hancock musical abilities. And very pleasant listening as well.

Recorded in two sessions at Van Gelder Recording Studios, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, in May and June of 1969, where it was engineered by Rudy Van Gelder (of course), I find it interesting that an early or proto- Jazz-Rock Fusion album could be achieved using the seasoned jazz musicians Herbie here employs (which were the same musicians he used on his previous solo album, The Prisoner). This also marks Herbie's first album produced and released by Warner Brothers Records. It was released on December 8, 1969.

A1. "Wiggle Waggle" (5:48) sounds like one of those rollicking R&B/Jazz-Lite songs that populated so many "hip" films of the late 1960s--like Peter Sellers' The Party. Great performances from trumpeter (9/10)

A2. "Fat Mama" (3:45) sounds like an inspirateur for Eumir DEODATO's future "Also Sprach Zaarathustra - 2001" international hit. I find it curious that the performances of the two electric guitarists has gone uncredited (and unrecognized) all these years. The fuzzy guitar-like sound accompanying the rhythm track start to finish could be a heavily-distorted sax but the appearance of a second guitar in the middle of the second minute is unequivocally an electric guitar--making it obvious that there are two rather distinct guitar sounds occurring throughout the song in the background within the rhythm section. I'm guessing that somehow Billy Butler and Eric Gale were somehow forgotten when compiling the credits for the album. Nice, steady work from the rhythm section and some great smooth Fender Rhodes play from Herbie with cool punctuation and enhancements from the horns here and there throughout. (9.2510)

A3. "Tell Me A Bedtime Story" (5:00) a song that bodes well for future Pop- and Smooth-Jazz/Easy Listening star (and producer) BOB JAMES, it is a lovely Fender Rhodes-dominated song with syncopated Latin-suggested rhythm and cinematic "LA Smooth" horn arrangements that definitely predict Bob's Smoth Jazz. This is the first song on which the drumming really strikes me as perfect--and it's brushwork! Johnny Coles' trumpet work and Joe Henderson's flute playing are also quite sublime. Beautiful. Definitely a top three song for me. (9.5/10)

A4. "Oh! Oh! Here He Comes" (4:05) another early-funk song with a clear influence on DEODATO's upcoming music. Amazing! Sounds like DAVID AXELROD's 1968 landmark album, Song of Innocence, which, of course, was facilitated by the core work of LA's famous session band, The Wrecking Crew. Buster Williams' electric bass line was lifted a decade later by John Entwistle for The Who's hit song, "Eminence Front." The rhythm guitar work (again: uncredited) is esssential but the bass and drumming are so great: just like the work of The Wrecking Crew (Carol Kaye, Hal Blaine, and Don Randi, specifically). My favorite song on the album. (9.75/10)

B1. "Jessica" (4:11) beautiful old time lounge piano jazz that starts out with trombone establishing the main melody over Herbie's piano. The main melody does sound familiar--as if from a classic film theme song ("Summer of '42"?) or perhaps a Bill Evans song. Joined by flute and more intricately arranged and performed horns, this kind of stuff doesn't get any better than this--even if Bill Evans were in the leadership position. Too bad the piano is not very well recorded (or just sounds crappy). My other top three song. (9.5/10)

B2. "Fat Albert Rotunda" (6:27) funky jazz-R&B with plenty of percussion and rhythm guitar flare. (The rhythm guitar is uncredited but sounds a lot like the style and work of Eric Gale.) Buster Williams' electric bass play is a little messy, but Herbie is really rockin' it with his Fender Rhodes and the horn accents and diversions provided Joe Henderson, Johnny Coles, and Garnett Brown are perfect. (9/10)

B3. "Lil' Brother" (4:25) more David Axelrod/The Wrecking Crew-like cinematic funk-R&B fare with some highly spirited performances coming from the guitarists and horn players--especially Joe Henderson and Arthur (C.) Clarke on his Space Odyssey baritone sax. In fact, the band is so animated as a whole that Herbie's electric piano is mostly drowned out by the others! (9.3333/10)

Total Time: 33:59

Nothing gives one the idea of the influence a particular artist may have had to his contemporaries until you hear a popular and acclaimed album from the era that you've never heard before, which is the case with this album for me. The music on this album shows me how much influence the L.A. scene was having on Herbie (particularly from film, television, and David Axelrod and The Wrecking Crew's influence) but it also illustrates how much a single album can influence another future star, in this case the one and only Eumir Deodato as well as fresh Berklee grad Bob James.

A/five stars; a wonderful, amazing, eminently engaging and enjoyable excursion through the late 1960s world of film and television score music making performed by one of Jazz's most adventurous and trend-following artists. Though this is early funk, and very cinematic-like, it definitely has its place in the development of that which would become Jazz-Rock Fusion--particularly influential to the nurturance and development of the funky side of J-R F. I have to say, this is one of my favorite type of Jazz-Rock Fusion styles, so it will come as no surprise to see that Fat Albert Rotunda has lept into my top 20 masterpieces of First Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion.