MAIDEN VOYAGE

Recorded on March 17, 1965, at Rudy Van Gelder's studios in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, right after the recording sessions for Miles' E.S.P. It didn't take long for Rudy and producer Alfred Lion to get these tapes mastered and ready for production.

A1. "Maiden Voyage" (7:57) such beautiful, accessible and polished jazz--with great performances across the board but especially from the tandem duo of Freddie Hubbard and George Coleman. An absolutely peak jazz song. (14.5/15)

A2. "The Eye Of The Hurricane" (6:02) fast and yet not-so-furious: instead, this one feels rather "controlled" as opposed to the amazing energy that was not so-effectively bottled for Empyrean Isles' amazing "One Finger Snap." The melodies are a bit more obtuse though the chordal foundation is still quite accessible. (8.75/10)

A3. "Little One" (8:48) slow, melancholy and pensive, the intro of this one feels protracted as if the charts have been stretched out to make more space as well as to let each and every note and chord cast its fullest ripple effect. I love it! Then, at 1:24, the band shifts into a slow-rolling second gear (perhaps even first would be a more accurate analogy: cruisin' very slowly down the avenue with little to no verbal commentary, only George Coleman's nebulous monologue never really breaking the hypnotic, mindless spell the others are under. With the switch to Freddie Hubbard's trumpet as the main speaker we see a little life come to both Herbie and Ron Carter, but then when Herbie takes his turn to hold the talking stick everybody kind of settles back into their own personal reveries as they watch the minimal human scenery and late night neon signage on the sidewalks outside. Ron does, however, take a turn to speak--in the seventh minute--and everybody listens attentively, with great respect, Herbie even chiming in with an occasional "amen" and "hallelujah" before leading the band into their stopping/drop-off spot. Great tune for late night rumination. To me, this is a perfect jazz tune--akin to those strung along on Miles' Kind of Blue and much of Bill Evans work 1959-1961. (20/20)

B1. "Survival Of The Fittest" (10:04) back to uptempo jazz swing with a bit of a "N'arlans" flare. Freddie Hubbard is in a zone all his own with his rapid-fire legato horn play! And then, surprise of surprises, Tony Williams is offered an unaccompanied solo in the first half of the fourth minute. This animates Tony to add more to the support of the rest of the song as George Coleman takes the next solo. I love how Herbie chimes in with his antiphonal piano chord hits as if responding to the call of "The Preacher"'s sax. At the 6:05 mark Freddie signals a change in direction: perhaps a red light at an intersection. Here the band seems to be chomping at the bit to get back in gear, but with each musician kind of exploring their own energy, the future direction and pace seems undetermined. Herbie tries to quell their anxieties, even getting Tony to sync back into his leadership while the others choose to step back and listen (without comment). Tony's support is rewarded with a little more spotlight in the second half of the ninth minute before Herbie moves into a very classical-sounding passage--to which Tony responds with a Cuban flare at the end of the tenth minute. And then the band comes back together only for a few seconds to end the song. C'est tout! (18/20)

B2. "Dolphin Dance" (9:17) another standard, "safe" jazz tune that allows room for expression from all of the musicians while shining spotlights on Freddie's horn blowing, George's sax play, Herbie's ivory tickling (especially in that special eighth minute!). When the band congeals for the ninth minute it is one of the most sublime sonospheres one could ever hope for: jazz or not! Beautiful ending of a safe song.(18.667/20)

Total Time: 42:05

Man have these guys continued to grow! All that time spent with Miles has sure been great to the skills and maturation of Ron, Tony, and especially, Herbie. Though this is still fairly straightforward, solid jazz, the skill-building and camaraderie born of sessions like this (sans Miles) are only strengthening the individual musicians and, I think, emboldening them to break out on their own (further). And the weirdest thing of all is that throughout this album I detect no arguing of egos: it's as if everyone is so comfortable with one another, so trusting and supported, that they are all able to feel free enough to just let loose and be their true selves.

A/five stars; a jazz masterpiece that should definitely be in every jazz lover's music collection. For Prog and Jazz-Rock Fusion lovers, this album sets an example for whole-band unity and downplayed egos. Highly recommended.

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