HERBIE HANCOCK

Out of the surprising success of the V.S.O.P. first appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival in July of 1976, Herbie orchestrated a tour of Freddie Hubbard and four-fifths of Miles Davis' "Second Great Quintet" for the following summer. In between some concert dates in California, Herbie organized some recording time at David Rubinson's new recording studio in San Francisco--to which Tony Williams and Ron Carter showed up (and out of which, due to separate contractual obligations, arose two albums: this one from CBS/Columbia/Sony Records and another on Milestone Records attributed to Ron Carter, called Third Plane). The session conveys the musicians enthusiasm for the new V.S.O.P. collaboration--which would also culminate in several albums, live and studio, over the next few years.

1. "Watch It" (12:24) Though four of the songs are Herbie Hancock compositions (the fifth, Miles Davis' famous "Milestones") there is a very strong feeling of Tony Williams' LIFETIME in this, the opener. An amazing, jaw-dropping yet thoroughly-engaging song of dynamic Power Jazz/Jazz-Rock Fusion of the kind that Tony is so known for--but all of the performances on this song are humming along at "Eleven": virtuosos performing at the absolute peak of their powers. As a matter of fact, I find my judgment as to who's the ascendant performer swaying back and forth between Ron, Herbie, and Tony, over and over. What enthusiasm! Sublime expressions of joy and camaraderie. (25/25)

2. "Speak Like a Child" (13:04) while absolutely adore the original version of this song on the 1969 album of the same name, this one is a bit showy--especially from Herbie. It's still a great tune--and I love Ron's gnarly play on his fretless bass. Still a great song, just not the innocent and pure masterpiece that was rendered for Speak Like a Child. Though Herbie is dominant, the other two give every bit as much of their power and force as they did at any point of working with Miles in the "Second Great Quintet" (which, in my opinion, peaked with Sorcerer). (22.5/25)

3. "Watcha Waitin For" (6:19) the band members' energy seems to be waning a bit--at least Tony's--from that of that amazingly dynamic opener. Ron is still going super strong, super creative, and Herbie's doing fine; Tony just feels a little less enthused. The song is upbeat and uptempo slightly less melodic and engaging as the previous two songs. (8.875/10)

4. "Look" (7:40) an attempt at a late night cruiser is slightly diminished or led askew by both Ron and Herbie's more- enthusiastic-than-desirable play while Tony's subdued brush play on the traps is both suitable and perfect to capture the night fly. It's as if the guys want to play something for the late night crowd but two of them are still riding the high of adrenaline pumping through their system (especially Ron). Melodically, the song has quite a similar sound and feel to BRIAN JACKSON and GIL SCOTT-HERON's great "Pieces of a Man." (13.375/15)

5. "Milestones" (6:38) taking advantage of the trio's boundless energy, they decide to cover a classic Miles Davis song (now a jazz standard)--one that I'm sure they'd covered many times in live concert performances. All three of the band members are on fire throughout this but I must say that Herbie really puts on a show to display how good and how confident he's become over the years. Amazing! One of my favorite covers of this classic jazz tune! (10/10)

Total Time 46:05

A/five stars; a masterpiece of high-powered, highly-skilled acoustic jazz. HIGHLY recommended.

An absolutely wonderful album of pristine and deeply introspective piano improvisations: seven songs amounting to only 31 minutes of music that was highly treasured in Japan where it was recorded in 1969 in a studio in Tokyo before being released on June 21 of that year in Japan only--on CD in 1983! (It did not receive its public release in the West until 2004.) As I listen to this (over and over) I can only imagine the inspiration Herbie's music had on aspiring musicians in Japan. (Think: Ryuichi Sakamoto and Hiromi Uehara.)

This is definitely one of the finest solo piano albums you are likely to encounter from any genre of music! HIGHLY recommended.

Songs one through three were originally recorded on March 6th, 1968 (as well as material that would appear on later expanded releases as "bonus" songs #7 & 8) while songs four through six were recorded on March 9th (as well as bonus song #9), all at Rudy Van Gelder's Studio in New Jersey. Other than long-time collaborator Ron Carter, Herbie's new lineup of collaborators are all musicians of his own choosing.

1. "Riot" (4:40) good standard fare jazz. NOthing to write home about--except for the very palpable sense that one gets that this album is about Herbie, Herbie's piano play, and Herbie's ideas. (8.875/10)

2. "Speak Like a Child" (7:51) an amazingly beautiful song: it really draws one in and holds one close, surrounding and imbuing the listener with a calming, comforting feeling that is akin to those precious moments of deep connection between parent and child. One of the finest songs Herbie ever created--and some of the most beautiful piano playing he ever recorded. Quite the appropriate song title. (15/15)

3. "First Trip" (6:02) the only song on the album that is not attributed to Herbie, this is bassist Ron Carter's first and only compositional contribution to Speak Like a Child, one can certainly derive from this tune how much Ron loves bop--especially the mindless entertainment jazz of the past, both post World War II and pre-war; happy-go-lucky, carefree music to escape into--and it's all for Herbie (who solos over the entire song)! (9.25/10)

4. "Toys" (5:53) perhaps Herbie is giving back a little with this one as Ron Carter's bass is mixed very far forward. In the second minute Ron settles into a steady walking routine while Herbie steps into the spotlight--the music feeling very similar to the Vince Guaraldi stuff in the Charlie Brown television show soundtracks (thus the song title?). Herbie's piano work is exquisite: never getting stale or drowsy, always staying vibrant, melodic, and youthful. Brilliant! (9.333/10)

5. "Goodbye To Childhood" (7:07) pretty late-night deep-rumination music--something about this song reminds me of the work of both Bill Evans and the near-ambient solo work that Eberhard Weber would start doing around 1976. An eminently enjoyable musical listening experience; I feel washed and cleansed after listening to this beautiful song. Kudos to the brass section: their contributions were perfect as complements to Herbie's stellar piano play. (14.125/15)

6. "The Sorcerer" (5:37) it is rare that I feel some Chick Corea in Herbie's music, but this is one of those occasions: the tempo and phrasing (as well as Ron Carter's walking bass lines) feel as if they come straight out of my favorite Chick album of all-time, 1978's The Mad Hatter (to which, curiously, Herbie was a contributor). (9.125/10)

Total time 37:10

I agree with many other reviewers and music critics that with this album Herbie puts on display the extraordinary growth he has achieved piano player but more it shows how mature he's become as both a composer and bandleader! Speak Like a Child definitely contains some of my favorite piano music of all-time.

A/four stars; another jazz masterpiece--this one piano-centric--that I think every music lover would like--especially if you're partial to the melodic side of jazz. I have to say that I think of all the Herbie Hancock albums I've heard, this one might contain the most beautiful music--and certainly Herbie's prettiest piano playing.

Moving on as Herbie was want to do, here he enters full-on into the worlds of Disco and Urban R&B, still exploring technologies but with less adherence to his Jazz roots, more from a sense of staying relevant, of riding the elusive wave of popularity.

A1. "You Bet Your Love" (7:36) a fairly-simple and straightforward Disco song with a Michael Bublé-like jazz-crooner vocal over the top and active, animated posse of background vocalists (who perform arguably the best roles on the song). As with Sunlight, Herbie is proving that he has a rather nice, likable voice. The hand claps, slap bass, "horn" hits, and Fender Rhodes solo in the middle are great. (13.25/15)

A2. "Trust Me" (5:41) a gentle, laid back tune that makes me think of both the jazz crooners of the 50s and 60s as well as the Yacht Rockers emerging in the late 1970s like Barry Manilow, Boz Scaggs, Michael Franks, Al Jarreau, and Michael Walden. It's nice! Herbie's voice sounds so classic smooth crooner--very similar to that of Michael Bublé. (8.875/10)

A3. "Ready Or Not" (6:42) now here's a form of Disco that sounds more like that which will become bands like Parliament, The Isley Brothers, The Brothers Johnson, Chic, and even Prince (or, more accurately, Sheila E and the funk pop of the mid-to-late 1980s). Very contagious--and fun--especially, I would think, for the dance floor. (9.125/10)

B1. "Tell Everybody" (7:09) a Disco beat opens this one, setting up that which will become a Pop/R&B-Funk sound/song similar to those being played by bands like Rose Royce, Lipps, Inc., Rufus, Dazz Dazz, Atlantic Starr, and The Gap Band. Electronic percussion and horn sounds being experimented with. (despite the credits claiming that Bill Summers is the administrator of such sounds and play, it feels suspiciously like the work of the Escovedo family--especially Sheila E-- who are credited as contribution to the previous song. A song that will be remembered as a novelty song in an era when novelty songs were a common way to garner attention (and sales). (13/15)

B2. "Honey From The Jar" (6:51) take away the disco, rejoin the R&B slap-bass funk of Parliament, War, and The Ohio Players. Fun, funny, and entertaining but a long way from Jazz-Rock Fusion. (13.25/15)

B3. "Knee Deep" (5:39) applying distortional effects to all instruments--here drums and percussion as as well as using synthesized horns/brass exclusively. As a matter of fact, the song may be seen as an experiment in how to work with synthesized horns (despite the presence of Bennie Maupin with his soprano sax). The only song on the album whose funk is closer to Jazz-Rock Fusion than R&B or Disco.(9/10)

Total Time: 40:10

While I do like the music--found myself entertained and amused--I was really hoping from more vestiges of Jazz or Jazz-Rock Fusion in this Herbie album. Alas! He's evolved (for now) away from his roots. At the same time, I love that Herbie was so open--that his trajectory was one of adaptation and evolution rather than steadfast (and stubborn) conservation and preservation.

B/four stars; an excellent collection of funky Disco-and R&B-based songs. The album as a whole feels more driving by Herbie's propensity for experimentation with all that is "the latest": technology, stylistically, sonically.

Herbie's personal infatuation with the vocoder and other voice-manipulation tactics and technical devices has given him the courage to sing--which he does! on almost every song! The lead vocals!!

A1. "I Thought It Was You" (8:54) using melodies familiar to us from various theme songs to popular television shows plus a full brass section, Herbie & Co. explore the novelty side of Disco Pop music--here using a vocoder-like effect to modulate his singing voice. I hear a little of that which will become The Crusaders' "Street Life" in multiple aspects of this song. It's good--with the high-skill performances from all on board as one has come to expect from a Herbie production--just not great. As I said: it feels a little more like a novelty song. (17.75/20)

A2. "Come Running To Me" (8:23) using a whole different effect tool kit to modulate his voice on this one, Herbie adds his rather-pleasant and surprisingly-skilled voice to what feels like more of a Jazz-Pop song. A very pleasant, even relaxing and enjoyable, listening experience, the song comes across as less Smooth Jazz > Jazz-Rock Fusion > Jazz. (17.75/20)

B1. "Sunlight" (7:09) actually a pretty cool, very enjoyable song--structured over something that one might call funk- lite, Herbie's smooth vocal conveys some poetic lyrics, accented by the horn section, before moving into some scatting as the funk thickens a little. Ray Parker, Jr., Paul Jackson, and Bill Summers are essential to the success of the groove. LONG-time collaborator Bennie Maupin makes his only, albeit, brief appearance on the album in the middle. Herbie's own synth work in the second half is unusual and highly complementary to both his vocals and the funk motif. (14/15)

B2. "No Means Yes" (6:18) Harvey Mason, Bill Summers, Raul Reckow, and Paul Jackson make quite a team in the rhythm section--such virtuosic nuance represented--while the woodwinds, Fender Rhodes and lack of guitar all make quite the impact. Very cool song (despite its similarity to the slightly gentler work of Bob James)! (9.25/10)

B3. "Good Question" (8:31) a cool Latin jam that includes Tony Williams and Jaco Pastorius to give it the more serious jazz foundation that pianist Herbie was surely going for. The percussionist (Bill and Raul) and guest synthesizer guru, Dr. Patrick Gleeson (back from the old Mwandishi days) round out a rousing piece of jazz on which Mr. Hancock sounds like he's exploring the territory more commonly tread by contemporaries Chick Corea and Don Pullen. High speed and dynamic piano playing, to be sure! (18.125/20)

Total Time: 39:26

The transition over to easy listening, Adult Contemporary, Smooth Jazz seems pretty complete with this album despite the addition of a horn section and all of the compositions being Herbie's save one. The performances of the jazz musicians are all stellar--so polished and professional--and the compositions all quite mature and sophisticated, they're just falling more into conformation with the prevailing flow toward easy listening Smooth Jazz.

P.S. I can see how some people credit this album with helping to birth the Daft Punk-type of music of the 1990s and 2000s: Herbie seems quite intent on singing--and using massive distortion effects on his (actually-lovely) voice.

A-/five stars; a very nice contribution to Smooth Jazz which definitely helps legitimize the new direction that Jazz-Rock Fusion has evolved into.

Yet more evolution in the HH line-up of collaborators: only horn player Bennie Maupin remains from the Mwandishi lineup, and bassist Paul Jackson from the Head Hunter days. Besides the new sounds, the work of Melvin "Wah-Wah" Watson as both multi-instrumental performer and co-composer of five of the seven songs is particularly notable. The man was a creative force!

A1. "Doin' It" (8:00) funky rhythm guitar, bass, and "Voice Bag" all performed by Wah Wah Watson while the James Gadson and Ray Parker team helped out on the sides. Herbie's Fender Rhodes sounds pretty standard but the clavinet, organ, and synthesizer work alongside the "Just keep on doin' it" vocal chant is wild and definitely mega- funky. Do they think their Sly & The Family Stone? or the Ohio Players? Great funk tune that is especially notable for all of the advanced sound technologies used (and how they're used). (13.5/15) A2. "People Music" (7:07) cool Bob James- like funk-lite tune within which Bennie Maupin plays some weird horn (most likely the lyricon though it could be the saxello) to smooth effect. The song has many twists and turns, stops and starts, including a complete change in direction around the three-minute mark into a really cool spacey synth section over which Herbie helps re-establish the funk with his Fender Rhodes solo. I love Paul Jackson's bass play as well as the sophisticated compositional structure and spacey synth presence--and the fact that it just keeps getting better the further you get into it. (14.5/15)

A3. "Cantelope Island" (7:06) there's nothing like the revisitation to an old classic (now a "standard") from one's own repertoire and compositional legacy. I actually love how Herbie and Billy Cobham have been unafraid to "update" their popular/iconic compositions as there is so much to be said for the technological (and stylistic) progressions presented in each successive decade. While I like this version--it's pretty wild on the sound and solo side--but there's something that feels a bit like drag or a "too cool for your own shoes" attitude coming through. It's also difficult when you love the original. (13.333/15)

B1. "Spider" (7:20) dramatic like a film soundtrack song (think Shaft), this one harkens back to the Fat Albert Rotunda album in its urban soundtrack feel; one can just picture the montage of scenes as Huggy Bear, Bootney Farnsworth and/or Biggie Smalls walked through the streets of Harlem or Chicago's South Side. Cool, fun song with lots of virtuosic-though-understated individual work. (13.75/15)

B2. "Gentle Thoughts" (7:01) more gentle Pop-Funk with Wah-Wah and Herbie laying back while Bennie solos again on lyricon (and/or saxello). Nice melodies and interesting sounds being melded together, but, again, the similarities to the music Bob James was now making are not unnoticed. (13.5/15) B3. "Swamp Rat" (6:25) back to some really complex (and, I would think, demanding) funk that somehow still manages to come across as smooth and laid back. I love the syncopation being demanded of all performers--with Paul Jackson, Herbie and Wah Wah Watson particularly stepping up to the task. Interesting that Bennie's sax solo starts out far in the background but then slowly, gradually moves to the front and center. Was that an engineering choice or due to Bennie's distance to/from the recording microphone? The song becomes much more animated as it goes, even threatening to derail--but not if drummer James Levi can help it! (9.3333/10)

B4. "Sansho Shima" (4:50) Bennie Maupin's lone composition on the album, the song definitely brings the band back into some of the more jazz-oriented super-funk that was being explored by the more jazz-dedicated purists of the time (and beyond). Very demanding hyper-speed jazz performances are herebeing demanded of the musicians. Well met! Not as engaging of a tune as the previous ones but definitely impressive (9.125/10)

Total Time: 48:01

The performances are all loose and relaxed though tightly-synchronized: this band feels well-oiled and all on the same page. The compositions are all sophisticated and interesting, requiring virtuosic skills to perform, though some fall into the Bob James vein of Smooth Jazz that is beginning to take over and will soon dominate the Jazz-Rock Fusion idiom.

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of funk-leaning Jazz-Rock Fusion that covers the spectrum of both hard-core jazz as well as the insidious pull of the more commercially enticing and easy listening movement toward Smooth Jazz.

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.

Who knew that Herbie would go funkier than Thrust and Head Hunters? We probably have Wah Wah Watson and Louis Johnson to thank for that.

1. "Hang Up Your Hang Ups" (7:27) a song some proclaim the greatest funk jam of all-time, Herbie's clavinet, Louis Johnson's bass, the solid drums and amazing horn arrangements really are amazing but it's the incredible rhythm guitar of Melvin "Wah Wah" Watson and the other guitarists that always get me. Great housecleaning music. Excellent, if slightly incongruous. piano solo in the final 90 seconds. I am hard pressed to imagine how won could make this a better song. (15/15)

2. "Sun Touch" (5:09) a sound palette that could serve as a late-nite "Pillow Talk" radio theme song is actually quite complex with some very intricate performances. The rhythm section seem to almost want to pause or delay the song but Herbie's Fender Rhodes keeps pushing it along. Brilliant! Then you get the addition of Wah Wah's guitar riffs and the horns the further you travel into it. (9.5/10)

3. "The Traitor" (9:36) now that's some funky bass, with excellent response from the drummer. Herbie's clavinet accents are so dextrous and never over done. The bass, guitar, and horns frisky additions in the second minute are so awesome! It's like we're listening to PARLIAMENT! Then you put Herbie's snarky synth soloing over the top and it's like Bernie Worrell or George Clinton himself were sittin' in! Wow! Never knew Herbie let himself go this funky! I love it! Seems like a preview of every funky hip hop act of the next twenty years--as well as a reflection of early Kool & The Gang, Ohio Players, and Brothers Johnson, and the new Isley Brothers sound. And the sound engineering is so incredible: every instrument is easily followable while the fullness of the collective weave is never tampered with. The instrumental choice I think I'd leave off would be that occasionally sustained Oberheim strings chord: the funk doesn't need it. Toward the end of the song, the bass solo beneath Wah Wah's "distant" talk box guitar play is awesome. (19.25/20)

4. "Bubbles" (8:59) a fairly simple and minimalist construction of basically five instruments: the melodic bass, the more-percussive drums, a single lead guitar, a horn player injecting a variety intermittent sounds, and Herbie with a wide barrage of subtly delivered keys (clavinet, Fender Rhodes, Oberheim strings, other synth flourishes). Amazing how little front man action there is: just little attention grabbers from a wide assortment of contributors, all pretty much delivered in flourishes and sudden outbursts. Cool! Highly entertaining to listen to just to try to catch all of the tremendous number of sounds injected into it. (17.75/20)

5. "Steppin' in It" (8:36) more funk coming from the bass and bass-synth departments with spacious drum-and-bass funk while accented by an active and unpredictable horn section and team of several rhythm guitarists. This reminds me of the theme song from Sanford and Son. In the fourth minute Herbie's Fender Rhodes steps into the forefront to give us some uninspired and unobtrusive soloing. Then, just as I was thinking for the third or fourth time how "Stevie Wonder"-like this all was, who should step into the spotlight but Stevie Wonder with his harmonica! This feels like something from Stevie's upcoming Songs in the Key of Life. And yet the song is given full compositional credit to Herbie! The two must have run into each other in 1974 or 1975 while recording their own musics at the same music studio on the West Coast (most likely Crystal Studios in Hollywood: where Stevie recorded most of SinKoL--including the song "As" which features Herbie on Fender Rhodes). As a matter of fact, I'll go so far as to guess that Stevie's harmonica part was added towards the end of the song's processing as I can still hear the "shadow" of Herbie's Fender Rhodes solo beneath Stevie's harmonica--indicating to me that originally Herbie's solo that was started around the three minute mark actually went fully through the song but then was later muted (or attempted to have been removed from the song) from the 4:10 mark onwards in lieu of Stevie's solo. Regardless of the accuracy of my deductions, neither performances do enough to lift this song up: the performances here are just not as energetic or spirited as those on the other songs on the album, thus, this is not my favorite: it's a little too BOB JAMES-thin for my preferences. (17.5/20)

6. "Heartbeat" (5:17) stomping bass and bass drums open this while guitars, keys and horns introduce their sound package for about 30 seconds before the train starts rolling. It's another soul-funky song that reminds one of earlier classic 1970s Soul/R&B music like that of Motown's The Temptations ("I Can't Get Next to You") or Four Tops (Ain't No Woman [Like the One I Got]). The performers are totally engaged and synched up for this one! Love to hear it when everybody's on board like this! Great drumming, great bass play, GREAT Herbie play, and great contributions from Bill Summers and the rhythm guitarists. (9.25/10)

Total Time 44:47

An amazingly creative foray into the deepest funk territory I've ever heard a jazz artist ever go, and yet, at the same time, the jazzy core of improvisational interweaving of many instruments never suffers or is sacrificed--again, something that I've rarely (maybe never) heard to this level of perfection. I am truly shocked to have only discovered this album and hereby recognize it as one of the greatest testaments to the peak accomplishments of Jazz-Rock Fusion.

A/five stars; a masterpiece of funked-up Jazz-Rock Fusion; a true example of nearly perfect blending of Jazz-Rock and Jazz-Funk trends as they occurred in the mid-1970s. Though many people consider Herbie as a leader and innovator, I choose to think of him and his musical outpourings as an excellent barometer of the latest trends in J-R Fusion: he was always in the first wave of expressionists to come after the stones of innovation had been thrown by other artists and engineers--maybe he was (consistently) that first wave.

"Man-child" may be the funkiest album you can find on "Progarchives", executed at the right time with full energy, passion and talent. Instrumentally, it is an advanced funk with jazz influence and far from a sell-out even though a jazz purist would claim otherwise. Hancock shines on a myriad of keyboards, particularly on Fender Rhodes, piano and clavinet. Notable lasting impression is also provided by the guitar player Wah-wah Watson and Bennie Maupin on brass instruments. The album has either neutral or positive vibes and this without using vocals. The focus is on the rhythm (in the upbeat tracks) or more jazzy and subtle playing. There my different preferences by a Hancock fan but I like both dimensions. "Sun touch" and "Bubbles" are examples of mellow fusion with wonderful and tasty Hancock playing (leads and textures at the same time). The more upbeat remaining tracks are elastic, quite loose and for first-time listener, they may come as monotonous. You either take this as part of organic music or pay attention to what each instrument is doing. 3,5 stars

Herbie's first studio album since decommissioning his Mwandishi project. Herbie is stated to have said that he was tired of the spacey, high-end stuff and just wanted to bring it back down to Earth with some funk. It is important when listening to this album to remember how influential it was: both to other artists as well as on the tastes of the popular ear; this was, after all, at the time (until the 1976 phenomenon of George Benson's Breezin'), the highest selling jazz album of all-time!

1. "Chameleon" (15:41) the opening funk bass sound and line lets us know right off the bat what's going to be different about this music compared to the famous "Mwandishi sound" of Herbie's previous three years of work: Funk is paramount here. The problem here is how long Herbie stays affixed to a particular pattern and motif: it's as if it takes him 30 measures to get the feel of a pattern enough to be able to play within much less diverge or solo above it. I don't know if the rhythm section (or engineer) realized that they were speeding up in the sixth minute, beneath Herbie's funky ARP Soloist solo, but it's awkward for a bit until they all return to the pocket. At 7:40 there is a reset to let Paul Jackson and Harvey Mason reset their rhythm pattern. Now we're in Fender Rhodes territory--the soundscape that will become BOB JAMES' standard/go-to palette. Paul and percussionist Bill Summers start playing off one another, which is highly entertaining despite Herbie supposedly being in the lead up top. Harvey's innovative use of the hi-hat here might also have served to influence all future Disco drummers. I prefer this middle section to the opening one. At the 12-minute mark there is a reset bridge with those rich ARP strings and panning Fender Rhodes play. J-R Fuse Heaven! Now this is where Smooth Jazz came from! At 13:15 there is another reset bridge that allows the band to restart the opening motif. Here Bennie Maupin finally gets some front-time on his tenor sax. Nice. A song that contains so much innovation I can't justify down-rating it despite my not really liking the majority of it. (27/30)

2. "Watermelon Man" (6:29) a very popular song that is denigrated by the fact that to me it is a very thinly-veiled revisitation on Dobie Gray's big hit from 1964 (a Billy Page compostion), "The 'In' Crowd." Then there is the presence at the opening and ending of the odd breath and voice percussion (what would probably inspire a whole generation of Bobby McFerrins. (8.875/10)

3. "Sly" (10:18) a reference to he of the Family Stone? What starts out deceptively in some disarray becomes, quite suddenly, at the two-minute mark, a meteoric flight through high altitude with bass, drums, percussion, and clavinet all rushing wildly along in a very loose weave beneath Bennie Maupin's wild soprano saxophone play. Then Herbie gets a turn on his Fender electric piano. The man is so smooth! Paul Jackson's low end bass play paired up with Harvey Mason's hi-hat and cymbal work is pure genius! Somebody (Bennie Maupin) must be playing the clavinet beneath/alongside Herbie's two-handed Fender Rhodes exposition. I have to admit that I'd never really appreciated the drumming of Harvey Mason before this--cuz I'd never heard anything quite like this before. High marks for the extraordinary work of that dynamic middle section.(19/20)

4. "Vein Melter" (9:10) It would seem here that Harvey's semi-automatic militaristic snare and hi-hat riff would run contrary to the somber, etheric world being created by the rest of the band, but somehow it all works (except the ARP sounds: they sound so dated!) My favorite part is hearing Bennie Maupin playing with such feeling and emotion without having to blast it or even raise his "voice." Also, you can hear here the reverberating Fender Rhodes electric piano sound that everybody will be using over the next ten years: KOOL AND THE GANG "Summer Madness," Donald Fagen/STEELY DAN, BOZ SCAGGS Silk Degrees and so many more. (17.5/20)

Total Time 41:38

Thrust is my favorite Herbie album.

A-/five stars; a minor-masterpiece (and landmark album) of Jazz-Rock Fusion.