SEXTANT

The finale of the Mwandishi trilogy, Herbie Hancock and crew find themselves the most immersed in their exploratory African soundscapes as ever, and give one last artistic hoorah before the more commercial "Head Hunters" follow-up album.

This album truly is one of a kind. A more avant-garde jazz album, this is certainly not a "progressive rock" album, but it is undoubtedly a progressive album. Heavily influenced by African rhythms, "Sextant" creates some of the most delightfully abstract jazz put to record. There is very little discernible melody to be noted, but who cares? There are more than enough prog-by-numbers symphonic albums out there if that's what you're looking for. This album is a unique sonic collage, and an artistic tour de force. With that in mind, "Sextant" is best listened to hypnotically, simply following the grooves and letting the sounds passively take you away to places you didn't even know existed.

The album's first side is the highlight for me, although the magic permeates through all 3 extended compositions. "Rain Dance" dabbles into early electronic music and sets the album's tone very nicely: futuristic and cosmic, yet earthy and organic, paradoxically intertwined in a vast astral plane. The album cover gives a pretty good impression of the sorts of vistas you can expect to lie on these unbeaten paths. "Hidden Shadows", perhaps the most accessible piece on the record, continues the journey while building off of an almost funk-like beat. This one is a favourite of mine. The second side, which consists of the 19+ minute long "Hornets", is a bit more of an acquired taste. While the grooves on side one were relatively easy to get caught up in, "Hornets", as the name suggests, is spiny and abrasive with its dissonance. Although not immediately inviting, repeated listens should put you in the right sort of mood to appreciate its own distinct take on the "Sextant" sound.

This is no doubt an album of great artistic merit, and one that all jazz fans and fans of avant-garde music should invest in. At first I had reservations about "Hornets", but over time I have come to appreciate its own blend of organic grooves as well. In all, "Sextant" is an excellent album, even if not a strictly prog one: 4 stars.