Herbie Hancock - Sextant (DVD-A)

Released in 1973, Sextant was Herbie Hancock's first album on Columbia Records. It was, and remains extremely complex, and a harmonically and rhythmically challenging musical statement. Hancock was no stranger to electronic music, having used synthesisers extensively during his short time with Warner Bros. Records, but Sextant took his sound to a new level, and arguably pushed the boundaries of the growing jazz-fusion movement further than any of his contemporaries.

Like its Warner predecessors, the album features a kind of post-modal, free impressionism while gracing the edges of funk. The three long tracks are exploratory investigations into the nature of how mode and interval can be boiled down into a minimal stew and then extrapolated upon for soloing and "riffing." In fact, in many cases, the interval becomes the riff, as is evidenced by "Rain Dance." The piece that revealed the true funk direction, however, was "Hidden Shadows," with its choppy basslines and heavy percussion — aided by the inclusion of Dr. Patrick Gleeson and Buck Clarke. Dave Rubinson's production brought Hancock's piano more into line with the rhythm section, allowing for a unified front in the more abstract sections of these tunes. The true masterpiece on the album, though, is "Hornets," an eclectic, electric ride through both the dark modal ambience of Miles' In a Silent Way and post-Coltrane harmonic aesthetics. The groove is in place, but it gets turned inside out by Priester and Maupin on more than one occasion and Hancock just bleats with the synth in sections. Over 19 minutes in length, it can be brutally intense, but is more often than not stunningly beautiful. It provides a glimpse into the music that became Headhunters, but doesn't fully explain it, making this disc, like its Warner predecessors, true and welcome mysteries in Hancock's long career. - Allmusic


Track listing

1. "Rain Dance" - 9:16
2. "Hidden Shadows" - 10:11
3. "Hornets" - 19:35

Personnel

* Herbie Hancock - piano, Fender Rhodes, Hohner D-6 clavinet, mellotron
* Bennie Maupin - soprano sax, bass clarinet, piccolo, afuche, hum-a-zoo
* Dr. Eddie Henderson - trumpet, flugelhorn
* Julian Priester - bass trombone, tenor trombone, alto trombone, cowbell
* Buster Williams - electric bass, acoustic bass
* Billy Hart - drums
* Dr. Patrick Gleeson - ARP 2600 and Pro-Soloist
* Buck Clarke - percussion