Herbie Hancock – Dedication (1974/2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24-bit/96 kHz | Time – 40:26 minutes | 783 MGB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Columbia
This is a unique experiment in the Hancock discography, recorded in Tokyo in just one day during a tour of Japan. The first side contains two introspective, complex solo acoustic piano tracks, “Maiden Voyage” and “Dolphin Dance,” which are notable since they date from a period when Hancock was supposedly totally immersed in electronics. Side two has two even more unusual pieces — “Nobu,” a one-man show recorded in real time with the sample-and-hold feature of an ARP 2600 synthesizer providing a rhythm section for Hancock’s electric keyboards, followed by “Cantaloupe Island” with a pre-recorded synth bassline. Side two is a fascinating look back at the charms and stringent limitations of mid-’70s analog keyboards, as well as a challenge to Hancock’s on-the-wing inventiveness — and despite some inevitable stiffness in the rhythm, he comes through with some colorful work. This would be the first of several Japan-only Hancock albums from the ’70s, an indication that Japanese jazz fans were (and perhaps still are) far more open-minded and free-spending than their American counterparts. ~ Richard S. Ginell
Tracklist:
01. Maiden Voyage
02. Dolphin Dance
03. Nobu
04. Cantaloupe Island
Personnel:
Herbie Hancock, piano
Fender Rhodes, all instruments
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