HERBIE HANCOCK — Sextant (review)

Album · 1973 · Fusion

3/5 · 2011-03-23
Abraxas

Everybody knows what John McLaughlin did in the 70s, as well as what Joe Zawinul with Wayne Shorter did, and also what Chick Corea did. But everyone seems to forget what Herbie Hancock did first before doing his commercially successful funk-fusion.

Hancock formed a sextet in 1970 known as the Mwandishi group, alike the early years of Weather Report (Zawinul & Shorter), this group followed the master’s (Miles Davis) experimental footsteps, recalling the freaky improvisation and grooves, but this time the idealist being Herbie. It’s already clear by listening to the band’s debut or Weather Report’s debut in any case, that these two groups didn’t have in their minds to emulate Miles 70s music, if not just capture a part of it, and from there evolve in their singular way.

However, it’s not in the debut where Hancock & Co. really develop the highly inventive and sophisticated group that those who know the work praise (it still was pretty great though). It’s actually in the following, Crossings, with the addition of substantial member, Dr. Patrick Gleason and his synths, that things start to really be creative and ahead of its time.

For their third and final release, entitled Sextant, they stretch things even further, more abstract compositions and repetitive cyclic rhythms a la Davis. If Crossings sounded to you already dense and full, well Sextant is here to give you more, though not necessarily better.

‘Rain Dance’ starts things off in a very odd way full of bleep-blops out of Patrick’s synths, surely emulating the rain. It’s mostly electronic music, not far from the German school of Klaus Schulze & Co., with jazzy passages every now and then just to assure you that you bought a Herbie Hancock record. Way too experimental sounding for my taste.

‘Hidden Shadows’ brings back the highly inventive psychedelic fusion of Crossings. Repetitive complex rhythms with a lot going on in the background, say mellotrons, synths, percussion, you name it. The composition evolves slowly with increasing number of participants and of grooves, all in all making a spectacular odd mix of chilling psychedelic music and moving fusion. Herbie’s piano solo near the end is fascinating.

‘Hornets’ is the central composition of the album lasting 19 minutes. Again a cyclic rhythm is present, one that would inspire Eddie Henderson’s Realization album. Psychedelic ambience is featured throughout with a lot of different keyboards, plus interesting woodwinds. It could have been another masterpiece like 'Sleeping Giant' from Crossings, but for me it drags for too long, even there’s the presence of a kazoo which is simply annoying.

A fusion landmark in terms of creativity and ability of the musicians on board to play unique eclectic fusion, but it’s actually only the second composition that makes this album really worthwhile.

Recommended to fans of Davis' 70s albums and fusion-alike. However, you should get Crossings first before delving in Sextant which is clearly more experimental and less consistent.