| Herbie Hancock — Dedication |
![Herbie Hancock — Dedication (September 21st, 1974) [2014 Japan]](/obrazek/3/700-folder-jpg-349/ "Herbie Hancock — Dedication (September 21st, 1974) [2014 Japan]")
Herbie Hancock — Dedication (September 21st, 1974) [2014 Japan]
♣ REISSUE s nejnovějším DSD remasteringem. Dodává se včetně poznámek. Jedná se o unikátní experiment v Hancockově diskografii, zaznamenaný v Tokiu pouze během jediného dne v průběhu jeho turné po Japonsku. Obdivuji tu skutečnost, že fyzické album vyšlo 54. den od odehrání samotného koncertu. První strana obsahuje dva introspektivní, komplexně sólové, akustické klavírní skladby, “Maiden Voyage” a “Dolphin Dance”, které jsou pozoruhodné, protože se datují z období, kdy Hancock byl pravděpodobně zcela ponořen do elektroniky. Jak již název kompozic napovídá, jsou z jeho 5. studiového alba (March 17, 1965 z Van Gelderova studia v Englewood Cliffs). Druhá strana obsahuje dva více–méně neobvyklé kusy — “Nobu”, one–man show zaznamenána v reálném čase metodou sample–and–hold, kde se představují v té době špičkové nástroje Fender Rhodes, ARP Pro Soloist, ARP Odyssey, ARP 2600, ARP String Ensemble, poskytující rytmickou sekci pro elektrické klávesy. Následuje “Cantaloupe Island” s předem nahranou synth basovou linkou. Tato druhá strana je fascinujícím ohlédnutím za kouzly v rámci přísných omezení poloviny 70. let, co se týče analogových kláves, stejně jako výzvou pro Hancocka samotného, kdy musel projevit velkou vynalézavost kvůli určité nevyhnutelné ‘tuhosti v rytmu’. Přichází až s neuvěřitelně barvitou prací. Bylo to první z několika výlučně japonských Hancockových alb v 70. letech, což indikuje, že japonští jazzoví fanoušci byli (a možná stále jsou) mnohem více vnímaví ochotni utrácet víc, než Američané. Samostatnou zmínku si zaslouží skladba Dolphin Dance. Hancockovi se podařilo dosáhnout extrémně náladové odstíny a subtilní ‘puls na tepu doby’ díky svému virtuóznímu, přesto citlivému piano–stylu. Mnoho profesionálních jazzových sólistů spadlo na zadek pokoušející se improvizovat s “Dolphin Dance” na veřejnosti: ona vskutku odděluje muže od chlapců, protože je skutečně potřeba udělat pečlivou přípravu k zahrání skladby: průměrné jazzové dovednosti pouze olizují jádro skladby, což prostě nefunguje. Sofistikovaná originální kompozice jako je tato, vyžaduje především mít ověřenou transkripci. “Dolphin Dance” je právě TA velmi sofistikovaná impresionistická kompozice a když to člověk pozorně poslouchá, přijde na to, že je inspirovaná. Herbie Hancock zahrál tento kus s vědomím, že je jednou z nejsložitějších jazzových skladeb napsaných k dnešnímu dni, tedy předtím, teď, i potom. Hancock byl ovlivněn francouzskými impresionisty: Claude Debussy a Maurice Ravel. Je to skvělá konstrukční práce na všech úrovních. For me, the most noteworthy chord is the Ab7–5 blues chord in the momentary Cm, suggesting flat five blues phrases. A zcela nakonec: album Maiden Voyage je jedním z nejlepších alb, jaké kdy vyšly na labelu Blue Note v 60´ letech.
♣ 14x Grammy Awards + dalších 15 uznávaných cen, např. “American Academy of Arts and Sciences” (2013), vydal 53 alb a 6 koncertních filmů. Také mu vyšla kniha pod názvem “Herbie Hancock: Possibilities” (2014). 
Birth name: Herbert Jeffrey Hancock
Born: in Chicago in 1940
Location: Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
Album release: 2014 (Sept. 21, 1974)
Recorded: July 29, 1974, Koseinekin Hall, Tokyo
Record Label: Columbia/Sony Music Japan [SICP 4049]
Genre: Jazz, Post Bop, Jazz–funk, Fusion
Duration: 40:38
Tracks:
01 Maiden Voyage # 7:44
02 Dolphin Dance # 11:18
03 Nobu 7:39
04 Cantaloupe Island 13:57
♣ All compositions by Herbie Hancock.
Credits:
♣ Shigeo Anzai Back Cover Photo, Cover Photo
♣ Herbie Hancock Arp 2600, Arp Odyssey, Clavinet, Composer, Fender Rhodes, Harp Keyboards, Piano, Soloist
♣ K’ichi Nakamura Production Director
♣ David Rubinson Producer
♣ Tamoo Suzuki Engineer
♣ Teruhisa Tajima Design
♣ Shuichi Yoshida Design
*********************************
Player:
♣ Herbie Hancock — Grand Piano #1 + #2, Fender Rhodes, ARP Pro Soloist, ARP Odyssey, ARP 2600, ARP String Ensemble
AllMusic Review by Richard S. Ginell; Score: ***
♣ Reissue with latest DSD remastering. Comes with liner notes. 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.
Herbie Hancock: An Introduction
♣ Herbie Hancock is a true icon of modern music. Throughout his explorations, he has transcended limitations and genres while maintaining his unmistakable voice. With an illustrious career spanning five decades and 14 Grammy® Awards, including Album of the Year for River: The Joni Letters, he continues to amaze audiences across the globe.
♣ There are few artists in the music industry who have had more influence on acoustic and electronic jazz and R&B than Herbie Hancock. As the immortal Miles Davis said in his autobiography, “Herbie was the step after Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk, and I haven’t heard anybody yet who has come after him.”
♣ Born in Chicago in 1940, Herbie was a child piano prodigy who performed a Mozart piano concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at age 11. He began playing jazz in high school, initially influenced by Oscar Peterson and Bill Evans. He also developed a passion for electronics and science, and double–majored in music and electrical engineering at Grinnell College.
Spirituality:
♣ It seems all of his life, Herbie has been on a journey of expansion. In spring of 1972, having already achieved many accolades, Herbie an accomplished musician with a beautiful wife, child and home, set out on another path of spiritual awakening from which he has never retreated.
♣ Hearing something new and profound in a solo by a fellow band mate, Herbie probed him as to the source. He was told that this new inspiration was derived from something beyond the realm of music. It was then that Herbie first heard of Nichiren’s Buddhism and Nam–Myoho–Renge–Kyo.
♣ “Practicing Buddhism has brought several revelations to me. One that has been extremely important to my own personal development and consequently my musical development — is the realization that I am not a musician. That’s not what I am. It’s what I do. What I am is a human being. Being a human being includes me being a musician. It includes my being a father, a husband, a neighbor, a citizen and an African–American. All of these relationships have to do with my existence on the planet.”
♣ Herbie wields his Buddhist practice in order that his voice, when expressed through the breadth of his music, can connect hearts throughout the universe in the service of lasting peace. When he is not recording, touring or spending time with his family, Herbie also very actively promotes Buddhism together with his friends of the SGI, by teaching and helping others to see their own potential to expand their lives and achieve an absolute happiness.
Website: http://www.herbiehancock.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/herbiehancock?_rdr=p
Discography:
♣ Takin’ Off 1962 Blue Note
♣ My Point of View 1963 Blue Note
♣ Inventions and Dimensions 1963 Blue Note
♣ Empyrean Isles 1964 Blue Note
♣ Maiden Voyage 1965 Blue Note
♣ Blow–Up (Soundtrack) 1966 MGM
♣ Speak Like a Child 1968 Blue Note
♣ The Prisoner 1969 Blue Note
♣ Fat Albert Rotunda 1969 Warner Bros.
♣ Mwandishi 1970 Warner Bros.
♣ Crossings 1972 Warner Bros.
♣ Sextant 1973 Columbia
♣ Head Hunters 1973 Columbia
♣ Thrust 1974 Columbia
♣ Death Wish (Soundtrack) 1974 Columbia
♣ Dedication 1974 Columbia
♣ Man–Child 1975 Columbia
♣ Flood (Live album) 1975 Columbia
♣ Secrets 1976 Columbia
♣ VSOP (Live album) 1976 Columbia
♣ Herbie Hancock Trio 1977 Columbia
♣ VSOP: The Quintet (Live album) 1977 Columbia
♣ VSOP: Tempest in the Colosseum (Live album) 1977 Columbia
♣ Sunlight 1977 Columbia
♣ Directstep 1978 Columbia/Sony Japan
♣ An Evening with Herbie Hancock & Chick Corea: In Concert (Live album with Chick Corea) 1978 Columbia
♣ The Piano 1979 Columbia
♣ Feets, Don’t Fail Me Now 1979 Columbia
♣ VSOP: Live Under the Sky (Live album) 1979 Columbia
♣ CoreaHancock (Live album with Chick Corea) 1979 Polydor
♣ Monster 1980 Columbia
♣ Mr. Hands 1980 Columbia
♣ Herbie Hancock Trio 1981 Columbia
♣ Magic Windows 1981 Columbia
♣ Lite Me Up 1982 Columbia
♣ Quartet (Live album) 1982 Columbia
♣ Future Shock 1983 Columbia
♣ Sound–System 1984 Columbia
♣ Village Life (with Foday Musa Suso) 1985 Columbia
♣ Round Midnight (Soundtrack) 1986 Columbia
♣ Jazz Africa (Live album with Foday Musa Suso) 1987 Polygram
♣ Perfect Machine 1988 Columbia
♣ A Tribute to Miles 1994 Qwest/Warner Bros.
♣ Dis Is da Drum 1994 Verve/Mercury
♣ The New Standard 1995 Verve
♣ 1 + 1 (with Wayne Shorter) 1997 Verve
♣ Gershwin’s World 1998 Verve
♣ Future2Future 2001 Transparent Music
♣ Directions in Music: Live at Massey Hall (Live album with Michael Brecker and Roy Hargrove) 2002 Verve
♣ Possibilities 2005 Hancock Music/Hear Music/Vector
♣ River: The Joni Letters 2007 Verve
♣ Then and Now: The Definitive Herbie Hancock (Compilation) 2008 Verve
♣ The Imagine Project 2010 Hancock Music
Notes:
Dolphin Dance
Excerpted from Speaking of Jazz: Essays and Attitudes
♣ Here’s a transcription of Herbie Hancock’s Dolphin Dance, a unique piece which I performed with Herbie years ago in Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, NYC. Since the melody is widely known and basically correct, I’m only including the harmonic chord succession here — which is rather different from the normal lead sheets. As I’ve stated before, sophisticated original compositions such as this especially need to be verified through transcription, rather than trusting the Real Book and other unofficial sources. Since not everyone played exactly the same pitch collections in every chorus, I chose to make judgment calls and come up with an overall composite of what I thought was the general consensus.
♣ Some tunes are too special to entrust to unofficial sources. With a piece like this, I always try to start with the urtext, which is the original recording by the composer. As with Wayne Shorter, Hancock knows exactly what he wants — and is special and sophisticated. In the case of standards, it’s instead about signifying — two different types of story, with different intent. For example, I would never reharmonize Dolphin Dance, but I reharmonize and arrange many of the standards that I perform.
♣ The key to improvising on this piece is in its strong melody. There are some non–functional guide tone lines of a sort, too — especially over the pedals, which remind me of Debussy’s Nuages. I don’t take the chords too seriously in terms of direction for improvising, however—only color and mood. I love how the melody climaxes two–thirds through on the highest note of duration, a classic Golden Section. While all other melodic motives are well–developed, the climax motive only happens that once. It’s a beautifully constructed work on all levels. For me, the most noteworthy chord is the Ab7–5 blues chord in the momentary Cm, suggesting flat five blues phrases.
ANALYSIS
♣ Dolphin Dance, a very sophisticated Impressionist–inspired Herbie Hancock piece, is one of the most complex jazz compositions written to date. Hancock was influenced by French Impressionist composers Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, as the salient characteristics of this particular composition demonstrate. Since not everyone played exactly the same pitch collections in every chorus, I made judgment calls to derive a composite of what I thought was the general consensus.
♣ Although lush and mostly non–dissonant in nature, this is an atonal composition (no primary key). As with Debussy’s and Ravel’s atonal passages, Hancock includes brief tonal references with occasional ii V cadences; but none of those cadences (four in this piece) establish a key. There are, instead, brief suggestions of keys in this non–functional chord succession (keys of : Eb, Cm, G, Cm, G, and F . . . ?). As with the Impressionists, Herbie employs various pedal points over which he suspends a variety of successions containing unresolved melodic Ninths, Elevenths, and Thirteenths — a rich milieu.
♣ Hancock succeeds in achieving an extremely moody and subtle vehicle for his virtuoso, yet sensitive, piano style. Many professional jazz soloists fall flat on their asses attempting to improvise on this in public: It separates the men from the boys, since you really have to do your homework on this one, since your average jazz licks just don’t work. Author: EdByrne, , www.byrnejazz.com
♣ http://www.freejazzinstitute.com/
_____________________________________________________________
| Herbie Hancock — Dedication |
♣ REISSUE s nejnovějším DSD remasteringem. Dodává se včetně poznámek. Jedná se o unikátní experiment v Hancockově diskografii, zaznamenaný v Tokiu pouze během jediného dne v průběhu jeho turné po Japonsku. Obdivuji tu skutečnost, že fyzické album vyšlo 54. den od odehrání samotného koncertu. První strana obsahuje dva introspektivní, komplexně sólové, akustické klavírní skladby, “Maiden Voyage” a “Dolphin Dance”, které jsou pozoruhodné, protože se datují z období, kdy Hancock byl pravděpodobně zcela ponořen do elektroniky. Jak již název kompozic napovídá, jsou z jeho 5. studiového alba (March 17, 1965 z Van Gelderova studia v Englewood Cliffs). Druhá strana obsahuje dva více–méně neobvyklé kusy — “Nobu”, one–man show zaznamenána v reálném čase metodou sample–and–hold, kde se představují v té době špičkové nástroje Fender Rhodes, ARP Pro Soloist, ARP Odyssey, ARP 2600, ARP String Ensemble, poskytující rytmickou sekci pro elektrické klávesy. Následuje “Cantaloupe Island” s předem nahranou synth basovou linkou. Tato druhá strana je fascinujícím ohlédnutím za kouzly v rámci přísných omezení poloviny 70. let, co se týče analogových kláves, stejně jako výzvou pro Hancocka samotného, kdy musel projevit velkou vynalézavost kvůli určité nevyhnutelné ‘tuhosti v rytmu’. Přichází až s neuvěřitelně barvitou prací. Bylo to první z několika výlučně japonských Hancockových alb v 70. letech, což indikuje, že japonští jazzoví fanoušci byli (a možná stále jsou) mnohem více vnímaví ochotni utrácet víc, než Američané. Samostatnou zmínku si zaslouží skladba Dolphin Dance. Hancockovi se podařilo dosáhnout extrémně náladové odstíny a subtilní ‘puls na tepu doby’ díky svému virtuóznímu, přesto citlivému piano–stylu. Mnoho profesionálních jazzových sólistů spadlo na zadek pokoušející se improvizovat s “Dolphin Dance” na veřejnosti: ona vskutku odděluje muže od chlapců, protože je skutečně potřeba udělat pečlivou přípravu k zahrání skladby: průměrné jazzové dovednosti pouze olizují jádro skladby, což prostě nefunguje. Sofistikovaná originální kompozice jako je tato, vyžaduje především mít ověřenou transkripci. “Dolphin Dance” je právě TA velmi sofistikovaná impresionistická kompozice a když to člověk pozorně poslouchá, přijde na to, že je inspirovaná. Herbie Hancock zahrál tento kus s vědomím, že je jednou z nejsložitějších jazzových skladeb napsaných k dnešnímu dni, tedy předtím, teď, i potom. Hancock byl ovlivněn francouzskými impresionisty: Claude Debussy a Maurice Ravel. Je to skvělá konstrukční práce na všech úrovních. For me, the most noteworthy chord is the Ab7–5 blues chord in the momentary Cm, suggesting flat five blues phrases. A zcela nakonec: album Maiden Voyage je jedním z nejlepších alb, jaké kdy vyšly na labelu Blue Note v 60´ letech.
♣ 14x Grammy Awards + dalších 15 uznávaných cen, např. “American Academy of Arts and Sciences” (2013), vydal 53 alb a 6 koncertních filmů. Také mu vyšla kniha pod názvem “Herbie Hancock: Possibilities” (2014).
Born: in Chicago in 1940
Location: Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
Album release: 2014 (Sept. 21, 1974)
Recorded: July 29, 1974, Koseinekin Hall, Tokyo
Record Label: Columbia/Sony Music Japan [SICP 4049]
Genre: Jazz, Post Bop, Jazz–funk, Fusion
Duration: 40:38
Tracks:
01 Maiden Voyage # 7:44
02 Dolphin Dance # 11:18
03 Nobu 7:39
04 Cantaloupe Island 13:57
♣ All compositions by Herbie Hancock.
Credits:
♣ Shigeo Anzai Back Cover Photo, Cover Photo
♣ Herbie Hancock Arp 2600, Arp Odyssey, Clavinet, Composer, Fender Rhodes, Harp Keyboards, Piano, Soloist
♣ K’ichi Nakamura Production Director
♣ David Rubinson Producer
♣ Tamoo Suzuki Engineer
♣ Teruhisa Tajima Design
♣ Shuichi Yoshida Design
*********************************
♣ Herbie Hancock — Grand Piano #1 + #2, Fender Rhodes, ARP Pro Soloist, ARP Odyssey, ARP 2600, ARP String Ensemble
AllMusic Review by Richard S. Ginell; Score: ***
♣ Reissue with latest DSD remastering. Comes with liner notes. 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.
Herbie Hancock: An Introduction
♣ Herbie Hancock is a true icon of modern music. Throughout his explorations, he has transcended limitations and genres while maintaining his unmistakable voice. With an illustrious career spanning five decades and 14 Grammy® Awards, including Album of the Year for River: The Joni Letters, he continues to amaze audiences across the globe.
♣ There are few artists in the music industry who have had more influence on acoustic and electronic jazz and R&B than Herbie Hancock. As the immortal Miles Davis said in his autobiography, “Herbie was the step after Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk, and I haven’t heard anybody yet who has come after him.”
♣ Born in Chicago in 1940, Herbie was a child piano prodigy who performed a Mozart piano concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at age 11. He began playing jazz in high school, initially influenced by Oscar Peterson and Bill Evans. He also developed a passion for electronics and science, and double–majored in music and electrical engineering at Grinnell College.
Spirituality:
♣ It seems all of his life, Herbie has been on a journey of expansion. In spring of 1972, having already achieved many accolades, Herbie an accomplished musician with a beautiful wife, child and home, set out on another path of spiritual awakening from which he has never retreated.
♣ Hearing something new and profound in a solo by a fellow band mate, Herbie probed him as to the source. He was told that this new inspiration was derived from something beyond the realm of music. It was then that Herbie first heard of Nichiren’s Buddhism and Nam–Myoho–Renge–Kyo.
♣ “Practicing Buddhism has brought several revelations to me. One that has been extremely important to my own personal development and consequently my musical development — is the realization that I am not a musician. That’s not what I am. It’s what I do. What I am is a human being. Being a human being includes me being a musician. It includes my being a father, a husband, a neighbor, a citizen and an African–American. All of these relationships have to do with my existence on the planet.”
♣ Herbie wields his Buddhist practice in order that his voice, when expressed through the breadth of his music, can connect hearts throughout the universe in the service of lasting peace. When he is not recording, touring or spending time with his family, Herbie also very actively promotes Buddhism together with his friends of the SGI, by teaching and helping others to see their own potential to expand their lives and achieve an absolute happiness.
Website: http://www.herbiehancock.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/herbiehancock?_rdr=p
♣ Takin’ Off 1962 Blue Note
♣ My Point of View 1963 Blue Note
♣ Inventions and Dimensions 1963 Blue Note
♣ Empyrean Isles 1964 Blue Note
♣ Maiden Voyage 1965 Blue Note
♣ Blow–Up (Soundtrack) 1966 MGM
♣ Speak Like a Child 1968 Blue Note
♣ The Prisoner 1969 Blue Note
♣ Fat Albert Rotunda 1969 Warner Bros.
♣ Mwandishi 1970 Warner Bros.
♣ Crossings 1972 Warner Bros.
♣ Sextant 1973 Columbia
♣ Head Hunters 1973 Columbia
♣ Thrust 1974 Columbia
♣ Death Wish (Soundtrack) 1974 Columbia
♣ Dedication 1974 Columbia
♣ Man–Child 1975 Columbia
♣ Flood (Live album) 1975 Columbia
♣ Secrets 1976 Columbia
♣ VSOP (Live album) 1976 Columbia
♣ Herbie Hancock Trio 1977 Columbia
♣ VSOP: The Quintet (Live album) 1977 Columbia
♣ VSOP: Tempest in the Colosseum (Live album) 1977 Columbia
♣ Sunlight 1977 Columbia
♣ Directstep 1978 Columbia/Sony Japan
♣ An Evening with Herbie Hancock & Chick Corea: In Concert (Live album with Chick Corea) 1978 Columbia
♣ The Piano 1979 Columbia
♣ Feets, Don’t Fail Me Now 1979 Columbia
♣ VSOP: Live Under the Sky (Live album) 1979 Columbia
♣ CoreaHancock (Live album with Chick Corea) 1979 Polydor
♣ Monster 1980 Columbia
♣ Mr. Hands 1980 Columbia
♣ Herbie Hancock Trio 1981 Columbia
♣ Magic Windows 1981 Columbia
♣ Lite Me Up 1982 Columbia
♣ Quartet (Live album) 1982 Columbia
♣ Future Shock 1983 Columbia
♣ Sound–System 1984 Columbia
♣ Village Life (with Foday Musa Suso) 1985 Columbia
♣ Round Midnight (Soundtrack) 1986 Columbia
♣ Jazz Africa (Live album with Foday Musa Suso) 1987 Polygram
♣ Perfect Machine 1988 Columbia
♣ A Tribute to Miles 1994 Qwest/Warner Bros.
♣ Dis Is da Drum 1994 Verve/Mercury
♣ The New Standard 1995 Verve
♣ 1 + 1 (with Wayne Shorter) 1997 Verve
♣ Gershwin’s World 1998 Verve
♣ Future2Future 2001 Transparent Music
♣ Directions in Music: Live at Massey Hall (Live album with Michael Brecker and Roy Hargrove) 2002 Verve
♣ Possibilities 2005 Hancock Music/Hear Music/Vector
♣ River: The Joni Letters 2007 Verve
♣ Then and Now: The Definitive Herbie Hancock (Compilation) 2008 Verve
♣ The Imagine Project 2010 Hancock Music
Dolphin Dance
Excerpted from Speaking of Jazz: Essays and Attitudes
♣ Here’s a transcription of Herbie Hancock’s Dolphin Dance, a unique piece which I performed with Herbie years ago in Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, NYC. Since the melody is widely known and basically correct, I’m only including the harmonic chord succession here — which is rather different from the normal lead sheets. As I’ve stated before, sophisticated original compositions such as this especially need to be verified through transcription, rather than trusting the Real Book and other unofficial sources. Since not everyone played exactly the same pitch collections in every chorus, I chose to make judgment calls and come up with an overall composite of what I thought was the general consensus.
♣ Some tunes are too special to entrust to unofficial sources. With a piece like this, I always try to start with the urtext, which is the original recording by the composer. As with Wayne Shorter, Hancock knows exactly what he wants — and is special and sophisticated. In the case of standards, it’s instead about signifying — two different types of story, with different intent. For example, I would never reharmonize Dolphin Dance, but I reharmonize and arrange many of the standards that I perform.
♣ The key to improvising on this piece is in its strong melody. There are some non–functional guide tone lines of a sort, too — especially over the pedals, which remind me of Debussy’s Nuages. I don’t take the chords too seriously in terms of direction for improvising, however—only color and mood. I love how the melody climaxes two–thirds through on the highest note of duration, a classic Golden Section. While all other melodic motives are well–developed, the climax motive only happens that once. It’s a beautifully constructed work on all levels. For me, the most noteworthy chord is the Ab7–5 blues chord in the momentary Cm, suggesting flat five blues phrases.
ANALYSIS
♣ Dolphin Dance, a very sophisticated Impressionist–inspired Herbie Hancock piece, is one of the most complex jazz compositions written to date. Hancock was influenced by French Impressionist composers Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, as the salient characteristics of this particular composition demonstrate. Since not everyone played exactly the same pitch collections in every chorus, I made judgment calls to derive a composite of what I thought was the general consensus.
♣ Although lush and mostly non–dissonant in nature, this is an atonal composition (no primary key). As with Debussy’s and Ravel’s atonal passages, Hancock includes brief tonal references with occasional ii V cadences; but none of those cadences (four in this piece) establish a key. There are, instead, brief suggestions of keys in this non–functional chord succession (keys of : Eb, Cm, G, Cm, G, and F . . . ?). As with the Impressionists, Herbie employs various pedal points over which he suspends a variety of successions containing unresolved melodic Ninths, Elevenths, and Thirteenths — a rich milieu.
♣ Hancock succeeds in achieving an extremely moody and subtle vehicle for his virtuoso, yet sensitive, piano style. Many professional jazz soloists fall flat on their asses attempting to improvise on this in public: It separates the men from the boys, since you really have to do your homework on this one, since your average jazz licks just don’t work. Author: EdByrne, , www.byrnejazz.com
♣ http://www.freejazzinstitute.com/
_____________________________________________________________