lost 1969 Herbie Hancock sabbath album

[mikeweil]

I think I will skip that Sabbath disc ....

I would recommend this one instead....

I found this version is more to my liking:

Kind of Black

[sidewinder]

There's one of the tracks ('Kiddush') from the lost Hancock album on Trunk's 10 year CD sampler. It doesn't sound bad at all - in a sort of 'Speak Like A Child-light with vocals' sort of way. I think I will pick this one up when it comes out.

The sampler also has some outrageous and very funny stuff from the 'Dirty Fan Mail' so best not to play it in polite company.

Edited September 9, 2007 by sidewinder

[Rooster_Ties]

Just stumbled across on-line samples of nearly this entire release (everything but the last track).

HERE -- I have to hit 'play', then 'stop', then 'play' again to get them to work (at least on my PC).

(Some of it) Sounds more interesting that I had expected. Might try to track this one down after all.

Edited June 1, 2008 by Rooster_Ties

[Michael Weiss]

Just stumbled across on-line samples of nearly this entire release (everything but the last track).

HERE -- I have to hit 'play', then 'stop', then 'play' again to get them to work (at least on my PC).

(Some of it) Sounds more interesting that I had expected. Might try to track this one down after all.

What a bizarre find. The music's pretty damn good, especially from the pen of a seventeen year old. What happened to him?

"Torah Jazz" - who woulda thought?

Edited June 1, 2008 by Michael Weiss

[Rooster_Ties]

From the samples, the vocalists sound as skilled as those on both the Andrew Hill "Lift Every Voice" sessions. That's the 'make or break' for me -- how good are the vocalists, and are the vocal parts "interesting" enough. The samples would tend to indicate

'yes' to both, so I'm game to give this session the benefit of the doubt.

Also, Thad's solo on clip #3 ("Sh'ma") is pretty convincing too, especially with that transition at the end with the wordless vocals coming in. Even if Herbie didn't write the charts, his arranging skills are at least as important to the proceedings as the raw compositions themselves (probably MORE important, actually). I'm tending to think this could be closer to being more of a 'major find' than it looked on paper.

Edited June 2, 2008 by Rooster_Ties

[Rooster_Ties]

Found the original cover...

[Rooster_Ties]

And some better samples!!

three different, longer samples here too. <<== check these out!!

and two full-length tracks here. (well, one that's really full-length, and one shorter track)

(and the same two full-length tracks, but as downloadable mp3's, HERE, then scroll down about a page.)

and the 2008 linernotes are HERE, then hit the "scroll right" button a few times. (Keep scrolling, they're there eventually.)

Edited June 2, 2008 by Rooster_Ties

[Michael Weiss]

From the samples, the vocalists sound as skilled as those on both the Andrew Hill "Lift Every Voice" sessions. That's the 'make or break' for me -- how good are the vocalists, and are the vocal parts "interesting" enough. The samples would tend to indicate 'yes' to both, so I'm game to give this session the benefit of the doubt.

More about Phyllis Bryn-Julson

[sidewinder]

I notice that Trunk now have this one for sale and that it is released on a new subsidiary 'Jonny' label and not 'Trunk'. Wonder why that is?

[umum_cypher]

Something doesn't add up - I'm pretty sure that by 1968, Herbie was already married. Didn't Ian Carr's book say that he left Miles' band in '68 and went on his honeymoon (Mexico or Brazil?) and got food poisoning?

Bertrand.

Yes, and the 'Speak Like A Child' cover is of him and his new wife, I believe.

You'd have to be a pretty unfortunate adulterer to be busted on a point of discographic detail.

[Chuck Nessa]

Guess I am alone thinking Speak Like a Child is a "pretty, but lame" date. I certainly don't care about any offspring. YMMV.

[clifford_thornton]

You're not alone, Chuck. I inherited a copy of it but didn't keep it.

[Larry Kart]

Guess I am alone thinking Speak Like a Child is a "pretty, but lame" date. I certainly don't care about any offspring. YMMV.

Great minds think alike. In a two-star review in the Oct. 17, 1968 issue of Down Beat, I wrote among other things that "Hancock's 'bluesy' playing on First Trip sounds like updated Billy Taylor. On the two ballad-like pieces, Speak like a Child and Goodbye to Childhood ... the playing anticipates the Muzak of the 1970s."

[Aggie87]

Wow - you anticipated 70's Muzak in 1968?

[Rooster_Ties]

You'd have to be a pretty unfortunate adulterer to be busted on a point of discographic detail.

Edited June 3, 2008 by Rooster_Ties

[Spontooneous]

I remember the day my ex found out about my B-side activity.

[Larry Kart]

Wow - you anticipated 70's Muzak in 1968?

Great minds can predict the future.

[Shawn]

Damn, it has Jerome Richardson on it...guess I'll have to buy it just for that.

[Larry Kart]

BTW, I was just listening to that bootleg DVD (shame on me) of two 1967 concerts (Stockholm and Karlsruhe) from Miles' European tour. Herbie sounds terrific on the Karlsruhe tracks, in part because he's playing a fabulous-sounding piano (a Bechstein).

[JSngry]

Guess I am alone thinking Speak Like a Child is a "pretty, but lame" date. I certainly don't care about any offspring. YMMV.

Great minds think alike. In a two-star review in the Oct. 17, 1968 issue of Down Beat, I wrote among other things that "Hancock's 'bluesy' playing on First Trip sounds like updated Billy Taylor. On the two ballad-like pieces, Speak like a Child and Goodbye to Childhood ... the playing anticipates the Muzak of the 1970s."

That album has certainly taken a hit with the passage of time. I remember when it was a "must hear" for both the compositions themselves and the textures of the arrangements.

[Rooster_Ties]

Guess I am alone thinking Speak Like a Child is a "pretty, but lame" date. I certainly don't care about any offspring. YMMV.

Great minds think alike. In a two-star review in the Oct. 17, 1968 issue of Down Beat, I wrote among other things that "Hancock's 'bluesy' playing on First Trip sounds like updated Billy Taylor. On the two ballad-like pieces, Speak like a Child and Goodbye to Childhood ... the playing anticipates the Muzak of the 1970s."

That album has certainly taken a hit with the passage of time. I remember when it was a "must hear" for both the compositions themselves and the textures of the arrangements.

And it still is for me, on both counts.

For a long time (a good 8 or 10 years there) I counted "Speak Like a Child" as my favorite Herbie side of any sort (only later to be supplanted by "The Prisoner"). A little sleepy at times, sure, but there's a hell of a lot going on in both the 'Gil'-ish arrangements, and in most of the tunes.

I won't claim it's Herbie's most important work, but it sure spoke to me for quite a long time there -- which is especially curious when you consider how much the energy of an album influences my opinion of it (hint: a lack of energy usually sinks my opinion of an album). I dare say it's the single sleepiest jazz album I've ever held in high regard -- and for me to have ever called it 'my favorite' anything, must mean there was somethin' goin' on there that was more than meets the eye ear.

Edited June 3, 2008 by Rooster_Ties

[phunkey]

Now that the original cover has been retrieved, does anybody have a recording date for this session? Would be very intrigued to know...

[sidewinder]

The Trunk LP cover is a bit vague - just says '1968'.

The reissue is definitely recommended, in particular for anyone who likes 'Speak Like A Child'.

Edited June 23, 2008 by sidewinder

[Rooster_Ties]

Just ordered this, and should have it in hand by early next week. Will report back my findings.

Anyone else here heard it yet??

[sidewinder]

Just ordered this, and should have it in hand by early next week. Will report back my findings.

Anyone else here heard it yet??

Yep, I bought the vinyl version and like it a lot. Reminds me quite a bit of the albums Michael Garrick was putting out around the same time on Deram with Norma Winstone (and Garrick also dabbled in religous themes in some of his music at this time). Herbie is on great piano form on this LP. You get a sense of him 'chomping at the bit as he starts his solos, which are very lyrical and superbly executed. Great stuff (although I admit the vocals may not be to everyone's taste).

Edited July 9, 2008 by sidewinder