Classic Jazz Records Vol.1

Even though Herbie Hancock's take on popular music these days hasn't earned him any praise, he remains one of my favorite jazz guys to listen to. It is rather in his progression through musical styles, his never ending evolution that should truly be admired. From early bop, hard bop to post-bop experiments, to the jazz fusion days of the head hunters to his take on hip hop in the 80s... Let's talk hard bop though, shall we?


Herbie's 3rd album Inventions and Dimensions issued in 1963 through Blue Note, is unique for the simple fact that drummer Willie Bobo sees his work woven with the dancing latin percussions of Osvaldo "Chihuahua" Martinez, bringing a strange yet amusing mutation to hard bop. Accompanied by legendary Paul Chambers on bass, Herbie takes charge of all these compositions and leads them into a surreal, dark world. In the track Triangle, he evokes pure gloom as he thunders intense improvisations over an agressive rythm section, like if holding the line from an enemy onslaught...

Melodicaly agressive in his musings, Hancock creates here something I will never stop listening to!


Cheers