Maiden Voyage
Encyclopedia
Maiden Voyage is the fifth album
led by jazz
musician Herbie Hancock
, and was recorded by Rudy Van Gelder
on May 17, 1965
for Blue Note Records. It was issued as BLP 4195 and BST 84195. It is a concept album
aimed at creating an oceanic atmosphere. Many of the song titles refer to marine biology or the sea, and the musicians develop the concept through their use of space and almost tidal dynamics. The album was presented with the Grammy Hall of Fame Award
in 1999. According to Bob Blumenthal's 1999 liner notes, "Blue Note logs indicate that an attempt had been made to record "Maiden Voyage
", "Little One" and "Dolphin Dance" six days earlier, with Hubbard on cornet and Stu Martin
in place of Williams. Those performances were rejected at the time and have been lost in the ensuing years."
s and are featured in Hal Leonard's New Real Book vol. 2
. Hancock rerecorded "Maiden Voyage" and "Dolphin Dance" on his 1974 album Dedication
and updated the title track on his 1988 album Perfect Machine
. "Dolphin Dance" was rerecorded in 1981 for the Herbie Hancock Trio album. Hancock has released live concert versions of "Maiden Voyage" on CoreaHancock
(1979) and An Evening With Herbie Hancock & Chick Corea: In Concert
(1980) (both with Chick Corea
). Hancock recorded "Maiden Voyage" and "Eye of the Hurricane" with the VSOP Quintet on VSOP: Tempest in the Colosseum (1977). "Maiden Voyage" was covered by jazz rock band Blood, Sweat, and Tears for their album New Blood, by Phish
in their earlier live performances, and by Toto
for their album Through the Looking Glass
. In 2008, jazz pianist John Beasley
released a tribute to Hancock called Letter to Herbie, which features a re-working of "Maiden Voyage" called "Bedtime Voyage". The album also features a cover of "Eye of the Hurricane".
covered the song "Maiden Voyage" in their early concerts. A live version was released on their album Colorado '88
.
The Japanese guitarist Kazumi Watanabe
covered "Dolphin Dance" on his 1989 album Kilowatt
.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
led by jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musician Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
, and was recorded by Rudy Van Gelder
Rudy Van Gelder
Rudy Van Gelder is an American recording engineer specializing in jazz.Often regarded as one of the most important recording engineers in music history, Van Gelder has recorded several thousand jazz sessions, including many widely recognized as classics, in a career spanning more than half a century...
on May 17, 1965
1965 in music
-Events:*January 4 – Fender Musical Instruments Corporation is sold to CBS for $13 million.*January 12 – Hullabaloo premieres on NBC. The first show included performances by The New Christy Minstrels, comedian Woody Allen, actress Joey Heatherton and a segment from London in which Brian Epstein...
for Blue Note Records. It was issued as BLP 4195 and BST 84195. It is a concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
aimed at creating an oceanic atmosphere. Many of the song titles refer to marine biology or the sea, and the musicians develop the concept through their use of space and almost tidal dynamics. The album was presented with the Grammy Hall of Fame Award
Grammy Hall of Fame Award
The Grammy Hall of Fame Award is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least twenty-five years old and that have "qualitative or historical significance"...
in 1999. According to Bob Blumenthal's 1999 liner notes, "Blue Note logs indicate that an attempt had been made to record "Maiden Voyage
Maiden Voyage (composition)
"Maiden Voyage" is a jazz composition by Herbie Hancock from his 1965 album Maiden Voyage. It features Hancock's quartet – trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams – with additional saxophonist George Coleman...
", "Little One" and "Dolphin Dance" six days earlier, with Hubbard on cornet and Stu Martin
Stu Martin (drummer)
Stu Martin was an American jazz drummer.Martin began playing in 1956. He was appearing with the orchestras of Quincy Jones, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Slide Hampton, Maynard Ferguson and with Herbie Hancock...
in place of Williams. Those performances were rejected at the time and have been lost in the ensuing years."
Legacy
"Maiden Voyage", "The Eye of the Hurricane" and "Dolphin Dance" have now become jazz standardJazz standard
Jazz standards are musical compositions which are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive list of jazz standards, and the list of songs deemed to be...
s and are featured in Hal Leonard's New Real Book vol. 2
Real Book
The Real Book can refer to any of a number of popular compilations of lead sheets for jazz tunes, but is generally used to refer to Volume 1 of an underground series of books transcribed and collated by students at Berklee College of Music during the 1970s....
. Hancock rerecorded "Maiden Voyage" and "Dolphin Dance" on his 1974 album Dedication
Dedication (Herbie Hancock album)
Dedication is the sixteenth album by Herbie Hancock. It was recorded in Japan in 1974 while Hancock was touring and first released on the Japanese CBS Sony label...
and updated the title track on his 1988 album Perfect Machine
Perfect Machine (album)
Perfect Machine is the thirty-seventh album by jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, and the last with the Rockit Band.-About the Album:The last of the three Rockit band albums, Perfect Machine was also Hancock's final album for Columbia Records and is considered the least popular of the three Rockit band...
. "Dolphin Dance" was rerecorded in 1981 for the Herbie Hancock Trio album. Hancock has released live concert versions of "Maiden Voyage" on CoreaHancock
CoreaHancock
CoreaHancock is an acoustic live album by Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock. It was recorded over the course of several live performances in February 1978 and released in 1979. Corea has first billing on this album and Hancock was credited for An Evening with Herbie Hancock & Chick Corea: In Concert,...
(1979) and An Evening With Herbie Hancock & Chick Corea: In Concert
An Evening With Herbie Hancock & Chick Corea: In Concert
An Evening With Herbie Hancock & Chick Corea: In Concert is a live album recorded over the course of several live performances in February 1978 and released that same year.The album features just Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea each playing acoustic piano...
(1980) (both with Chick Corea
Chick Corea
Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, and composer.Many of his compositions are considered jazz standards. As a member of Miles Davis' band in the 1960s, he participated in the birth of the electric jazz fusion movement. In the 1970s he formed Return to Forever...
). Hancock recorded "Maiden Voyage" and "Eye of the Hurricane" with the VSOP Quintet on VSOP: Tempest in the Colosseum (1977). "Maiden Voyage" was covered by jazz rock band Blood, Sweat, and Tears for their album New Blood, by Phish
Phish
Phish is an American rock band noted for its musical improvisation, extended jams, and exploration of music across genres. Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983 , the band's four members – Trey Anastasio , Mike Gordon , Jon Fishman , and Page McConnell Phish is an American rock band...
in their earlier live performances, and by Toto
Toto (band)
Toto is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1977. The group currently consists of Joseph Williams , David Paich , Steve Porcaro , Steve Lukather , Mike Porcaro , and Simon Phillips . Toto is known for a musical style that combines elements of pop, rock, soul, funk, progressive rock, hard...
for their album Through the Looking Glass
Through the Looking Glass (Toto album)
Through the Looking Glass is the 11th studio album by the American band Toto. It was released in 2002, three years after their last studio release, "Mindfields." The album consists of covers of songs that have inspired the band.-Reception:...
. In 2008, jazz pianist John Beasley
John Beasley (musician)
John Beasley is an American composer, pianist, producer, and arranger who has recorded and performed with musicians such as Miles Davis, Steely Dan, Chaka Kahn, James Brown, Spice Girls, Dianne Reeves, Ry Cooder, Chick Corea and Sérgio Mendes, Freddie Hubbard, John Patitucci, Queen Latifah, and...
released a tribute to Hancock called Letter to Herbie, which features a re-working of "Maiden Voyage" called "Bedtime Voyage". The album also features a cover of "Eye of the Hurricane".
Track listing
All compositions by Herbie Hancock.- "Maiden VoyageMaiden Voyage (composition)"Maiden Voyage" is a jazz composition by Herbie Hancock from his 1965 album Maiden Voyage. It features Hancock's quartet – trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams – with additional saxophonist George Coleman...
" – 7:53 - "The Eye of the Hurricane" – 5:57
- "Little One" – 8:43
- "Survival of the Fittest" – 9:59
- "Dolphin Dance" – 9:16
Personnel
- Herbie HancockHerbie HancockHerbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
— PianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... - Freddie HubbardFreddie HubbardFrederick Dewayne "Freddie" Hubbard was an American jazz trumpeter. He was known primarily for playing in the bebop, hard bop and post bop styles from the early 1960s and on...
— TrumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air... - George ColemanGeorge ColemanGeorge Edward Coleman is an American hard bop saxophonist, bandleader, and composer, known chiefly for his work with Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock in the 1960s.-Biography:...
— Tenor saxophoneTenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble... - Ron CarterRon CarterRon Carter is an American jazz double-bassist. His appearances on over 2,500 albums make him one of the most-recorded bassists in jazz history, along with Milt Hinton, Ray Brown and Leroy Vinnegar. Carter is also an acclaimed cellist who has recorded numerous times on that...
— BassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2... - Tony Williams — drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Cover Versions
The rock band PhishPhish
Phish is an American rock band noted for its musical improvisation, extended jams, and exploration of music across genres. Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983 , the band's four members – Trey Anastasio , Mike Gordon , Jon Fishman , and Page McConnell Phish is an American rock band...
covered the song "Maiden Voyage" in their early concerts. A live version was released on their album Colorado '88
Colorado '88
Colorado '88 is a 3-CD live album from the rock band Phish, recorded over several nights in summer 1988. Despite having only traveled outside Vermont occasionally, in the New England college and club circuit, Phish embarked on a tour in the west. The band played seven shows in ten days to tiny...
.
The Japanese guitarist Kazumi Watanabe
Kazumi Watanabe
Kazumi Watanabe is a jazz and jazz fusion guitarist, from Tokyo, Japan. He was born on October 14, 1953 Kazumi learned to play guitar from Sadanori Nakamure, one of Japan's grandmaster guitarists. Kazumi released his first recording in 1971, and quickly became a promising guitarist in his own right...
covered "Dolphin Dance" on his 1989 album Kilowatt
Kilowatt (album)
Kilowatt is an album by jazz fusion guitarist Kazumi Watanabe, originally released on audio cassette in 1989. In 1991 it was released again on cassette, CD and LP.-Track listing:All songs by Kazumi Watanabe unless otherwise noted....
.