Best Herbie Hancock (As Leader) Album Poll of 1960s/70s/80s era.

this = Man-Child

Oh yeah Blade might be my favorite contemporary drummer and p sure he is just high on life.

When I saw Shorter in 2011 (Voice review here) Blade was definitely one of the main attractions.

The main set was a 75-minute medley. It began and built slowly, with heavy chords from Perez setting the mood. Shorter hung back at first, nestled in the curve of the grand piano’s body, listening. Patitucci seemed more concerned with establishing a counter-melody than building rhythmic momentum, and Blade’s playing, too, was all accents, with little or no traditional forward movement. It all had the feel of modern chamber music, neither swinging nor bluesy. The drummer made his move soon enough, though. He quickly revealed himself as the most aggressive of the four players (with Perez coming in a close second), erupting more than a few times with a power many rock drummers would envy and creating a thunderous, tympani-like rumble even when playing with mallets.

...

As the lengthy piece moved from one melody to the next, it started to feel like a series of semi-climaxes with no real payoff — the sound of four men feeling each other out while a paying audience sat and paid respectful witness. But around the 50-minute mark, Blade took an absolutely apocalyptic drum solo, his kick sounding like a trap door slamming shut. It not only woke up anyone inside Town Hall or down the block who might have been drifting, it provided a crescendo for the music as a whole; from there, it was a slow, tentative glide back down to earth.

Not a single mention on this whole thread of "Fat Albert Rotunda"? Is it the jazz funk or the Cosby associations?

Can't deny the results - I once wrote a pretentious secondary school essay based oh a minute of Sextant but Feets, Don't Fail Me Now is perfect too

“tell me a bedtime story” from fat Albert rotunda is all-time

Thrust is really really great too. All that Mike Clark and Paul Jackson shit is head exploding.

Bedtime Story on Fat Albert Rotunda is another example of one good ballad on an otherwise indifferent Hancock album.

thrust is incredibly poppin. actual fucking proof

There’s really nothing else like that track

mr. hands is the best one

The line up on that record is insane.

features ron carter and jaco lol

Sheila E!

for me, "sound system" is the one. i went to it looking for breakdance sounds in 1984 and it split my tiny brain wide open. "metal beat" still sounds absolutely mentalist

Mr. Hands is phenomenal

Sextant was my introduction and remains my favorite, but I dig all the '70s albums that placed well in the poll.

Herbie is making his now (apparently) annual trip to the Kennedy Center this June. Of course I will be there.

Tempted to do a "best of the rest" poll for the ones that got zero votes. Of the ones I know, I'd probably pick either Inventions and Dimensions, Fat Albert Rotunda, or Flood.

I got heavily into Eddie Henderson's mid-70s solo albums last year, which are a fine companion to the Mwandishi stuff - same band even!

I wrote a piece about VSOP last year.

Flood is an insane set that goes OFF!!!!! So good

Inventions and Dimensions

severely underrated album - really interesting lineup

Tempted to do a "best of the rest" poll for the ones that got zero votes. Of the ones I know, I'd probably pick either Inventions and Dimensions, Fat Albert Rotunda, or Flood.

I've been tempted to do a poll of his best "sell out" tracks (intended in a positive way; I adore his disco/dance/funk/break stuff)

the disco records are all soooo dope. i think i love lite me up the most

Those Eddie Henderson records are dope. I'll stan for *Realization* all day long. More Dr Patrick all the time.

“mr. hands” is cool. aside from the amazing cover art works well with london-style “jazz dance” records (ie the uptempo latin inflected stuff with trad instruments)

i lean heavily on “spiraling prism” and “calypso” when i play it out

sorry to jump around here+i'm positive someone has brought it up before now BUT-

if you want even more super hot 70s headhunters/hancock/miles adjacent action, bennie maupin's slow traffic to the right from 1977 is about as good as they get. funky, spacey, mellow, but mad.

probably old news, putting here for posterity mostly. highly recommended either way.

I've been listening to that Maupin record recently, since his debut is maybe my favourite ECM record. I like it better than the funk-era Hancock I've heard, and it walks an interesting line between being tasteful and gently exploratory, and also trying to sell some records in the context of late 70s fusion.