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Mwandishi
Studio album by Herbie Hancock
Released	March 1971
Recorded	January 1971
Studio	Wally Heider (San Francisco)
Genre	Jazz fusion, avant-garde jazz
Length	44:48
Label	Warner Bros.
Producer	David Rubinson
Herbie Hancock chronology
Fat Albert Rotunda (1969) Mwandishi (1971) Crossings (1972)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings

Mwandishi is the ninth album by jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, released in 1971. It is the first album to officially feature Hancock’s ‘Mwandishi’ sextet consisting of reed player Bennie Maupin, trumpeter Eddie Henderson, trombonist Julian Priester, bassist Buster Williams and drummer Billy Hart.

Background

This album is one of Hancock's first departures from the traditional idioms of jazz, as well as the beginning of an original and creative style which eventually appealed to a wider audience. In addition, Mwandishi was Hancock's attempt at continuing the musical principles and styles he explored in his previous experiences with Miles Davis (on the album In A Silent Way, for instance). Hancock's previous explorations of jazz fusion included Fat Albert Rotunda, an album related to the TV special ‘’Hey, Hey, Hey, It's Fat Albert’’.

Mwandishi was recorded at Wally Heider Studios Studio C, in San Francisco, California in January 1971, by Hancock's Mwandishi Sextet. The recording incorporated progressive notions of funk, jazz, and rock.

The tracks on Mwandishi include "Ostinato," the time signature of which is 15/8, "You'll Know When You Get There," and "Wandering Spirit Song." "Wandering Spirit Song" features Hancock's extensive use of tension and release, in which he builds the tension of the song by crescendos and an increasing number of musical voices, and then releases the tension with long held chords on his synthesizer.

Mwandishi ("composer") is the Swahili name Hancock adopted during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The members of the Sextet each adopted a Swahili name: Mchezaji ("player," someone who plays a game) for Buster Williams, Jabali ("strong as a rock") for Billy Hart, Mganga ("doctor," whose traditional functions include exorcism, prophecy, and the removal of spells) for Eddie Henderson, Mwile ("body", from Swahili mwili) for Bennie Maupin, Pepo Mtoto ("demon baby") for Julian Priester, and Ndugu ("brother") for Leon Chancler.

Release history

Mwandishi, along with Fat Albert Rotunda and Crossings, was reissued in one set as Mwandishi: The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings in 1994 and as The Warner Bros. Years (1969-1972) in 2014.

Track listing

All songs composed by Herbie Hancock except where noted.

Personnel

• Mwandishi / Herbie Hancock – Fender Rhodes piano
• Mchezaji / Buster Williams – bass
• Jabali / Billy Hart – drums
• Mganga / Eddie Henderson – trumpet, flugelhorn
• Mwile / Bennie Maupin – bass clarinet, alto flute, piccolo
• Pepo Mtoto / Julian Priester – tenor trombone, bass trombone

with

• Leon "Ndugu" Chancler – drums and percussion on "Ostinato (Suite For Angela)"
• José "Chepito" Areas – congas and timbales on "Ostinato (Suite For Angela)"
• Ronnie Montrose – guitar on "Ostinato (Suite For Angela)"

References

1. Billboard Mar 20, 1971
2. Mwandishi at AllMusic
3. Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 94. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
4. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 641. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
5. "Mwandishi: The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings by Herbie Hancock - RYM/Sonemic".
6. "The Warner Bros. Years (1969-1972) by Herbie Hancock - RYM/Sonemic".

• 1971 albums
• Herbie Hancock albums
• Warner Records albums
• Albums produced by Dave Rubinson
• Albums recorded at Van Gelder Studio
• Albums recorded at Wally Heider Studios
• Jazz fusion albums by American artists
• 1970s concept albums