1973 studio album by Herbie Hancock
| Sextant | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Herbie Hancock | ||||
| Released | 30 March 1973 | |||
| Recorded | early 1973 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 39:02 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | David Rubinson | |||
| Herbie Hancock chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
| Rolling Stone 1998 | |
| Rolling Stone 2004 | |
| Uppity Music | (favorable) |
| Virgin Encyclopedia | |
| Penguin Guide to Jazz | |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | |
Sextant is the eleventh studio album by Herbie Hancock, released in 1973 by Columbia. It is the last album with the Mwandishi-era sextet featuring saxophonist Bennie Maupin, trumpeter Eddie Henderson, trombonist Julian Priester, bassist Buster Williams and drummer Billy Hart. Synthesizer player Patrick Gleeson and percussionist Buck Clarke also appear.
Background
Released on March 30, 1973, Sextant was Herbie Hancock's first album on Columbia Records, and the last with his Mwandishi-era group. The album showcased Hancock's early adoption of synthesizers and electronic effects.
Upon release, the record was considered to be a commercial flop.
Critical reception
AllMusic called the album a "gem" which features "a kind of post-modal, free impressionism while gracing the edges of funk." Rolling Stone wrote that, "taking his cue from Davis' swirling, anarchic Bitches Brew and On the Corner, Hancock went even further into outer space much of Sextant, with its twittering, burbling effects, amounts to a primitive version of Nineties ambient music." The album was called an "uncompromising avant-funk masterpiece" by Paste Magazine.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Herbie Hancock
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rain Dance" | 9:16 |
| 2. | "Hidden Shadows" | 10:11 |
| Total length: | 19:27 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hornets" | 19:35 |
| Total length: | 19:35 | |
Personnel
- Mwandishi (Herbie Hancock) – piano, Fender Rhodes, clavinet, Mellotron, ARP 2600, ARP Pro Soloist, Moog synthesizer
- Mwile (Bennie Maupin) – soprano saxophone, bass clarinet, piccolo, afuche
- Mganga (Eddie Henderson) – trumpet, flugelhorn
- Pepo (Julian Priester) – bass trombone, tenor trombone, alto trombone, cowbell
- Mchezaji (Buster Williams) – bass guitar, double bass
- Jabali (Billy Hart) – drums
- Patrick Gleeson – ARP 2600, ARP Pro Soloist
- Buck Clarke – percussion
References
- Little, Michael H. "Graded on a Curve: Herbie Hancock, Head Hunters". The Vinyl District. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- ^ Jarnow, Jesse. "Herbie Hancock: Cafe Curiosity". Paste. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ^ Scherman, Tony (2011). "Sextant : Herbie Hancock : Review : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 24 February 2009. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
- ^ Jurek, Thom (2011). "Sextant - Herbie Hancock | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
- RSguide, 2004
- "Uppity Music: Herbie Hancock: Sextant (1973)". uppitymusic.com. 2008. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
- Larkin, Colin, ed. (2004). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz. Virgin Books. p. 378.
- Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2000). The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD. Penguin Books. p. 656.
- Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. U.S.: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 94. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.