Speak Like a Child (album)

Last updated
Speak Like a Child
Herbie Hancock - Speak Like a Child.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 1968 [1]
RecordedMarch 6 and 9, 1968
Studio Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs
Genre Hard bop, jazz
Length37:05original LP
Label Blue Note
BST 84279
Producer Duke Pearson
Herbie Hancock chronology
Blow-Up
(1966)
Speak Like a Child
(1968)
The Prisoner
(1969)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [2]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]

Speak Like a Child, the sixth album by American jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, which was recorded and released by Blue Note Records in 1968, features Hancock's arrangements for an unusual front line of Jerry Dodgion on alto flute, Peter Phillips on bass trombone, and Thad Jones on flugelhorn. Critic Nat Hentoff described the album as an "impressive further stage in the evolution of Herbie Hancock as writer and player," saying it is characterized by a "singular quality of incisive, searching lyricism." Unusually, none of the wind players perform solos on any song. The rhythm section is bassist Ron Carter and drummer Mickey Roker.

Contents

The cover photograph was taken by David Bythewood, an acquaintance of Hancock. The photo depicts Hancock in silhouette kissing his wife-to-be, Gigi Meixner. [5]

The approach to the album

The pianist wanted to represent here a childlike, but not childish, philosophy. He felt this music didn't reflect the social turmoil of the late 1960s in America, that is riots and problematic economy. Hancock rather wanted to picture a more upbeat, brighter future, or, as he says, "a forward look into what could be a bright future." More so, Hancock wanted to go back and rediscover certain childhood qualities "we lose and wish we could have back — purity, spontaneity. When they do return to us, we're at our best." Therefore, "Speak Like a Child" translates as "think and feel in terms of hope, and the possibilities of making our future less impure". [5]

In the liner notes, Hancock further points out his approach to the album, recalling his previous efforts: "What I was into then, and have been thinking about more and more, was the concept that there is a type of music in between jazz and rock." In fact, in 1966 Hancock tried to record a funk album with a nine-piece ensemble — an attempt that failed and never made it to release: "I was trying to make a funk record without knowing a thing about funk." Hancock also referred to himself as a "jazz snob" and stated the date didn't turn out as he expected. [6]

"This album is an extension of Maiden Voyage in terms of use of simple, singable melodies. I've been trying for a long time to work on swinging, and of all the albums I've done, this to me swings the most. [...] What's different in Speak Like a Child as a whole has to do, first, with harmony. For the most part, the harmonies in these numbers are freer in the sense that they're not so easily identifiable chordally in the conventional way. I'm more concerned with sounds than chords, and so I voice the harmonies to provide a wider spectrum of colors that can be contained within the traditional chord progression. [...] Similarly, in those tracks with the horns, I was more interested in sounds than in definite chord patterns. I tried to give the horns notes that would give color and body to the sounds I heard as I wrote." Hancock says this way of thinking partially came from listening to Gil Evans, Oliver Nelson and Thad Jones. Also, the pianist was becoming really captivated by ensembles. Indeed, he concludes saying "certainly, one of the ways I'm going to go from here on is writing for large groups [...] I feel I have to go on and write more for horns, explore more possibilities of textures." [5] More recently, Hancock commented "Once I made that album, there was no doubt in my mind that, when I organized my own band, it would be a sextet." [6]

Music

A different take of "Riot" was recorded originally by Miles Davis on his Nefertiti . Hancock, though, points out that the arranged version on Speak Like a Child is less riotous than Davis'. Moreover, even though it contains "an element of turmoil", it is there "more as an undercurrent than on the surface." Hancock first wrote the melody, then added the harmonies he wanted underneath.

The title for "Speak Like a Child", the haunting title track that represents the summa of this concept album, came from Francis Wolff who designed much art for Blue Note, and it was suggested by the cover photograph taken by Bythewood. Hancock was so enthralled by it that he brought the photo to Wolff for use as the cover album. Wolff in turn was impressed by the naivety and innocence in it, so he promptly chose it as the cover. Miles Davis Quintet attempted to record the piece in January 1968, without producing a proper, finished take.

"First Trip" was composed by bassist Ron Carter for his son, Ron Jr., who at the time was going to a nursery school where the good kids, the ones who behaved well, would come home on the first trip, and the bad ones on the second. Carter clearly wrote the tune one of the days that Ron Jr. behaved well. When Hancock first played the melody, he "didn't play it straight", but rather made changes to some phrases and tempos, so that it would result freer, getting away "from finite structural and chordal limitations." In Hancock's words, the piece has "the kind of progression that goes in and out of the traditional dividing lines." A different version of this number appeared on Joe Henderson' album Tetragon (1967) on which Carter performed.

The tune "Toys", which displays contrasting dynamics, came out since Hancock was trying to write a piece "with the colors of a blues, but not the form," whilst "Goodbye to Childhood" should reflect a melancholic feeling, "that particular quality of sadness you feel at childhood being gone."

The last track on the album is "The Sorcerer", written for Davis. It is also featured on the eponymous Sorcerer . Hancock titled it that way because, in a way, he thought of Miles as "a sorcerer. His whole attitude, the way he is, is kind of mysterious. [...] His music sounds like witchcraft. There are times I don't know where his music comes from. It doesn't sound like he's doing it; it sounds like it's coming from somewhere else." [5]

Track listing

All compositions by Herbie Hancock, except "First Trip" composed by Ron Carter.

Side one

  1. "Riot" – 4:40
  2. "Speak Like a Child" – 7:50
  3. "First Trip" – 6:01

Side two

  1. "Toys" – 5:52
  2. "Goodbye to Childhood" – 7:06
  3. "The Sorcerer" – 5:36

Bonus tracks on CD reissue

  1. "Riot" (first alternate take) – 4:55
  2. "Riot" (second alternate take) – 4:40
  3. "Goodbye to Childhood" (alternate take) – 5:49

Recording dates

Personnel

Technical

Charts

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Carter</span> American musician and composer (born 1937)

Ronald Levin Carter is an American jazz double bassist. His appearances on 2,221 recording sessions make him the most-recorded jazz bassist in history. He has won three Grammy Awards, and is also a cellist who has recorded numerous times on that instrument. In addition to a solo career of more than 60 years, Carter is well-known for playing on numerous iconic Blue Note albums in the 1960s, as well as being the anchor of trumpeter Miles Davis's "Second Great Quintet" from 1963-1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herbie Hancock</span> American jazz pianist and composer (born 1940)

Herbert Jeffrey Hancock is an American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the post-bop sound. In the 1970s, Hancock experimented with jazz fusion, funk, and electro styles, using a wide array of synthesizers and electronics. It was during this period that he released perhaps his best-known and most influential album, Head Hunters.

<i>Maiden Voyage</i> (Herbie Hancock album) 1965 studio album by Herbie Hancock

Maiden Voyage is the fifth album led by jazz musician Herbie Hancock, and was recorded by Rudy Van Gelder on March 17, 1965, for Blue Note Records. It was issued as BLP 4195 and BST 84195. Featuring Hancock with tenor saxophonist George Coleman, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams, it is a concept album aimed at creating an oceanic atmosphere. As such, many of the track titles refer to marine biology or the sea, and the musicians develop the concept through their use of space. The album was presented with the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999.

<i>Miles Smiles</i> 1967 studio album by Miles Davis

Miles Smiles is an album by the jazz musician Miles Davis. It was released on February 16, 1967 through Columbia Records. It was recorded by Davis and his second quintet at Columbia 30th Street Studio in New York City on October 24 and October 25, 1966. It is the second of six albums recorded by Davis' second great quintet, which featured tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Tony Williams.

<i>Sorcerer</i> (Miles Davis album) 1967 studio album by Miles Davis

Sorcerer is an album by the jazz trumpeter and composer Miles Davis. It is the third of six albums that his 1960s quintet recorded. It also includes one track from a 1962 session with vocalist Bob Dorough, which was the first time Wayne Shorter recorded with Davis. Davis does not play on the second track, "Pee Wee". The album's cover is a profile photo of actress Cicely Tyson, who at the time was Davis's girlfriend.

<i>Nefertiti</i> (Miles Davis album) 1968 studio album by Miles Davis

Nefertiti is a studio album by the jazz musician Miles Davis, released in March 1968. Recorded at Columbia's 30th Street Studio over four dates between June 7 and July 19, 1967, the album was Davis' last fully acoustic album. Davis himself did not contribute any compositions – three were written by tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter, two by pianist Herbie Hancock, and one by drummer Tony Williams.

<i>Miles in the Sky</i> 1968 studio album by Miles Davis

Miles in the Sky is a studio album by the jazz trumpeter and composer Miles Davis. It was released on July 22, 1968 through Columbia Records. It was the last full album recorded by Davis' "Second Great Quintet" and marked the beginning of his foray into jazz fusion, with Herbie Hancock playing electric piano and Ron Carter playing electric bass guitar on opening track “Stuff”. Additionally, electric guitarist George Benson features on “Paraphernalia”.

<i>Components</i> (album) 1966 studio album by Bobby Hutcherson

Components is an album by jazz vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, released on the Blue Note label in 1966. The first side of the LP features compositions by Hutcherson, in a hard bop style, whilst the second side features Joe Chambers' compositions, more in the avant-garde style.

<i>Empyrean Isles</i> 1964 studio album by Herbie Hancock

Empyrean Isles is the fourth studio album by American jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, released on Blue Note Records in November 1964. The album features Hancock alongside trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Tony Williams.

<i>Quartet</i> (Herbie Hancock album) 1982 studio album by Herbie Hancock

Quartet is the twenty-seventh album by jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, featuring a quartet with trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams. It was originally issued in Japan on CBS/Sony, and later given a US release by Columbia.

Post-bop is a jazz term with several possible definitions and usages. It has been variously defined as a musical period, a musical genre, a musical style, and a body of music, sometimes in different chronological periods, depending on the writer. Musicologist Barry Kernfeld wrote in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians that post-bop is "a vague term, used either stylistically or chronologically to describe any continuation or amalgamation of bop, modal jazz, and free jazz; its meaning sometimes extends into swing and earlier styles or into fusion and third-world styles."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buster Williams</span> American jazz bassist

Charles Anthony "Buster" Williams is an American jazz bassist. Williams is known for his membership in pianist Herbie Hancock's early 1970s group, as well as working with guitarist Larry Coryell, the Thelonious Monk repertory band Sphere and as the accompanist of choice for many singers, including Nancy Wilson.

<i>My Funny Valentine: Miles Davis in Concert</i> 1965 live album by Miles Davis

My Funny Valentine: Miles Davis in Concert is a live album by Miles Davis recorded at the Philharmonic Hall of Lincoln Center, New York City on February 12, 1964 and released on Columbia the following year.

<i>The All Seeing Eye</i> 1966 studio album by Wayne Shorter

The All Seeing Eye is the ninth jazz album by saxophonist Wayne Shorter, recorded on October 15, 1965, and released on the Blue Note label as BLP 4219 and BST 84219 in 1966. The album features performances by Shorter with trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, trombonist Grachan Moncur III, alto saxophonist James Spaulding, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Joe Chambers. Shorter's brother, Alan composed and plays fluegelhorn on the final track, “Mephistopheles”. The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow states: "it is clear from the start that the music on this CD reissue is not basic bop and blues... the dramatic selections, and their brand of controlled freedom has plenty of subtle surprises. This is stimulating music that still sounds fresh over three decades later".

Jerry Dodgion was an American jazz saxophonist and flautist.

<i>The Procrastinator</i> 1978 studio album by Lee Morgan

The Procrastinator is an album by jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan released posthumously on the Blue Note label, featuring performances by Morgan, Wayne Shorter, Bobby Hutcherson, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Billy Higgins. It was originally issued in 1978 as a double LP featuring tracks recorded in three different sessions: July 1967, September 1969 and October 1969. It was the last time Morgan recorded with Shorter in an association that lasted almost eight years.

<i>Nows the Time</i> (Sonny Rollins album) 1964 studio album by Sonny Rollins

Now's the Time is a 1964 album by jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins, released by RCA Victor featuring performances by Rollins with Herbie Hancock, Thad Jones, Ron Carter, Bob Cranshaw and Roy McCurdy on several bebop tunes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maiden Voyage (composition)</span> Jazz music composition composed by Herbie Hancock

"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 – together with saxophonist George Coleman. It is one of Hancock's best-known compositions and has become a jazz standard.

<i>Directions</i> (Miles Davis album) 1981 compilation album by Miles Davis

Directions is a compilation album by American jazz musician Miles Davis, released in 1981 by Columbia Records. It collects previously unreleased outtakes that Davis recorded between 1960 and 1970. Directions was the last of a series of compilation albums—mostly consisting of, at that time, previously unreleased music—that Columbia released to bridge Davis' recording hiatus that ended with the Man with the Horn in July 1981.

References

  1. Billboard Oct 26, 1968
  2. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Speak Like a Child - Herbie Hancock | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  3. Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide . U.S.: Random House/Rolling Stone. p.  93. 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. 1 2 3 4 Original liner notes by Nat Hentoff
  6. 1 2 Bob Blumenthal's 2004 liner notes
  7. "Lista prodaje 19. tjedan 2024" (in Croatian). Top of the Shops. May 16, 2024. Retrieved May 16, 2024.