Maiden Voyage (album)

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." A different version of "Little One" was also recorded around the same time by Miles Davis and his quintet (including Hancock, Carter and Williams) for the album E.S.P., also released in 1965.

Reception
The Penguin Guide to Jazz designated the album as part of its Core Collection with a four star rating, calling it "a colossal achievement from a man still just 24 years old." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic describes the album as "arguably his finest record of the '60s, reaching a perfect balance between accessible, lyrical jazz and chance-taking hard bop."

Legacy
"Maiden Voyage", "The Eye of the Hurricane" and "Dolphin Dance" have now become jazz standards 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).

Track listing
All compositions by Herbie Hancock.


 * 1) "Maiden Voyage" – 7:53
 * 2) "The Eye of the Hurricane" – 5:57
 * 3) "Little One" – 8:43
 * 4) "Survival of the Fittest" – 9:59
 * 5) "Dolphin Dance" – 9:16

Personnel

 * Herbie Hancock &mdash; Piano
 * Freddie Hubbard &mdash; Trumpet
 * George Coleman &mdash; Tenor saxophone
 * Ron Carter &mdash; Bass
 * Tony Williams &mdash; drums

Cover Versions

 * Ahmad Jamal recorded a version of "Dolphin Dance" on his 1971 album The Awakening.
 * "Maiden Voyage" was covered by jazz rock band Blood, Sweat, and Tears for their 1972 album New Blood.
 * Grover Washington Jr. covered "Dolphin Dance" on his 1976 album A Secret Place.
 * The rock band Phish 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.
 * Christian McBride, Nicholas Payton, and Mark Whitfield recorded a version of "The Eye of the Hurricane" on their 1997 album Fingerpainting: The Music of Herbie Hancock.
 * Toto recorded "Maiden Voyage" on their 2002 album Through the Looking Glass.
 * Robert Glasper recorded a version of "Maiden Voyage" on his 2004 album Mood.
 * 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".