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As one of the first albums Herbie Hancock recorded after departing Miles Davis' quintet in 1968, as well as his final album for Blue Note, The Prisoner is one of Hancock's most ambitious efforts. Assembling a nonet that features Joe Henderson (tenor sax, alto flute), Johnny Coles (flugelhorn), Garnett Brown (trombone), Buster Williams (bass), and Albert "Tootie" Heath (drums), he has created his grandest work since My Point of View. Unlike that effort, The Prisoner has a specific concept -- it's a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, evoking his spirit and dreams through spacious, exploratory post-bop. Often, the music doesn't follow conventional patterns, but that doesn't mean that it's alienating or inaccessible. It is certainly challenging, but Hancock's compositions (and his arrangement of Charles Williams' "Firewater") have enough melody and space to allow listeners into the album. Throughout the record, Hancock, Coles, and Henderson exchange provocative, unpredictable solos that build upon the stark melodies and sober mood of the music. The tone is not of sorrow or celebration, but of reflection and contemplation, and on that level, The Prisoner succeeds handsomely, even if the music meanders a little too often to be judged a complete success.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
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Hubert Laws, Flute, AssociatedPerformer - Garnett Brown, Trombone, AssociatedPerformer - Tony Studd, Trombone, AssociatedPerformer - HERBIE HANCOCK, Composer, Piano, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Rudy Van Gelder, Mastering Engineer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Alfred Lion, Producer - Jerome Richardson, Bass Clarinet, AssociatedPerformer - Joe Henderson, Tenor Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Albert "Tootie" Heath, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Johnny Coles, Flugelhorn, AssociatedPerformer - Charles Buster Williams, AssociatedPerformer, Bass (Vocal)
℗ 2000 Blue Note Records
Hubert Laws, Flute, AssociatedPerformer - Garnett Brown, Trombone, AssociatedPerformer - Tony Studd, Trombone, AssociatedPerformer - HERBIE HANCOCK, Composer, Piano, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Rudy Van Gelder, Mastering Engineer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Alfred Lion, Producer - Jerome Richardson, Bass Clarinet, AssociatedPerformer - Joe Henderson, Tenor Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Albert "Tootie" Heath, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Johnny Coles, Flugelhorn, AssociatedPerformer - Charles Buster Williams, AssociatedPerformer, Bass (Vocal)
℗ 2000 Blue Note Records
Romeo Penque, Bass Clarinet, AssociatedPerformer - Garnett Brown, Trombone, AssociatedPerformer - HERBIE HANCOCK, Piano, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Rudy Van Gelder, Mastering Engineer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Alfred Lion, Producer - Jerome Richardson, Flute, AssociatedPerformer - Charles Williams, Composer - Joe Henderson, Tenor Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Albert "Tootie" Heath, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Johnny Coles, Flugelhorn, AssociatedPerformer - Charles Buster Williams, AssociatedPerformer, Bass (Vocal) - Jack Jeffers, Trombone, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2000 Blue Note Records
Hubert Laws, Flute, AssociatedPerformer - Garnett Brown, Trombone, AssociatedPerformer - Tony Studd, Trombone, AssociatedPerformer - HERBIE HANCOCK, Composer, Piano, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Rudy Van Gelder, Mastering Engineer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Alfred Lion, Producer - Jerome Richardson, Bass Clarinet, AssociatedPerformer - Joe Henderson, Tenor Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Albert "Tootie" Heath, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Johnny Coles, Flugelhorn, AssociatedPerformer - Charles Buster Williams, AssociatedPerformer, Bass (Vocal)
℗ 2000 Blue Note Records
Romeo Penque, Bass Clarinet, AssociatedPerformer - Garnett Brown, Trombone, AssociatedPerformer - HERBIE HANCOCK, Composer, Piano, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Rudy Van Gelder, Mastering Engineer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Alfred Lion, Producer - Jerome Richardson, Flute, AssociatedPerformer - Joe Henderson, Tenor Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Albert "Tootie" Heath, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Johnny Coles, Flugelhorn, AssociatedPerformer - Charles Buster Williams, AssociatedPerformer, Bass (Vocal) - Jack Jeffers, Trombone, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2000 Blue Note Records
Album review
As one of the first albums Herbie Hancock recorded after departing Miles Davis' quintet in 1968, as well as his final album for Blue Note, The Prisoner is one of Hancock's most ambitious efforts. Assembling a nonet that features Joe Henderson (tenor sax, alto flute), Johnny Coles (flugelhorn), Garnett Brown (trombone), Buster Williams (bass), and Albert "Tootie" Heath (drums), he has created his grandest work since My Point of View. Unlike that effort, The Prisoner has a specific concept -- it's a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, evoking his spirit and dreams through spacious, exploratory post-bop. Often, the music doesn't follow conventional patterns, but that doesn't mean that it's alienating or inaccessible. It is certainly challenging, but Hancock's compositions (and his arrangement of Charles Williams' "Firewater") have enough melody and space to allow listeners into the album. Throughout the record, Hancock, Coles, and Henderson exchange provocative, unpredictable solos that build upon the stark melodies and sober mood of the music. The tone is not of sorrow or celebration, but of reflection and contemplation, and on that level, The Prisoner succeeds handsomely, even if the music meanders a little too often to be judged a complete success.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 5 track(s)
- Total length: 00:41:13
- Main artists: Herbie Hancock
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Blue Note Records
- Genre: Jazz
© 1969 Blue Note Records ℗ 2013 Blue Note Records
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