Mwandishi
Mwandishi | ||||
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Warner Bros. | ||||
Producer | David Rubinson | |||
Herbie Hancock chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
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 saxophonist 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, e.g. in his 1973 album
Mwandishi was recorded at
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 [5] and as The Warner Bros. Years (1969-1972) in 2014.[6]
Track listing
All songs composed by Herbie Hancock except where noted.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Ostinato (Suite for Angela)" | 13:10 |
2. | "You'll Know When You Get There" | 10:22 |
Total length: | 23:32 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
3. | "Wandering Spirit Song" | Julian Priester | 21:26 |
Total length: | 21:26 |
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
- tenor trombone, bass trombone
with
- Leon "Ndugu" Chancler – drums and percussion on "Ostinato (Suite For Angela)"
- congas and timbaleson "Ostinato (Suite For Angela)"
- Ronnie Montrose – guitar on "Ostinato (Suite For Angela)"
References