Flugelhorns and Quiet Ambition in Hancock's Sixth
A sidelong turn from Herbie Hancock, with horns instead of heroics and no winds taking a solo.
By 1968 Herbie Hancock was no longer a newcomer. Speak Like a Child was his sixth album as a leader, and it came out on Blue Note while he was still building the reputation that would soon carry him into Miles Davis's second great quintet and then his own fusion-era records. This one sits in a quieter spot. It is less about showing off a rhythm section and more about a composer testing how his tunes sound when they are dressed in unusual colors.
The colors are the point. Jerry Dodgion's alto flute, Peter Phillips on bass trombone, and Thad Jones on flugelhorn form a front line you rarely hear on a jazz record, and Jones's arrangements, which went uncredited, give the horns room to breathe rather than competing with the piano. Nat Hentoff heard in it an "impressive further stage" in Hancock's writing and playing, and that holds up. Ron Carter and Mickey Roker keep things moving underneath, but nobody in the horn section takes a solo, so the whole record plays like a set of ensemble pieces with Hancock's chords doing most of the talking.
It is not his most famous album, and it is not the place to start with Hancock. Start with Maiden Voyage (1965) or Empyrean Isles (1964) to hear what he does best. Come to this one once you want to hear the writing without the usual trio fireworks. The Penguin Guide gave it three stars out of four, which is about right: a thoughtful, slightly strange record that rewards patience more than it demands it.
Who's playing
Ron Carterdouble bass
Peter Phillipsbass trombone
Herbie Hancockpiano
Jerry Dodgionalto flute
Mickey Rokerdrums
Thad Jonesflugelhorn
Where next?
More by Herbie Hancock
All 26 albums →
The musicians on this record
Their own records, close in time
