Two Bands, One Night, Uneven Results
Hancock's acoustic quintet swings hard, but the fusion side drags the album down.
V.S.O.P. arrived in 1977 as a document of Herbie Hancock's attempt to straddle two worlds at once — the acoustic straight-ahead jazz he'd rediscovered, and the electric fusion sound that had made him famous. The Penguin Guide rated it a middling 2.5 stars, and that split decision makes sense the moment you drop the needle. The first disc is genuinely engaging: Herbie Hancock leading Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard, Julian Priester, and Tony Williams through tunes like "Maiden Voyage" and "Eye of the Hurricane," playing with the kind of snap and conversation that makes you forget fusion ever happened. Shorter's tenor has real air around it, Hubbard's tone is warm and direct, and Williams behind the kit is the reason this quartet breathes instead of merely swings. The second disc — the Mwandishi band and The Headhunters — is where things flatten out. The fusion numbers feel obligatory, like Hancock checking a box. There's nothing wrong with them exactly, but they lack the charge of his best electric work or the clarity of the acoustic side. This is a record for Hancock completists more than newcomers. Start with Maiden Voyage (1969) if you want to hear what he could do acoustically at his peak. V.S.O.P. matters mainly as a snapshot of a crossroads moment — a man trying to keep one foot in two camps and not quite landing either one cleanly.
Who's playing
Ron Carterbass
Buster Williamsbass
Herbie Hancockpiano, solo
Wayne Shortersaxophone
Freddie Hubbardtrumpet
Julian Priestertrombone
Bennie Maupinalto flute
Tony Williamsdrums
Billy Hartdrums
Eddie Hendersonbrass
Where next?
More by Herbie Hancock
All 26 albums →
The musicians on this record
Etcetera 1980
Wayne Shorter
plays saxophone here
plays saxophone here
Red Clay 1970
Freddie Hubbard
plays trumpet here
plays trumpet here
Third Plane 1978
Ron Carter
plays bass here
plays bass here
Million Dollar Legs 1966
Tony Williams
plays drums (drum set) here
plays drums (drum set) here
