Herbie Hancock and Friends - Spotlight (Day 11) FINAL

Happy Friday. Today is our final post for the deep dive into Herbie Hancock's run in the 1970s. We've looked at quite a few albums from him and his supporting personnel over the years. Today we have 5 albums to close out the decade. 

First up we have a Japan release from 1979 that features 3 fantastic tunes and a great group of personnel. Directstep is one of the few Hancock albums that includes a 2nd keyboardist. With Hancock on his usual Fender Rhodes, clavinet and variety of synthesizers, we also have Webster Lewis providing support most noticeably on the Hammond organ. Although he's listed as also playing the Rhodes and a few synthesizers himself. We also have Bennie Maupin on soprano and tenor saxophone and lyricon, Ray Obiedo on guitar, Paul Jackson on bass, Bill Summers on percussion and personal favorite Alphonse Mouzon on drums. 

This one starts off with as good of a version of "Butterfly" as you'll find. I personally dig the sound of Lewis and Hancock playing off of each other throughout this one. Obiedo on guitar is also a nice touch. The tempo picks up at about the 5-minute mark and is about as good as it gets. Next up is one of my favorite tunes in "Shiftless Shuffle." Again, the tempo picks up around the 4-minute mark and the chemistry between Lewis and Hancock is undeniable. Maupin also plays a beautiful tenor on this one. We close with a 15-minute version of "I Thought It Was You" which we heard yesterday on Sunlight. If you liked the version from yesterday, you'll definitely dig this one. 

The year prior, drummer Alphonse Mouzon released In Search Of A Dream which is one of my favorite albums from his catalog. Mouzon was a founding member of Weather Report but only appeared on the group's self-titled debut album. He went on to make quite a few solo fusion albums that eventually began to incorporate more soul/R&B elements as time went on. He also was a member of Eleventh House with guitarist Larry Coryell. For ISOAD, Alphonse was joined by excellent keyboardists Joachim Kuhn (who is deserving of a post at some point) and Stu Goldberg, guitarist Philip Catherine, bassist Miroslav Vitous and saxophonist Bob Malik. 

This one starts off with great energy and Alphonse lights the drums up on "Nightmare." Another favorite is "The Unknown Journey" which also features Mouzon on the electric piano and has a great bassline from Vitous. It wouldn't be right to mention this album and not bring up "The Ram and the Scorpio" which features some absolute shredding from all involved. Great tune chocked full of energy. All in all a fantastic album. We may need a post dedicated to Mouzon. 

Next for us is an album from Hancock that moves even closer to an electronic dance/disco sound. Again featuring vocals from Herbie via the vocoder and other background singers, Feets Don't Fail Me Now was released early in 1979. I had somewhat better success with the instrumentals for this one so I've included them here. Not perfect by any means but listenable. Joining Herbie we have guitarist Ray Obiedo, bassist Ed Watkins, percussionist Bill Summers and drummer James Gadson. Some slight changes are made to personnel on a few of the tracks - you can see the proper breakdown here. 

I'd be lying if I said this was my favorite album but there are definitely some jams here. "Ready Or Not" is super funky anthem that is worth a listen. As well as "Tell Everybody" which has the quickest pace on the album. I also really dig "Honey From The Jar" which is super funky but down a notch in tempo. 

Along the same lines as FDFMN, Eddie Henderson's Runnin' To Your Love from 1979 also leaned into a more uptempo, disco adjacent sound. Eddie went shirtless for the album cover so you know he was trying to party. There are vocals on a few tracks and I've included a separate instrumental version with mixed results. Again, a ton of personnel on this one so take a look at this link if you'd like a proper breakdown tune by tune. 

Very accessible stuff here but definitely worth a listen, in my opinion. The first couple of tunes are full of energy and "Sunchaser" has a nice vibe to it. I personally really dig the next tune "Hibby" which slows the pace down considerably. "This Band Is Hot" picks the pace right back up as expected from the name. Another uptempo track follows in "Please Your Mind" before they slow it back down with "Moon." While not as on point as the previous releases we've heard from Henderson, this one isn't too bad itself. 

And the final album for us is a peaceful conclusion to what I hope has been an enjoyable series of posts. Also released in 1979, The Piano is a solo piano album from Hancock recorded in Tokyo. This one features a few standards to start followed by some original tunes. Obviously have to be in a mood for solo acoustic piano albums but as usual, Herbie plays beautifully. I really dig his rendition of "On Green Dolphin Street" as well as the closing tune "Blue Ohtani." A nice way to close out a decade full of musical changes for the legend. 

Thanks for following along!