Sextant (album)

Sextant is the eleventh studio album by Herbie Hancock, released in 1973 by Columbia. It is his last album with his early '70s Mwandishi-era band.

Sextant
Studio album by
Herbie Hancock
Released30 March 1973
Recordedlate 1972
StudioWally Heider, San Francisco, Different Fur Studios, San Francisco
Genre
Length39:02
LabelColumbia
ProducerDavid Rubinson
Herbie Hancock chronology
Crossings
(1972)		 Sextant
(1973)		 Head Hunters
(1973)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[4]
Julian Cope(favorable)[5]
Rolling Stone 1998[3]
Rolling Stone 2004[6]
Uppity Music(favorable)[7]
Virgin Encyclopedia[8]
Penguin Guide to Jazz[8]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide[9]

Background

Released on 30 March 1973, Sextant was Herbie Hancock's first album on Columbia Records,[3] and the last with his Mwandishi-era group. The album showcased Hancock's early adoption of synthesizers and electronic effects.[3]

Upon release, the record was considered to be a commercial flop.[3]

Critical reception

AllMusic called the album a "gem" which features "a kind of post-modal, free impressionism while gracing the edges of funk."[4] Rolling Stone wrote that, "taking his cue from [Miles] Davis' swirling, anarchic Bitches Brew and On the Corner, Hancock went even further into outer space [...] much of Sextant, with its twittering, burbling effects, amounts to a primitive version of Nineties ambient music."[3] The album was called an "uncompromising avant-funk masterpiece" by Paste Magazine.[2]

Track listing

All songs by Herbie Hancock

No.TitleLength
1."Rain Dance"9:16
2."Hidden Shadows"10:11
3."Hornets"19:35

Personnel

References
  1. Little, Michael H. "Graded on a Curve: Herbie Hancock, Head Hunters". The Vinyl District. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  2. Jarnow, Jesse. "Herbie Hancock: Cafe Curiosity". Paste. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  3. Scherman, Tony (2011). "Sextant : Herbie Hancock : Review : Rolling Stone". web.archive.org. Archived from the original on 24 February 2009. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
  4. Jurek, Thom (2011). "Sextant - Herbie Hancock | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
  5. Cope, Julian (2011). "Julian Cope presents Head Heritage | Unsung | Reviews | Herbie Hancock - Sextant". headheritage.co.uk. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
  6. RSguide, 2004
  7. "Uppity Music: Herbie Hancock: Sextant (1973)". uppitymusic.com. 2008. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
  8. "Acclaimed Music - Sextant". Acclaimed Music. 2010. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
  9. Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. U.S.: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 94. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
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