Back from the moon

Howdy readers,

I recognize it has been some time since my last post. The stress surrounding the weeks leading up to a wedding, and a fantastic trip to Costa Rica afterwards prevented me from getting to writing much.

Luckily I have continued to purchase records; like that was going to slow down!

Today I purchased my first two LP's as a married man. The first is 'Sextant', Herbie Hancock's electo-influenced fusion effort from 73. I do enjoy it, but it isn't 'Thrust' or 'Headhunters' by any stretch of the imagination. The album kicks off with Rain Dance, a repetitive track which sounds like something off a Jon Hassel or Tangerine Dream album. I'm sure I would have enjoyed this better if I hadn't heard any of his previous efforts, but I found that his experimentation was without focus. 'Hornets' on the other hand is a full side of fusion glory. For fans of Benny Maupin, this track just slays. Is full of groove, courtesy of drummer Billy Hart, and the various synths provide unique layers of sound. Overall a very good album, but if you are looking for classic Herbie, this ain't it!


The second LP is quite the find. 'The Elephant's Child' features Jack Nicholson (Jack Nicholson!) reciting Rudyards Kipling's beautiful story of how an elephant got its trunk. Though fronted as a spoken word album, it's accompanied by a beautiful score by Bobby McFerrin. Several catchy themes are repeated throughout in typical McFerrin fashion, and the whole second side contains instrumental versions of these themes. 'The Elephant's Child' epitomizes why I go to record shopping regularly. The album is nothing shy of fantastic. The music is poignant and clever, Nicholson speaks with a confidence that brings you into the story, and the production is perfect (It’s a Windham Hill release from 1987. Their albums always sound fantastic.) This album is a reminder that the obscurity of records is endless. Every time I think I have seen it all, I find another LP to challenge the previous. ’The Elephant`s Child’ maybe a tough one to find; BEST OF LUCK!