VSOP: The Quintet
Encyclopedia
V. S. O. P. The Quintet was recorded from two live performances, one at the Greek Theatre, University of California, Berkeley
, on July 16, 1977, the other at the San Diego Civic Theatre, July 18, 1977. Musicians in this landmark performance were Herbie Hancock
on keyboards, Freddie Hubbard
on trumpet and flugelhorn
, Tony Williams on drums, Ron Carter
on bass, and Wayne Shorter
on tenor and soprano saxophones. The recording was originally released in late 1977 as a 2-disc LP issued on the Columbia
label.
magazine is quoted on the back of the album and describes the performance this way:
"What the audience applauds on this album transcends mere form, technique and instrumentation. They were thrilled by the charisma generated by five masters who listened to one another's inner ears, spoke to each other at multiple levels, and, no matter how dense the musical content, conveyed their messages to the audience with amazing clarity."
"Third Plane" would become one of Ron Carter's most renowned compositions, while "Jessica" was originally featured on the 1969 Hancock album, Fat Albert Rotunda
.
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, on July 16, 1977, the other at the San Diego Civic Theatre, July 18, 1977. Musicians in this landmark performance were Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
on keyboards, Freddie Hubbard
Freddie Hubbard
Frederick Dewayne "Freddie" Hubbard was an American jazz trumpeter. He was known primarily for playing in the bebop, hard bop and post bop styles from the early 1960s and on...
on trumpet and flugelhorn
Flugelhorn
The flugelhorn is a brass instrument resembling a trumpet but with a wider, conical bore. Some consider it to be a member of the saxhorn family developed by Adolphe Sax ; however, other historians assert that it derives from the valve bugle designed by Michael Saurle , Munich 1832 , thus...
, Tony Williams on drums, Ron Carter
Ron Carter
Ron Carter is an American jazz double-bassist. His appearances on over 2,500 albums make him one of the most-recorded bassists in jazz history, along with Milt Hinton, Ray Brown and Leroy Vinnegar. Carter is also an acclaimed cellist who has recorded numerous times on that...
on bass, and Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter is an American jazz saxophonist and composer.He is generally acknowledged to be jazz's greatest living composer, and many of his compositions have become standards...
on tenor and soprano saxophones. The recording was originally released in late 1977 as a 2-disc LP issued on the Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
label.
About the Album / Review
An excerpt from a review in the January 1978 issue of Down BeatDown Beat
Down Beat is an American magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond" to indicate its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chicago, Illinois...
magazine is quoted on the back of the album and describes the performance this way:
"What the audience applauds on this album transcends mere form, technique and instrumentation. They were thrilled by the charisma generated by five masters who listened to one another's inner ears, spoke to each other at multiple levels, and, no matter how dense the musical content, conveyed their messages to the audience with amazing clarity."
"Third Plane" would become one of Ron Carter's most renowned compositions, while "Jessica" was originally featured on the 1969 Hancock album, Fat Albert Rotunda
Fat Albert Rotunda
Fat Albert Rotunda is the eighth album by jazz keyboardist Herbie Hancock, released in 1969. It also was the first album that Hancock had on the Warner Bros. Records label, since leaving Blue Note Records.-About the Album:...
.
Track listing
- "One of a Kind" (Hubbard) - 9:27
- "Third Plane" (Carter) - 7:19
- "Jessica" (Hancock) - 7:02
- "Lawra" (Williams) - 9:43
- "Darts" (Hancock) - 8:54
- "Dolores" (Shorter) - 11:31
- "Little Waltz" (Carter) - 9:33
- "Byrdlike" (Hubbard) - 8:05
Personell
- Musicians:
- Ron CarterRon CarterRon Carter is an American jazz double-bassist. His appearances on over 2,500 albums make him one of the most-recorded bassists in jazz history, along with Milt Hinton, Ray Brown and Leroy Vinnegar. Carter is also an acclaimed cellist who has recorded numerous times on that...
– bass - Herbie Hancock – keyboards, piano, synthesizer, vocals
- Freddie HubbardFreddie HubbardFrederick Dewayne "Freddie" Hubbard was an American jazz trumpeter. He was known primarily for playing in the bebop, hard bop and post bop styles from the early 1960s and on...
– flugelhorn, trumpet - Bennie MaupinBennie MaupinBennie Maupin is a Detroit Michigan jazz multireedist. He performs on various saxophones, flute and bass clarinet.He is probably best known for his participation in Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi sextet and Headhunters band, and for performing on Miles Davis's seminal fusion record, Bitches Brew...
– percussion, wind - Paul JacksonPaul Jackson (bassist)Paul Jackson is an American jazz bass guitarist and composer. He has played with many of the great jazz artists, most notably playing bass on several of Herbie Hancock's seminal albums, Head Hunters, Thrust, and others. He was born in Oakland, California and began playing bass at the age of nine...
– bass - Julian PriesterJulian PriesterJulian Priester is an American jazz trombonist and composer.He has played with many artists including Sun Ra, Max Roach, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane and Herbie Hancock.-Biography:...
– trombone - Wayne ShorterWayne ShorterWayne Shorter is an American jazz saxophonist and composer.He is generally acknowledged to be jazz's greatest living composer, and many of his compositions have become standards...
– soprano sax, tenor sax, saxophone - Wah Wah Watson – guitar
- Buster WilliamsBuster WilliamsCharles Anthony Williams is an American jazz bassist.-Biography:Williams has gained prestige among jazz musicians as a solid supportive player. Since the early 1960s, he has made subtle swing, a precise rhythm and superb technique the landmark of his playing...
– bass, percussion - Tony Williams – drums
- Eddie HendersonEddie Henderson (musician)Eddie Henderson is an American jazz trumpet and flugelhorn player. Henderson's influences include Booker Little, Clifford Brown, Woody Shaw and Miles Davis.-Family influence and early music history:...
– percussion, trumpet
- Ron Carter
- Production:
- Russ Anderson – Design
- Bryan Bell – Audio Engineer, Engineer
- Fred CateroFred CateroFred Catero is an American record producer and engineer. Originally from New York, where he worked for CBS Records/Columbia, in the mid-1960s Catero moved to San Francisco to work for Columbia Records there. In San Francisco Catero worked on many albums by top artists, including Bob Dylan and...
– Engineer - Jeffrey Cohen – Associate Producer
- Les D. Cooper – Remote Recording Crew
- Herbie Green – Design
- Dennis Mays – Remote Recording Crew
- Chris Minto – Assistant Engineer
- Shawn Murphy – Remote Recording Crew
- David Rubinson – Producer
- Paul Sandweiss – Remote Recording Crew
- Conrad Silvert – Liner Notes
- Bruce Talamon – Photography
- Ray Thompson – Remote Recording Crew