Product details
- Label Columbia
- Artist Herbie Hancock
- Format 1LP
- Country United States
- Released Date 1975
- Genre Jazz
- Sealed No
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Man-Child by Herbie Hancock.
Herbie Hancock's "Man-Child" finds one of jazz's most restless innovators building a bridge between acoustic tradition and the boundless electric possibilities of the mid-1970s. Across six tracks, Hancock stacks Fender Rhodes, Clavinet, and a small army of synthesizers into dense, funk-fueled arrangements that never lose their sense of swing. This is jazz reaching outward, absorbing soul, funk, and studio experimentation without abandoning the improviser's ear at its core.
Listen to the muscular opener, "Hang Up Your Hang Ups," and you hear the full ambition of the project laid bare: layered keyboards, punchy horns, and a rhythmic drive that pulls from the deepest wells of groove. From there the album ranges widely, easing into the shimmering warmth of "Sun Touch," tightening for "The Traitor," then turning the second side over to "Bubbles," "Steppin' In It," and the closing "Heartbeat." Each cut showcases Hancock's gift for arranging texture, treating his banks of synthesizers as a full orchestral palette.
The instrumental firepower here is remarkable. Hancock surrounds himself with a rotating cast of bassists in Henry Davis, Louis Johnson, and Paul Jackson, and drummers Harvey Mason, James Gadson, and Mike Clark, giving each track a distinct rhythmic personality. Guitar duties pass between Blackbyrd McKnight, David T. Walker, and Melvin "Wah Wah" Watson, while Bill Summers adds percussive color throughout. It is a lineup that reflects the crossroads of jazz and funk that the record so confidently occupies.
The horn and reed section reads like a summit of players. Bennie Maupin brings his arsenal of soprano and tenor saxophone, saxello, bass clarinet, bass flute, and alto flute, joined by Wayne Shorter on soprano saxophone and the reed and flute work of Ernie Watts and Jim Horn. Garnett Brown adds trombone, Bud Brisbois and Jay DaVersa handle trumpet, and Dick "Slyde" Hyde rounds out the low end on tuba and bass trombone. A special highlight arrives in the presence of Stevie Wonder, whose harmonica lends an unmistakable voice to the proceedings.
Produced by Herbie Hancock alongside David Rubinson & Friends, Inc., the album was recorded across a constellation of studios: Wally Heider Studios and Funky Features in San Francisco, and Village Recorders and Crystal Studios in Los Angeles. Engineering came from David Rubinson, Fred Catero, and Jack Leahy, with mastering handled by George Horn and Phil Brown. Dario Campanile's cover artwork, under Ren Deaton's art direction, gives the record its striking visual identity.
This is the cover variation with white text on the back sleeve, distinguished among its credits by the line noting that David T. Walker appears courtesy of Ode Records; a similar Pitman pressing carries black text on the back cover instead.
Pressing Details:
Track Listing:
A1. Hang Up Your Hang Ups
A2. Sun Touch
A3. The Traitor
B1. Bubbles
B2. Steppin' In It
B3. Heartbeat
Credits:
Ren Deaton - Art Direction
Dario Campanile - Artwork [Cover]
Henry Davis - Bass
Louis Johnson - Bass
Paul Jackson (2) - Bass
Harvey Mason - Drums
James Gadson - Drums
Mike Clark (2) - Drums
David Rubinson - Engineer
Fred Catero - Engineer
Jack Leahy - Engineer
Blackbyrd McKnight - Guitar
David T. Walker - Guitar
Melvin "Wah Wah" Watson - Guitar, Synthesizer
Stevie Wonder - Harmonica
George Horn - Mastered By
Phil Brown - Mastered By
Bill Summers - Percussion
Herbie Hancock - Piano [Acoustic], Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes], Synthesizer [Arp Odyssey, Pro Soloist, 2600, String Ensemble, Oberheim Polyphonic], Clavinet [Hohner D6]
David Rubinson & Friends, Inc. - Producer
Herbie Hancock - Producer
Ernie Watts - Saxophone, Flute
Jim Horn - Saxophone, Flute
Wayne Shorter - Soprano Saxophone
Bennie Maupin - Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Saxello, Bass Clarinet, Bass Flute, Alto Flute
Garnett Brown - Trombone
Bud Brisbois - Trumpet
Jay DaVersa - Trumpet
Dick "Slyde" Hyde - Tuba, Bass Trombone
Notes:
Recorded at Wally Heider Studios, San Francisco; Village Recorders, Los Angeles; Funky Features, San Francisco; and Crystal Studios, Los Angeles.
Cover variation with white text on back cover. Similar Pitman pressing with black text on back cover is: [r14712215].
On the versions with white text on the back cover is present among the credits the one referring to: "[David T. Walker] Appearing Courtesy Ode Records".
Artist: Herbie Hancock
Format: 1LP
Genre: Jazz
Label: Columbia
Catalog Number: PC 33812
Release Year: 1975
Country: United States
Condition: Used
Media Condition: Near Mint (NM)
Sleeve Condition: Near Mint (NM)
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