Overview
“Crossings” is the tenth album by Herbie Hancock, an American jazz pianist, composer and arranger born in Chicago, Illinois in 1940. It was released by Warner Bros. Records in 1972.
Commentary
It is one of the experimental albums recorded by Herbie Hancock Sextet under the strong influence of the early electric Miles Davis — “In A Silent Way” (1969) and “Bitches Brew” (1970) — in his transition period (so-called “Mwandishi” era) between the Blue Note years in the 1960s and the popular funk period after “Head Hunters” (1973).
In addition to the sextet of Herbie Hancock (piano, electric piano, mellotron, percussion), Eddie Henderson (trumpet, flugelhorn, percussion), Bennie Maupin (soprano saxophone, alto flute, bass clarinet, piccolo, percussion), Julian Priester (tenor and alto trombones, bass, percussion), Buster Williams (bass guitar, double bass, percussion), and Billy Hart (drums, percussion), the album features Patrick Gleeson (Moog synthesizer), who has been known as a pioneering synthesizer player, as a new member.
The album features spacey, psychedelic and avant-garde jazz/fusion including African percussions and electronic instruments, such as electric piano (Fender Rhodes), Mellotron, and Moog synthesizer.
The first track “Sleeping Giant” is a long track (24:50) in the fusion style including funk grooves, which consists of five parts.
The latter two tracks composed by Bennie Maupin are more avant-garde tracks like contemporary music, which are characterized by the atmospheric soundscape akin to deep sea or cosmic space.
