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Crotchet

World of Rhythm Live Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Billy Cobham TDK Jazz Club DV-JWOR This video was made at a live concert at Palazzo die Congressi, Lugano, 26 January 1983. The sound has been digitally re-mastered.

1. Toys
2. First trip
3. Speak Like a Child
4. Little Waltz
5. Willow Weep for Me
6. Dolphin dance
7. Ili’s treasure
8. Princess Eye of the Hurricane
9. Walking

Biographies of the musicians are included on the DVD.
Herbie Hancock – Concert Grand piano
Ron Carter – Double Bass
Billy Cobham – Drums

Herbie Hancock and Ron Carter first met when they were both members of the Miles Davies quintet. Billy Cobham first came to the attention of the jazz world when he joined the Horace Silver quintet.

Herbie Hancock, who received a classical musical training is one of the finest composers and arrangers in the world, as well as being an excellent pianist as this DVD demonstrates. His partners here are also in the very top echelon of jazz musicians on their respective instruments. It is strange that this music was recorded nearly 20 years ago, but it sounds as though it might have been recorded yesterday.

The absence of electronic instruments certainly appeals to me, all three musicians are associated with jazz/rock and I had half expected that electronics would be well to the fore. I realise that electronic instruments have a place in jazz, but as most were developed for the rock/pop scene, they are often used to subvert jazz/rock into rock/noise!

Ron Carter’s bass playing is exquisite and his solo on Willow Weeps for Me, shows off his superb tone and amazing technique as he accompanies himself in the manner used by some of the great guitar players.

Billy Cobham is another master technician on the drums, who listens to what the other musicians are doing and complements it throughout.

Herbie Hancock’s solo on Dolphin Dance enables us to understand how his classical training, has made it possible for him to improvise without being held back by any technical limitations.

With a playing time of 90 minutes this DVD is a good buy for anyone who likes to see and hear master jazzmen at work. A minor criticism is that Herbie Hancock never seems to want to play the melody with a straight forward swinging rhythm section, which is shame, he is we know very talented at doing just that, but then I’m old fashioned!

 

Don Mather

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