Crossings (Herbie Hancock album)

Crossings is the tenth album by jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, released in 1972. It is the second album in his Mwandishi period, which saw him experimenting in electronics and funk. The album is the band's first to feature new member, synthesizer player Patrick Gleeson. He was scheduled to "set up his Moog synthesiser for Hancock to play." However, Hancock was so impressed with Gleeson that he "asked Gleeson not only to do the overdubs on the album but join the group."[4]

Crossings
Studio album by Herbie Hancock
Released	End of May 1972[1]
Recorded	February 15–17, 1972
Studio	Pacific Recording Studios, San Mateo; Different Fur Trading Company, San Francisco
Genre	Avant-garde jazz, jazz fusion
Length	46:21
Label	Warner Bros.
Producer	David Rubinson
Herbie Hancock chronology
Mwandishi (1971) Crossings (1972) Sextant (1973)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide	[3]

Crossings, along with Fat Albert Rotunda and Mwandishi, was reissued in one set as Mwandishi: The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings in 1994 and as The Warner Bros. Years (1969-1972) in 2014.

Reception

A reviewer of Dusty Groove commented "Herbie Hancock further expands his cosmic vision in this groundbreaking album of free-flowing fusiony tracks – a record that really steps up his range of keyboards, mixing in both acoustic and electric pianos, mellotron, and even a bit of spacey moog from the legendary Patrick Gleeson! The whole thing is wonderful – very open and flowing, and even more organic than Hancock's later work on Columbia – especially given the length of the tracks on the set".[5]

Track listing

Side A

1. "Sleeping Giant" (Herbie Hancock) – 24:50

Side B

1. "Quasar" (Bennie Maupin) – 7:27
2. "Water Torture" (Maupin) – 14:04

Personnel

• 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
• Billy Hart – drums, percussion

With:

• Patrick Gleeson – Moog synthesizer
• Victor Pantoja – congas
• Candy Love, Sandra Stevens, Della Horne, Victoria Domagalski, Scott Beach – voices

References

1. Billboard May 27, 1972
2. Allmusic review
3. Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. U.S.: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 94. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
4. Stuart Nicholson's notes for the 2001 Warner Bros. CD reissue.
5. "Herbie Hancock : Crossings (LP, Vinyl record album)". Dusty Groove. Retrieved 16 December 2019.