Vinyl Records LP Blue Note Iconic Early Pressing Herbie Hancock 'Innovations'
£
325
$
431
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Description
Blue Note 4147 Vinyl Records LP Blue Note Iconic Early Pressing Herbie Hancock 'Innovations and Dimensions'. 1964/6
A truly rare opportunity to buy an iconic and very Cool original hand engraved first edition Blue Note Classic Album. Bought in Dobell's Record Shop in London by a Reading Boy immersed in the London Jazz scene at the height of the Mod Jazz reigned over by Rudy Van Gelder's Blue Note Label. Many books and films have been made of the engineers, producers, photographers, cover designers and musicians who elevated this label to unsurpassed heights in Jazz history. With sleeve notes by Nat Hentoff this album marks the moment in 1963 when the Miles Davies band members, including John Coltrane, branched out into more innovatory territories - the avant garde. Hancock went on to fame within funk-jazz but here he pushed hard bop to its limits with an unusual band designed for the route. Only Paul Chambers links Hancock to the Davies 'Kind of Blue' period, innovation required by the presence of two driving percussionists, Willie Bobo on drums and timbales and Osvaldo 'Chihuahau' Martinez on conga and bongo. The effect on the opening tract 'Succotash' is explosive, Hancock forced to hammer chords in a manner later played by McCoy Tyner. Afro-Cuban influences about in 'Triangle'. Side two is more sedate part from the opening 'Jack Rabbit' which takes off where 'Succotash' ends. Herbie Hancock is headlining at the 2022 Glastonbury Festival with a set list from another album of this period, Head Hunters (1973). Hancock's first own album was Takin Off of 1962.
Materially the album, inner sleeve and cover are in excellent to near mint condition. The actual vinyl is almost mint having been played only on HiFi equipment since new and never roughly treated. There is little if any back ground sound. Rudy Van Gelder's name is etched on the inner area along with a hand engraved BULP 4147A signature. This is an early pressing, embodying the never to be reproduced engineering skills that Gelder and his team invented. This album was handled in the original Blue Note recording studio's and offices. The cover design is cool beyond belief - Hancock astride the double yellows on a New York inner city street captured by Francis Woolf, one of the founders of Blue Note Records. The designs are Bauhaus influenced using sans-serif type face for clean modern effect. The cover shows some probably removable signs of being handled but is other wise sound, The spines are all intact though the corners have some signs, though not serious, of scuffing. The inner sleeve is intact and catalogues most of the other 1960's Blue Note classical albums. It does not have the 'P' on the run off which means it cannot be proved to be the 1964 first pressing which is reflected in the price. An authenticated first pressing sells at over 650GBP.
The owner was active on the London Jazz scene in the 1960's and was friends with several of its musicians. This record is part of the British Jazz scene but fitted alongside Invasion of US airmen into Soho the emergence of R&B, and the Hammond Organ scene at the Flamingo 'All Nighter's'. The owner loves this record, but is embarking on a round the world trip in his 70's, and wants to release funds. This record will be like the first edition of a great book one day. The only other copy in 'not so good condition' is for sale is in the USA for sale at $795. This copy will be posted using professional packaging designed for records of this quality and sent to be signed for and tracked. The item is 32cm square and weighs
The postage quotation is for within the UK only. International sale is possible but the postage, collection and delivery has to be arranged and paid for by the buyer at their cost.
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