NOBU
Herbie Hancock
Dedication
Columbia : 1974

HH, keyboards, synth.

As we wind down 2008, Dest: Out returns to one of our recurrent lodestars: the estimable Jazz Satellites collection. Herbie’s “Nobu” closes out that two-disc assortment. Originally appearing on the solo album Dedication, and recorded live (though sans audience) at Koseinenkin Hall in Tokyo, July 1974, while Hancock was on tour in Japan, “Nobu” offers an intimate snapshot of the pianist in the midst of one his most fertile periods. The LP was only released in Japan, as was sometimes the case with Columbia’s most adventurous recordings of the period.

One of two electrified tunes on the album, “Nobu” is a burbling slice of bubble funk — the would-be intro for the 70s spy show of our imaginations. Here is Herbie at his most adventurous and forward-thinking (electric edition). Not the full-blown hip-shake of Flood’s “Chameleon,” but a crispier, more upright skitter across the Arpiverse. It is astonishingly undated. Or at least not easily datable.

If you really dig this tune, you can:
–make it known at Facebook
–d/l it at Amazon
–put it on an endless loop and have yourself a very groovy Christmas.

Happy holidays, all!