V.S.O.P.: Live Under the Sky

Performer: Herbie Hancock/V.S.O.P.
Artist: Wayne Shorter; Freddie Hubbard; Ron Carter; Tony Williams
Engineer: Tomas Suzuki
Producer: David Rubinson; David Rubinson; David Rubinson (Reissue); Bob Belden (Reissue)
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Personnel: Herbie Hancock (piano); Herbie Hancock; Ron Carter (double bass); Tony Ruption Williams , Tony Williams (drums); Wayne Shorter (tenor saxophone); Freddie Hubbard (trumpet). Liner Note Authors: Herbie Hancock; Bob Belden. Recording information: Denon Colosseum, Tokyo, Japan (07/26/1979-07/27/1979). Photographers: Max Hellweg; Veryl Oakland; Herbert Greene; Jan Persson; Jon Sievert. Herbie Hancock's V.S.O.P. project with his former bandmates from the Miles Davis Quintet -- Ron Carter, Wayne Shorter, Tony Williams -- and trumpeter Freddie Hubbard was a band that almost single-handedly tried to re-establish acoustic jazz in the United States. And though they made three recordings, all of which were favorably reviewed and heralded by true jazz fans, none of them sold very well, and the band could find few gigs in the United States. The 1978 tour of major cities was thought to be a triumph at the time, but the unit could find few gigs afterward, and so its various members all went back to their other projects. In 1979, they got the opportunity to tour Japan and jumped at the chance. Sony, Hancock's Japanese label, recorded the two evenings, and the first, which took place during a furious rainstorm, was broadcast live on national television! Live Under the Sky marks the first time that this album has been available in the United States in any form. The original album featured eight cuts, and was minus the set's opener, "Eye of the Hurricane." That has been remedied with the 2004 reissue, and in addition, Legacy, in its usual fine manner, has added as a bonus the entire second night concert on a second disc (with encores), making this a complete historical document of one of the most exciting jazz concerts of the late '70s, and a high-water mark in each of the participant's catalogs. The sound on these CDs is so stellar, listeners can even hear the rain as it pours from the sky. What is notable is that despite working in many different contexts during the '70s, these players took the "free bop" they developed with Davis and kept it close to their hearts. Freddie Hubbard is a muscular addition to this group, and on "Eye of the Hurricane" gets his initiation rite from Williams, who pushes him to the breaking point. Hubbard rises to an entirely new level of improvisational expression, and listeners witness the transition -- one has to wonder why this was left off the LP! All members of the unit are represented as composers. Williams' "Para Oriente" and "Pee Wee" are high points as is Hancock's "Domo" and Carter's moving "Tear Drop." Hubbard weighs in with the beautiful and spacy hard bop "One of Another Kind" as well. The second night's show was even more incendiary than the first, and the band took to the rafters with its intensity, laying an identical set. This is enigmatic, fiery jazz that is full of surprises, elegance, attitude, and brilliant chops. Highly recommended. ~ Thom Jurek Herbie Hancock's all-star V.S.O.P. Quintet reunited the Miles Davis group of the mid-'60s (Wayne Shorter on tenor and soprano, pianist Hancock, bassist Ron Carter, and Tony Williams), with trumpeter Freddie Hubbard doing his best to fill Davis' shoes. The Japanese outdoors concert (recorded during a rainstorm) heard on this two-LP set finds the talented players in fine form on extended versions of six group originals (only Williams' "Pee Wee" dates from the Miles Davis years); a Hancock-Shorter duet medley on "Stella by Starlight," and "On Green Dolphin Street" is offered as the encore. Few surprises occur, but it is particularly rewarding to hear Wayne Shorter (after years of being in Weather Report) stretching out again. ~ Scott Yanow If you're looking for some potent jazz, look no further. Pianist Herbie Hancock's V.S.O.P. - LIVE UNDER THE SKY is about as heavy as it gets. This release features the legendary mid-1960s Miles Davis lineup, minus Davis, of course. In the great trumpeter's stead, however, is the fiery Freddie Hubbard. Recorded live in Japan during the summer of 1979, this double album features Hancock and his group combining the funky groove of hard-bop with the seeming lawlessness of '70s fusion. No one player outshines another on this record, though many of the sparks that ignite the music come from drummer Tony Williams, who swings elegantly, but fills the gaps in between phrases with thunderous tom-tom rolls and piercing cymbal smashes, his playing spurring each soloist on to higher vistas. Even though most of this material is hard-hitting, there is some sensitivity on LIVE UNDER THE SKY, too. For example, bassist Ron Carter's tune "Tear Drop" is dark and subtle. On this selection, Carter's bass solo is abstract yet easy to follow. Towards the end of the chorus, the drums fade out, leaving room for Carter and Hancock to create an intimate musical dialogue. (Note: The entire second disc of the 2004 reissue consists of previously unreleased performances.) Herbie Hancock's V.S.O.P. project with his former bandmates from the Miles Davis Quintet -- Ron Carter, Wayne Shorter, Tony Williams -- and trumpeter Freddie Hubbard was a band that almost single-handedly tried to re-establish acoustic jazz in the United States. And though they made three recordings, all of which were favorably reviewed and heralded by true jazz fans, none of them sold very well, and the band could find few gigs in the United States. The 1978 tour of major cities was thought to be a triumph at the time, but the unit could find few gigs afterward, and so its various members all went back to their other projects. In 1979, they got the opportunity to tour Japan and jumped at the chance. Sony, Hancock's Japanese label, recorded the two evenings, and the first, which took place during a furious rainstorm, was broadcast live on national television! Live Under the Sky marks the first time that this album has been available in the United States in any form. The original album featured eight cuts, and was minus the set's opener, "Eye of the Hurricane." That has been remedied with the 2004 reissue, and in addition, Legacy, in its usual fine manner, has added as a bonus the entire second night concert on a second disc (with encores), making this a complete historical document of one of the most exciting jazz concerts of the late '70s, and a high-water mark in each of the participant's catalogs. The sound on these CDs is so stellar, listeners can even hear the rain as it pours from the sky. What is notable is that despite working in many different contexts during the '70s, these players took the "free bop" they developed with Davis and kept it close to their hearts. Freddie Hubbard is a muscular addition to this group, and on "Eye of the Hurricane" gets his initiation rite from Williams, who pushes him to the breaking point. Hubbard rises to an entirely new level of improvisational expression, and listeners witness the transition -- one has to wonder why this was left off the LP! All members of the unit are represented as composers. Williams' "Para Oriente" and "Pee Wee" are high points as is Hancock's "Domo" and Carter's moving "Tear Drop." Hubbard weighs in with the beautiful and spacy hard bop "One of Another Kind" as well. The second night's show was even more incendiary than the first, and the band took to the rafters with its intensity, laying an identical set. This is enigmatic, fiery jazz that is full of surprises, elegance, attitude, and brilliant chops. Highly recommended. ~ Thom Jurek

Mojo (Publisher) (p.124) - 4 stars out of 5 - "The music was a fierce post-bop/free-bop explosion with particularly incendiary interplay between Hubbard and drummer Tony Williams."

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