Album of the Day

MWANDISHI was a Swahili name Herbie Hancock adopted in the late 1960s, when he was helping pioneer fusion as a member of Miles Davis' band, and it's an appropriate one for this stunning blend of jazz, electronic, funk and African musics. The 1971 Warner Bros. collection marks the beginning of the more progressive style that would result in the keyboardist's breakthrough two years later with HEAD HUNTERS, and covers an amazing amount of ground in its three songs: “Ostinato,” with its insistent 15/8 time riff, the ethereal “You'll Know When You Get There” and the side-long “Wandering Spirit Song,” driven by spellbinding rising crescendos. Herbie Hancock was born on this day in 1940, and we'll celebrate the birthday with one of his masterpieces, MWANDISHI.