CROSSINGS

Before hitting the jazz-funk jackpot with his seminal 'Head Hunters' album Herbie Hancock furrowed a distinctly cosmic path with a series of albums inspired the work of his mentor and friend Miles Davis. The release of both 'In A Silent Way' and 'Bitches Brew' helped break the burgeoning fusion moment originally started by Tony Williams Lifetime, and it allowed Hancock to truly experiment at the outer limits of the jazz genre, fusing elements of rock, funk, psychedelia and African rhythms into his bold new brand of cosmic jazz that adorned the albums 'Mwandishi' and 'Sextant'. Sandwiched in between those two was 'Crossings', the album that arguably best defined this period of Hancock's career, featuring a spacey vibe, plenty of haunting instrumental passages and some ghostly moments of tribal perCussion. Split over three tracks, 'Crossings' proves a fusion masterclass, a psychedelic jazz journey in the mould of Return To Forever's 'Where Have I Known You Before', 'The Inner Mounting Flame' by John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra or the quicksilver strains of Billy Cobham's 'Spectrum'. Alongside both those and Miles Davis 1969 to 1975 period recordings, 'Crossings' is one of the key jazz-rock / fusion albums, and those who take the time to appreciate Hancock's epic compositions will be thoroughly rewarded. A near classic. STEFAN TURNER, STOKE NEWINGTON, 2012