The story behind puzzle No. 34
Herbie Hancock · Maiden Voyage · Blue Note · 1965
The master tape labeled it TV Jingle. Maiden Voyage started as music for a cologne commercial and became one of the defining sounds of 1960s jazz.
Hancock first wrote the tune for a Yardley commercial. A friend of his sister suggested the name. Hancock said he wanted to capture the splendor of a sea-going vessel on its maiden voyage.
Hancock recorded Maiden Voyage on March 17, 1965, at Rudy Van Gelder's studio, and Blue Note released it that May. It was a concept album aimed at an oceanic atmosphere, with titles about the sea.
The tune is a 32-bar AABA form built on just a handful of suspended-sounding chords, two per section. Nothing ever quite resolves, which gives it the feeling of floating on open water.
Who's on it
Keep listening
Play Dolphin Dance from the same album to finish the voyage.
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