Herbie Hancock Thrust = 180g vinyl LP=

Release date: 26-11-2009(Originally released in 1974)

2009 EU reissue on 180g vinyl audiophile LP -The follow-up to the breakthrough " Headhunters " album was virtually as good as its wildly successful predecessor: an earthy, funky, yet often harmonically and rhythmically sophisticated tour de force. There is only one change in the Headhunters lineup -- swapping drummer Harvey Mason for Mike Clark -- and the switch results in grooves that are even more complex. Hancock continues to reach into the rapidly changing high-tech world for new sounds, most notably the metallic sheen of the then-new ARP string synthesizer which was already becoming a staple item on pop and jazz-rock records.

Again, there are only four long tracks, three of which ("Palm Grease," "Actual Proof," "Spank-A-Lee") concentrate on the funk, with plenty of Hancock's wah-wah clavinet, synthesizer textures and effects, and electric piano ruminations that still venture beyond the outer limits of post-bop. The change-of-pace is one of Hancock's loveliest electric pieces, "Butterfly," a match for any tune he's written before or since, with shimmering synth textures and Bennie Maupin soaring on soprano (Hancock would re-record it 20 years later on Dis Is Da Drum, but this is the one to hear). This supertight jazz-funk quintet album still sounds invigorating a quarter of a century later.

Tracks:
A1. Palm Grease
A2. Actual Proof

B1. Butterfly
B2. Spank-A-Lee

The cover of Thrust reveals a lot of the album. Herbie's sitting comfortably in his spaceship controlled by a synth from an alien world, reaching to the clouds and beyond. Well, that's what his stature was in 1974 - one of the seminal renewers of Jazz by incorporating new electric instruments like the ARP synthesizer.

Thrust is the follow up to Head Hunters [MOVLP030] using the same band except for drummer Harvey Mason, who is replaced by Mike Clark, a Jazz great in his own right.

 Again, only four songs on this single LP, each around 10 minutes long. "Butterfly" is a great spacy jam with intricate twists and turns. And when hearing the intro drum break of "Palm Grease", you know this is a must-have album for all you groove addicts!