Little One

George Coleman (tenor sax), Freddie Hubbard (trumpet), Herbie Hancock (piano), Ron Carter (bass) and Tony Williams (drums). From the album Maiden Voyage (1965).

In 1960 Carter recorded his first album with Eric Dolphy and Don Ellis, and also his first as a leader. He then worked with Thelonious Monk, Randy Weston, Cannonball Adderley, Bobby Timmons and Art Farmer. In 1963 he joined the Miles Davis Quintet, appearing on the Seven Steps to Heaven and E.S.P. albums, and remained with him until 1968. During the 1960s he also worked as a studio musician for Blue Note Records appearing on several major albums.

In 1960 Carter recorded his first album with Eric Dolphy and Don Ellis, and also his first as a leader. He then worked with Thelonious Monk, Randy Weston, Cannonball Adderley, Bobby Timmons and Art Farmer. In 1963 he joined the Miles Davis Quintet, appearing on the Seven Steps to Heaven and E.S.P. albums, and remained with him until 1968. During the 1960s he also worked as a studio musician for Blue Note Records appearing on several major albums.

The theme begins with a Williams’s drumroll followed by Hancock and then Coleman and Hubbard to expose it. The tempo is medium-slow and the melody is taciturn and unusual. Coleman proposes a strange and eccentric solo, but without leaving the harmonies of the theme. Hubbard follows him using more open phrases that turn into a cascade of notes. Next Hancock comes in with a beautiful improvisation linked from velvety motifs. Then Carter arrives with a surprising and direct solo that leads you through unsuspected places, and finally the group reexposes the theme.