Sextant (album)

Sextant
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 30, 1973
Recordedearly 1973
StudioWally Heider Studios and Different Fur, San Francisco
Genre
Length39:02
LabelColumbia
ProducerDavid Rubinson
Herbie Hancock chronology
Crossings
(1972)
Sextant
(1973)
Head Hunters
(1973)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic
Rolling Stone 1998
Rolling Stone 2004
Uppity Music(favorable)
Virgin Encyclopedia
Penguin Guide to Jazz
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide

Sextant is the eleventh studio album by American jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, released on March 30, 1973, by Columbia Records. It was Hancock's first album on Columbia, and his final album with the "Mwandishi" sextet featuring woodwind player Bennie Maupin, trumpeter Eddie Henderson, trombonist Julian Priester, bassist Buster Williams, and drummer Billy Hart. Synthesizer player Patrick Gleeson and percussionist Buck Clarke also appear.

The album showcased Hancock's early adoption of synthesizers and electronic effects. Upon release, the record was considered to be a commercial flop, and Hancock subsequently formed a new band, the Headhunters, with only Maupin continuing on from the "Mwandishi" band.