Herbie Hancock's Maiden Voyage (1965) is often considered among the very best recordings in jazz history, and you'd get no argument from me. On every level, the album is wonderful. Its central concept, the relationship between the forces that govern the seas and those that govern music, seems to have inspired everyone involved. The album's five pieces, all written by Hancock, have become jazz standards, covered by musicians everywhere, each one unique and timeless. The quintet was composed of the some of the greatest musicians in jazz (then and now): Hancock on piano, George Coleman on saxophone, Tony Williams on drums, Ron Carter on bass, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet. The recording engineer, Rudy Van Gelder, found the essence of their sounds both individually and collectively. Here's a link to the title track, with its lurching rhythm taking us into the waves: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwmRQ0PBtXU