The Prisoner is the seventh Herbie Hancock album, recorded and released in 1969 for the Blue Note label, his final project for the label before moving to Warner Bros. Records. It is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who had been assassinated the previous year. Hancock suggested at the time that he had been able to get closer to his real self with this music than on any other previous album. Participating musicians include tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, trumpeter Johnny Coles (on flugelhorn), trombonist Garnett Brown, flautist Hubert Laws, bassist Buster Williams and drummer Albert “Tootie” Heath. Hancock praised flute player Laws, suggesting that he was one of the finest flautists in classical or jazz music. Personnel: Herbie Hancock – acoustic piano, electric piano Johnny Coles – flugelhorn Garnett Brown – trombone Joe Henderson – tenor saxophone, alto flute Buster Williams – bass Tootie Heath – drums Tony Studd – bass trombone (1, 2, 4) Jack Jeffers – bass trombone (3, 5) Hubert Laws – flute (1, 2, 4) Jerome Richardson – bass clarinet (1, 2, 4), flute (3, 5) Romeo Penque – bass clarinet (3, 5) User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.