Third Plane

The Third Plane of Development is the third of four developmental stages outlined by Maria Montessori in her educational philosophy, encompassing the adolescent years from ages 12 to 18.^[1] This plane represents a period of profound transformation, characterized by rapid physical growth, emotional vulnerability, and the formation of a social and moral identity, as adolescents transition from childhood dependency to adult-like independence.^[2] Montessori described this stage as one where youth experience a "sensitive period" for justice and personal dignity, fostering a heightened awareness of societal roles and human interdependence.^[1] During the Third Plane, adolescents exhibit traits akin to "social newborns," requiring environments that support economic autonomy, meaningful work, and community engagement to build self-confidence and ethical reasoning.^[2] Key needs include protection from exploitation while encouraging risk-taking, creativity, and peer solidarity, often leading to a focus on real-world contributions such as farming, commerce, or artistic expression.^[3] Physical and cognitive developments enable abstract thinking and interdisciplinary learning, but emotional turbulence can result in self-focus or disconnection if not addressed through supportive structures.^[2] To meet these developmental demands, Montessori proposed the Erdkinder ("children of the earth") model, envisioning a residential farm community where adolescents integrate academic studies with practical occupations, promoting valorization through labor and social responsibility.^[3] This approach emphasizes place-based education rooted in local ecology and community, drawing on influences like John Dewey's progressive ideas, to cultivate adaptability and a sense of mission for future societal service.^[2] Modern Montessori secondary programs adapt Erdkinder principles to urban or school settings, prioritizing mentorship, self-expression, and moral education to prepare youth for maturity.^[3]

Background and Recording

Album Conception

Ron Carter decided to form a piano trio with longtime collaborators Herbie Hancock on piano and Tony Williams on drums for Third Plane, drawing directly from their shared history as the rhythm section of Miles Davis's Second Great Quintet from 1963 to 1968, which had pioneered post-bop innovations in jazz. This reunion built on their recent reactivation of that chemistry through the V.S.O.P. Quintet in 1976, a project that reacquainted the musicians and highlighted their interactive synergy in acoustic settings.^[4]^[5] The album's conception emerged in 1977, following Carter's signing with Milestone Records in 1976, marking a deliberate shift toward bass-led jazz explorations that positioned the double bass as a co-lead instrument rather than a mere accompanist.^[6] Carter aimed to delve into the evolving post-bop landscape of the era, incorporating sophisticated harmonic and rhythmic complexities that extended the genre's boundaries beyond the 1960s Davis era. Central to this vision was Carter's longstanding interest in advanced bass techniques, including pizzicato portamento for gliding slides between notes and natural harmonics for ethereal overtones, which allowed for greater melodic expressiveness and textural depth in trio settings.^[7] Initial planning for the project took place in early 1977, coinciding with arrangements for a studio session that would also yield Hancock's Herbie Hancock Trio album, enabling the musicians to capture multiple leadership perspectives from the same collaborative energy. This dual-purpose approach underscored the trio's unity of purpose, with all three contributing compositions and allowing Carter to foreground his conception of the bass as a narrative driver in post-bop improvisation.^[8]

Recording Sessions

The recording sessions for Third Plane occurred on July 13, 1977, at The Automatt studio in San Francisco, California.^[9]^[10] This single session captured performances by the trio of bassist Ron Carter, pianist Herbie Hancock, and drummer Tony Williams, yielding the album's six tracks in a direct, live-to-tape approach that preserved their spontaneous interplay without overdubs.^[9]^[8] Additional material from the same day's recordings formed the basis for Hancock's Japan-only release The Herbie Hancock Trio, which drew five tracks from the shared tapes.^[11]^[12] Carter produced the album under his Retrac Productions imprint, with supervision by Orrin Keepnews and engineering by Fred Catero, who mixed the sessions on-site to emphasize the bass-centric perspective while navigating the technical demands of the era's studio setup.^[13]^[9] Particular challenges arose in balancing the ensemble's dynamics, as Catero's engineering resulted in an amplified bass presence, a somewhat metallic piano tone for Hancock, and a robust, stadium-like drum sound that highlighted Williams' explosive and varied playing.^[8]

Musical Content

Style and Composition

Third Plane exemplifies post-bop jazz, where bassist Ron Carter's innovative lines emerge as the lead melodic voice, redefining the instrument's role in ensemble dynamics.^[10] Carter employs advanced pizzicato techniques on the upright bass, including portamento slides on sustained notes, exaggerated vibrato, double stops such as parallel octaves, and artificial harmonics, creating a rich tonal palette that elevates the bass's expressive potential. The trio format—featuring Carter, pianist Herbie Hancock, and drummer Tony Williams—emphasizes fluid interplay through extended improvisation, prioritizing spontaneous dialogue over predefined structures and allowing each member's contributions to shape the evolving performance.^[8] Drawing from the modal jazz explorations of Miles Davis's Second Great Quintet, in which Carter, Hancock, and Williams previously collaborated, Third Plane adapts these influences by centering the bass as the focal point while integrating Hancock's lush acoustic piano textures and Williams's intricate polyrhythmic drumming.^[8] The album's total runtime of 39:18 strikes a balance between Carter's originals and jazz standards, fostering a cohesive yet adventurous sonic landscape.^[10]

Track Listing

The original vinyl release of Third Plane was divided into two sides, with Side A featuring the first three tracks and Side B the remaining three.^[14] Side A

"Third Plane" (Ron Carter) – 5:50
An original composition serving as a bass-driven opener that highlights the trio's interplay.^[14]
"Quiet Times" (Ron Carter) – 7:48
Another original by Carter, featuring contemplative improvisation among the musicians.^[14]
"Lawra" (Tony Williams) – 6:04
An original drum-led piece composed by Williams, emphasizing rhythmic exploration.^[14]

Side B
4. "Stella by Starlight" (Ned Washington, Victor Young) – 8:22
A reinterpretation of the jazz standard, showcasing the trio's post-bop approach to the classic tune.^[14]
5. "United Blues" (Ron Carter) – 2:58
A concise original blues by Carter, providing a straightforward rhythmic anchor.^[14]
6. "Dolphin Dance" (Herbie Hancock) – 8:16
Hancock's well-known original, rendered with fluid, improvisational energy by the group.^[14]

Production and Release

Personnel and Production

The core personnel for Third Plane consisted of a piano trio featuring Ron Carter on acoustic bass, Herbie Hancock on piano, and Tony Williams on drums.^[14] No guest musicians appear on the album, emphasizing the intimate interplay among the three.^[10] Ron Carter served as the sole producer, overseeing the sessions recorded on July 13, 1977, at The Automatt in San Francisco, with Fred Catero as recording engineer and George Horn handling mastering.^[15] ^[16] This production highlights Carter's central role in shaping the album's sound. Carter's contributions on double bass showcase advanced techniques, including nuanced pizzicato, portamento effects, and vibrato, which drive the trio's dynamic textures.^[8] This reunion marked a rare 1977 collaboration for the trio, who had previously formed the rhythm section of Miles Davis's Second Great Quintet from 1963 to 1968.^[4]

Release Details

Third Plane was originally released in 1977 on Milestone Records, marking another entry in Ron Carter's prolific tenure with the label that began in 1977 following his earlier work with CTI Records.^[17] The album appeared as a vinyl LP under catalog number M-9105 and was targeted at the jazz audience without notable mainstream chart performance. Subsequent reissues included CD formats through Fantasy Records' Original Jazz Classics (OBC) series in the 1990s, such as the 1992 remastered edition (OJCCD-754-2), preserving the original recordings for broader accessibility.^[18] The album's packaging featured a minimalist cover design with abstract black-and-white imagery, credited to photographer Theresa Weedy and supervised by producer Orrin Keepnews, reflecting Carter's artistic direction during his Milestone period.^[19]

Reception and Legacy

Critical Response

Upon its release in 1977, Third Plane garnered generally favorable reviews from jazz critics, who praised the exceptional interplay among bassist Ron Carter, pianist Herbie Hancock, and drummer Tony Williams, reuniting the rhythm section from Miles Davis's acclaimed 1960s quintet. Critics noted how the trio's shared history infused the album with a sense of effortless synergy and rhythmic precision. AllMusic awarded the album 3.5 out of 5 stars. In a retrospective assessment, The Penguin Guide to Jazz gave it 4 out of 4 stars, hailing the group as "a killer band" and describing the recording as "easily Carter's most impressive showing under his own name" on the Milestone label, with particular acclaim for his standout bass solos.^[20] Jazz historian Thomas Owens analyzed Carter's bass innovations on the album, emphasizing his advanced walking lines, harmonic substitutions, and melodic solos that elevated the trio format beyond traditional post-bop conventions. Common themes across reviews included appreciation for the album's emphasis on improvisation and Carter's bass-forward approach, which allowed extended solos and interactive phrasing among the players. Minor critiques focused on the selection of standards, such as Hancock's "Dolphin Dance," where some felt the arrangements occasionally lacked fresh interpretive risks despite the group's technical prowess.^[20]

Cultural Impact

Third Plane exemplifies the 1970s acoustic jazz revival, standing as a counterpoint to the era's fusion dominance by reuniting the rhythm section of Miles Davis's classic quintet—Ron Carter on bass, Herbie Hancock on piano, and Tony Williams on drums—in a piano trio format. This rare full acoustic collaboration harkens back to the post-bop sophistication of the 1960s while demonstrating the musicians' matured interplay, as noted in analyses of their transitional work during a period when electric jazz was prevalent.^[21]^[22] The album has significantly influenced bass technique in jazz, particularly through Carter's pioneering use of advanced pizzicato methods, including portamento effects, vibrato, double stops, harmonics, and highly legato lines, which advanced post-bop evolution. These elements are showcased prominently in the recording and have been cited in jazz pedagogy for their instructional value in developing fluid, expressive upright bass playing.^[20]^[23] Reissues in the 1990s and 2000s, such as the 1992 digitally remastered Original Jazz Classics CD and the 2003 digipak edition, have maintained the album's accessibility to new generations. It continues to be referenced in modern jazz education for its rhythmic grooves and compositional structures, like the floating straight-eighth patterns in the title track. In broader context, Third Plane enhanced the prestige of Milestone Records' catalog by highlighting acoustic jazz's enduring appeal amid commercial shifts toward fusion. The album's traditional approach also informed Carter's subsequent explorations, such as his 1977 release Piccolo, which similarly emphasized upright bass innovation within post-bop frameworks.^[17]^[24]