Herbie Hancock Albums (52)
'River: The Joni Letters'
Release Date 9/24/2007
Tracks 10
Label Universal
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What The Critics Say
When Herbie Hancock released Possibilities (2005), a collaborative effort that paired the great pianist and composer with a group of pop and rock stocks from the world over, it was obvious the restless master was entering a new phase of his long career. In that context, River: The Joni Letters makes perfect sense. Hancock and his fine band -- Lionel Loueke (guitar), Wayne Shorter (soprano and tenor saxophones), Dave Holland (bass), Vinnie Colaiuta (drums) -- prepare a series of instrumentals and vocal interpretations of the songs of Joni Mitchell. The vocalists here include those who were inspired by Mitchell, namely Norah Jones, Corinne Bailey Rae, and Mitchell herself on one number (her own recording, Shine, was released on the same day), and some of her peers in the pop world, including Tina Turner and Leonard Cohen. Cohen's connection to the songwriter is direct in that they are both Canadians and both came up playing clubs and venues in the then new "folk" scene. But Hancock understands something implicit about Mitchell: she was never -- ever -- a folksinger. Her compositions have always walked wildly adventurous rhythmic and harmonic terrain. Indeed, she has played with jazz musicians solidly since the 1970s, beginning with the L.A. record, The Hissing of Summer Lawns, and toured with jazz groups, including the all-star band assembled for Shadows and Light that included Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorius, Lyle Mays, Don Alias, and Michael Brecker (Shorter played on a number of those dates as well). Indeed, when Mitchell asked no less than Robbie Robertson and the Band to back her on a tour, they had to excuse themselves because they simply couldn't find a way to play behind her. The material here doesn't walk the line between pop and jazz -- something Hancock is very comfortable doing. This is a jazz record with vocals. The album's ten tracks are, for the most part, programmed for a vocal tune, followed by an instrumental. This holds true with only one exception in that the disc's first two songs are vocals. First there's the lovely, spooky, smoky "Court and Spark," sung by Jones, followed immediately by the ethereal yet from-the-gut version of "Edith and the Kingpin," sung by Turner (it should be noted here that she is in fine voice, since she hadn't been heard from in quite a while). In this latter cut, it's a testament to the singer, the writer, and Hancock, how deeply soulful this performance is. Turner is one of the great soul singers, but this ballad lends itself to another kind of reading and is therefore radically reinterpreted here with Turner's trademark phrasing, and the restraint doesn't give up an ounce of the emotion in it. The instrumentals begin with "Both Sides Now," which is harmonically rearranged by Hancock and indeed feels like it is being played from the inside out. Shorter's meaty yet understated tenor solo is reminiscent of the great tenderness of Ben Webster. It's utterly gorgeous. The shimmering "Sweet Bird" is hiked up a notch and really begins to cook about a third of the way through without losing any of the song's naturally dreamy quality. Again, Shorter handles the lyric lines on his tenor with real grace. Hancock's wonderfully large chromatic interplay in both his chords and right-handed lines from the middle register are achingly beautiful. The final two instrumentals on the set are surprises, but they are placed here, perhaps, because they were inspirational to Mitchell. The first is a fine reading of the Edgar de Lange/Duke Ellington/Irving Mills tune "Solitude," a sweet, tender ballad that nonetheless contains some unusual moments in its drifting structure and in its changes. The latter is Shorter's classic "Neferititi," written while both he and Hancock were with Miles Davis in the second quintet. It didn't sound like this then, but that's the beauty of Shorter's best work: it can be revisioned a hundred times over in so many different ways yet is unmistakably his. The other vocal performances here are basically stellar. Rae's version of the title cut offers a completely different dimension of her voice. The soul feel is still there -- and she pushes it into the grooves of the tune. But her clipping of her lines at the end, making them so clean -- especially in the way they interact with Shorter's soprano -- is rather stunning. The hinge of the set is Mitchell's performance of a song she wrote with Larry Klein (who co-produced the album with Hancock and has been Mitchell's producer for ages). Her voice has lowered a bit after a lifetime of cigarette smoking and age, but she's lost none of her power. Her unique phrasing and ever-shifting rhythmic invention brings the listener back to why exactly this recording makes so much sense! She is a jazz singer and always has been. This band lends even more weight to that argument. The nearly seductive interplay between Hancock's and Loueke's six-string fills and her voice is almost erotic. Luciana Souza's "Amelia" is, while hauntingly gorgeous, the most outside performance on the record. Her voice is closest in some ways to Mitchell's own in timbre, but her way of holding syllables until they melt into the ones that follow adds space and texture to the band's accompaniment. She is one of them, not in front of them. Finally, of course, there is Cohen, the only male vocalist on this collection. He doesn't even try to sing. Instead, accompanied only by Hancock, he recites "The Jungle Line" as poetry. Perhaps because Cohen is a poet as well as a songwriter, he is able to offer a completely new interpretation out of the tune. He allows the words to represent themselves, plaintively reading them as Hancock improvises the melody line, in a modal frame and in a startling array of minor key permutations. River approaches brilliance; it's another accomplishment in a career full of them for Hancock. The album doesn't simply recontextualize Mitchell. Any fan of hers has known that she never comfortably fit the whole singer/songwriter thing anyway. It actually does that more for jazz and pop. He takes a sound that has been floating around since Jones issued her debut album, and roots it deeply in the jazz camp without giving up the immediacy of sophisticated adult pop -- which is, in a way, an element of the tradition of jazz itself. For jazz fans, this is a wonderful new chapter, a new way to hear him (and Shorter). For pop and Mitchell fans, this is a way to step quietly into another world and experience wonders. This CD was nominated for a Grammy award in 2007 for Best Album, Best Contemporary Jazz Album, and Hancock's improvisation on "Both Sides Now" was also nominated for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
This album is a missing link in the discography of Herbie Hancock, so much so that many ardent fans didn't even know it existed. Hear, O Israel is the recorded version of a jazz concert comprised of lyric and sacred material from the Friday night prayer service in the Jewish synagogue. Privately released in an edition of a few hundred copies, the music was composed by Jonathan Klein, who was commissioned by Rabbi David Davis in 1965 to write jazz for the Friday evening conclavette. Klein was 17 at the time he began. Composed for piano, bass, drums, soprano/alto/baritone saxophones, French horn, flute, flügelhorn, and two voices, Klein performed it with his own group and Rabbi Davis; it was so successful that a few years later, in 1968, the synagogue commissioned a full-blown concert by name jazz musicians. Klein, then a college student, composed more material to supplant some of what he'd written previously, and the instrumentation was changed a bit. The synagogue recorded this concert and it is presented here as performed by Hancock; Jerome Richardson on flute, tenor, and alto saxophones; Klein on French horn and baritone sax; trumpeter Thad Jones (who also plays flügelhorn); bassist Ron Carter (he and Hancock were part of the Miles Davis Quintet at the time); and drummer Grady Tate. Other participants are Rabbi Davis (reading the proper prayer texts), soprano vocalist Antonia Lavanne, and contralto Phyllis Bryn-Julson. But is it good? Heavens yes. One can hear traces of Vince Guaraldi and the early Columbia period of Dave Brubeck in these compositions, but so what? Hancock's no imitator; he was and remains a tremendously lyrical and rhythmically inventive pianist, and the band plays these charts effortlessly with requisite soul and swing. There are beautiful solos by Hancock, Richardson, and Jones, and the rhythm section is fluid, fresh, and upbeat throughout. The vocalists might bother some listeners, but essentially, these tunes and the manner in which they are presented and recorded are quite striking -- in the same way that those appearing on records by Azar Lawrence, Doug Carn, and Harold McKinney in the '70s are. The vocal charts are somewhat abstract, so in a sense they are further out than the jazz. In fact, this is a nearly perfect meld, where jazz and sacred music meet and become something else together. One not only reflects the other, but causes it to transcend itself. The longest track here, the nine-plus-minute "Torah Service -- Adoration," is a hopping soul-jazz number with killer funky piano work by Hancock in full-on Blue Note mode. The segments read by Rabbi Davis are also very effective in the context of the band's charts, vamps, and improvs. Hear, O Israel was mastered from an LP copy, since the masters no longer exist. There was some groove wear near the end of each side due to a worn stylus, but considering the source, Jonny Trunk has done an excellent job of cleaning it up without sacrificing a bit of the performance. This recording is available on both CD and LP, and should be heard by anyone interested in '60s progressive jazz or Hancock's career during the period. Hear, O Israel gives an entirely literal meaning to the term "spiritual soul-jazz." ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'Live: Detroit/Chicago'
Release Date 7/12/2005
Tracks 4
Label Hudson Canyon
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What The Critics Say
Possibilities is a Herbie Hancock adventure record. This ten-cut smorgasbord features the ever restless pianist, composer, and arranger in the company of literally dozens of artists, from pop singers like Christina Aguilera, Sting, and Annie Lennox to rock legends such as Santana and Paul Simon to relative newcomers like John Mayer, Jonny Lang, and Joss Stone, as well as some renowned international performers, such as Angélique Kidjo and Raul Midón in a wide range of songs, styles, and moods. Hancock cut the record in studios all over the world, all the collaborations were done face to face, not long distance. Session musicians here include everyone from Stevie Wonder (who plays the harmonica solo on the cover of his tune "I Just Called to Say I Love You"), to Santana to Cyro Baptista, Willie Weeks, John Pattitucci, Steven Jordan, and Gina Gershon (the actress)! The standout cuts are the sensual read of Leon Russell's "A Song for You," sung by Aguilera, Simon's jazzed-up revisioning of his "I Do It for Your Love," and Lennox's read of "Hush, Hush, Hush," written by Paula Cole (whatever happened to her?). Jazz fans may be disappointed, but pop fans will be delighted; there is a lot here to like. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'V.S.O.P.: Live Under the Sky'
Release Date 8/17/2004
Tracks 18
Label Sony
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What The Critics Say
Herbie Hancock's V.S.O.P. project with his former bandmates from the Miles Davis Quintet -- Ron Carter, Wayne Shorter, Tony Williams -- and trumpeter Freddie Hubbard was a band that almost single-handedly tried to re-establish acoustic jazz in the United States. And though they made three recordings, all of which were favorably reviewed and heralded by true jazz fans, none of them sold very well, and the band could find few gigs in the United States. The 1978 tour of major cities was thought to be a triumph at the time, but the unit could find few gigs afterward, and so its various members all went back to their other projects. In 1979, they got the opportunity to tour Japan and jumped at the chance. Sony, Hancock's Japanese label, recorded the two evenings, and the first, which took place during a furious rainstorm, was broadcast live on national television! Live Under the Sky marks the first time that this album has been available in the United States in any form. The original album featured eight cuts, and was minus the set's opener, "Eye of the Hurricane." That has been remedied with the 2004 reissue, and in addition, Legacy, in its usual fine manner, has added as a bonus the entire second night concert on a second disc (with encores), making this a complete historical document of one of the most exciting jazz concerts of the late '70s, and a high-water mark in each of the participant's catalogs. The sound on these CDs is so stellar, listeners can even hear the rain as it pours from the sky. What is notable is that despite working in many different contexts during the '70s, these players took the "free bop" they developed with Davis and kept it close to their hearts. Freddie Hubbard is a muscular addition to this group, and on "Eye of the Hurricane" gets his initiation rite from Williams, who pushes him to the breaking point. Hubbard rises to an entirely new level of improvisational expression, and listeners witness the transition -- one has to wonder why this was left off the LP! All members of the unit are represented as composers. Williams' "Para Oriente" and "Pee Wee" are high points as is Hancock's "Domo" and Carter's moving "Tear Drop." Hubbard weighs in with the beautiful and spacy hard bop "One of Another Kind" as well. The second night's show was even more incendiary than the first, and the band took to the rafters with its intensity, laying an identical set. This is enigmatic, fiery jazz that is full of surprises, elegance, attitude, and brilliant chops. Highly recommended. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'Directions in Music: Live at Massey Hall'
Release Date 5/29/2002
Tracks 8
Label Universal/Verve
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What The Critics Say
A double-milestone year for jazz, 2001 marked the 75th anniversary of the births of both Miles Davis and John Coltrane. With that in mind, Herbie Hancock went on tour with a quintet modeled after his V.S.O.P. bands of the '70s and '80s and the Tribute to Miles band of the '90s, which in turn were modeled after the 1965-1968 Miles Davis Quintet. The question this disc proposes: Can you go home yet again? Hancock preferred to dodge that one, saying that he was attempting to push the music onward in the Davis/Coltrane spirit of adventure rather than play for nostalgia. But essentially, despite the often unblinkingly hard-nosed soloing and the sometimes radical reworking of the old tunes, the conception of this idiom is that of Miles, and Michael Brecker's often brilliant, searching tenor sax work owes its soul to the example of Trane. Although the quintet's Los Angeles gig on October 11, 2001, was rather disappointing, the Toronto concert recorded here was a big improvement, with two weeks of roadwork evidently having the desired tightening effect. Though Hancock's piano gradually became more abstract and disconnected with its surroundings over the years, here he is in touch with his colleagues. Brecker provides the most fervent individual statement with an unaccompanied rendition of "Naima" that amounts to a virtual encyclopedia of tenor saxophone technique. Roy Hargrove does a serviceable job on trumpet and flügelhorn, trying to fill some heavy shoes, and as accomplished as the rhythm team of John Patitucci (bass) and Brian Blade (drums) is, you miss the irreplaceable combustion of Ron Carter and especially the late Tony Williams (compare the original Davis recording of "The Sorcerer" with this inward, less dynamic, less driving version). The most strikingly reworked cover tune is a slow, drawn-out, mournful take on "Impressions," almost an elegy for Coltrane, and Brecker delivers the eulogy with fire in the belly. There is new material from Hargrove ("The Poet"), Brecker ("D Trane"), and the three headliners ("Misstery"), none of which expands much beyond the parameters of the Davis and Coltrane models. While this quintet does not kick over old boundaries, it does make good, uncompromisingly intelligent music. ~ Richard S. Ginell, All Music Guide
'Future 2 Future'
Release Date 9/25/2001
Tracks 11
Label Transparent Music
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What The Critics Say
One of Herbie Hancock's greatest attributes is his ability to take a contemporary form of music and add his own unique perspective through his recordings. Future 2 Future is no exception to the rule. Teaming with Bill Laswell, Hancock recruits some of the most forward-thinking musicians in music for Future 2 Future. The contributions of electronic music pioneer Carl Craig, vocal diva Chaka Khan, drum'n'bass producer A Guy Called Gerald, as well as jazz legends Jack DeJohnette and Wayne Shorter make the album feel like a cross between modern electronica and world music. While a lineup with such immense talent promises the delivery of a powerhouse record, the finished product only delivers the goods moderately. Several pieces produced for the album were almost completed before Hancock contributed keyboards. This production method leaves the record lacking the spontaneity and continuity that grace several of his early electronic-based records and tenure with the Headhunters, to the point of relegating Hancock to the status of session musician on some songs and leaving the listener to wonder what Future 2 Future could have been if a greater sense of creative collaboration/improvisation between Hancock and this all-star cast would have ensued. While this record is most definitely not an album for jazz purists, those with an ear for modern electronic music will find Future 2 Future an enjoyable exercise in watching one of the greats in jazz music redefine himself with the times once again. ~ Rob Theakston, All Music Guide
