Herbie Hancock - Kens Burns Jazz - "The Definitive" (2000) @320

The Ken Burns Jazz series of compilations, have been, by and large, succinct but well-chosen, and affordable, one-disc compilations of the entire careers of some of the greats of jazz. Herbie Hancock is perhaps the youngest and most contemporary artist to get this retrospective treatment (and if I'm not mistaken, the only living jazz artist other than Dave Brubeck in the series). In my opinion, it's well deserved. Hancock has always had a knack for creating the memorable jazz melody, and many of the songs here have an enduring appeal. "Watermelon Man" became a top 40 hit for Mongo Santamaria in the '60's, and "Cantaloupe Island" was sampled for the US3 hit, "Cantaloop" in the 90's. Hancock also has had a knack for riding the crest of musical trends, often fueling them himself. Having been in Miles' Davis group in the late Sixties was certainly a contributing factor, especially when his music began to incorporate funk, as on the "Headhunters" album (represented here by "Chameleon"). His biggest hit, "Rockit", which employs funk, synths and scratching, was actually in MTV's video rotation when it was out in 1984. Some criticize Hancock for his apparent "commercializing" of jazz and embracing of rock and funk in his music, but I say he has done a splendid job of catching the ears of folks who may not normally pay attention to jazz, not to mention his influence on contemporary artists like Medeski, Martin and Wood. I don't know if an artist's forty-year career can ever be properly encapsulated on one CD, but this one does about as good a job as possible. By B. Niedt.

An excellent introduction to the styles of H. Hancock. Yes, I am a big fan of Herbie Hancock in his many incarnations. He has created memorable albums and tunes that have now spanned more than 30 years, and trying to get an overview of his work is not necessarily the easiest of tasks. For instance, if you are only familiar with his 70's hits or the "Headhunters" years, you could easily miss out on some of his early pure jazz tunes which have been sampled and sampled for the last decade or so.

This album takes many of the hits from "The Best of Herbie Hancock; The Blue Note Years" and adds in a few additional tunes that show his wide range of styles, both acoustic and electric. If you own more than two of Herbie Hancocks albums, then this might not be the collection for you, but for those unfamiliar with his work, this might just be the introductory collection that gets you hooked. Highly recommended. By Hephaistion "hephaistion".



In conjunction with the release of Ken Burns ten-part, 19-hour epic PBS documentary Jazz Columbia issued 22 single-disc compilations devoted to jazz's most significant artists, as well as a five-disc historical summary. Since the individual compilations attempt to present balanced overviews of each artist's career, tracks from multiple labels have thankfully been licensed where appropriate. This volume illustrates Herbie Hancock s metamorphosis from one of acoustic hard bop's finest composers to a pioneer of electric jazz-rock fusion, and finally into his brief yet popular flirtation with electro (the breakdance music that was techno's immediate forerunner). Serving in Miles Davis legendary '60s quintet would have made Hancock a major figure in hard bop regardless, but his own albums for Blue Note were consistently impressive as well. Each of the four tracks here from those works -- "Watermelon Man," "Cantaloupe Island" (later sampled by jazz-rappers Us3 for a major hit), "Maiden Voyage," and "Speak Like a Child" -- are stone-cold classics. Hancock s highly popular fusion era is represented by three selections: one from his Mwandishi band that recorded for Warner Brothers and two from his Headhunters years on Columbia And, of course, there's "Rockit," the catchy, all-electronic single that became a surprise hit thanks to MTV s embrace of its innovative video. The only questionable inclusion is a latter-day recording of the Stevie Wonder tune "You've Got It Bad Girl" while it isn't bad, the space could have been used for another selection from one of Hancock s more historically important periods, since both the hard bop and fusion years were fertile enough to be covered in more detail. But even though there aren't many tracks on Ken Burns Jazz due to the lengths of the pieces included, the compilation does give an excellent idea of both the flavor and quality of Hancock s most important work. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide.

Herbie Hancock

Track listing/Personnel:

1 Watermelon Man (7:08)
Bass - Butch Warren
Drums - Billy Higgins
Saxophone [Tenor] - Dexter Gordon
Trumpet - Freddie Hubbard

2 Cantaloupe Island (5:30)
Bass - Ron Carter
Drums - Tony Williams*
Trumpet - Freddie Hubbard

3 Maiden Voyage (7:55)
Bass - Ron Carter
Drums - Tony Williams*
Saxophone [Tenor] - George Coleman
Trumpet - Freddie Hubbard

4 Speak Like A Child (7:47)
Bass - Ron Carter
Drums - Mickey Roker
Flute [Alto] - Jerry Dodgion
Flügelhorn - Thad Jones
Trombone [Bass] - Peter Phillips

5 Tell Me A Bedtime Story (5:01)
Bass, Electric Bass - Buster Williams
Drums - Albert Heath
Drums, Percussion - Billy Hart
Flute [Alto], Saxophone [Tenor] - Joe Henderson
Piano, Electric Piano - Herbie Hancock
Trombone - Garnett Brown
Trumpet, Flügelhorn - Johnny Coles

6 Chameleon (15:41)
Drums - Harvey Mason
Electric Bass - Paul Jackson (2)
Electric Piano, Synthclavier Synthesizer - Herbie Hancock
Flute, Flute [Alto], Saxophone [Soprano, Tenor], Clarinet [Bass] - Bennie Maupin
Percussion - Bill Summers

7 Actual Proof (9:40)
Drums - Mike Clark (2)
Electric Bass - Paul Jackson (2)
Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes], Hohner D-6 Clavinet, Arp Odyssey, Arp Soloist, Arp 2600, Arp String - Herbie Hancock
Percussion - Bill Summers
Saxophone [Soprano, Tenor] Saxello, Clarinet [Bass], Flute [Alto] - Bennie Maupin

8 Rockit (5:25)
Bass - Bill Laswell
Bata - Daniel Ponce
Dmx, Synare, Mini-moog Programming - Michael Beinhorn
Fairlight Cmi, Rhodes Chroma, Sennheiser, Vocoder, Clavitar, Dr. Click Rhythm Controller, E-mu 4060 Digital Keyboard, Mini-moog - Herbie Hancock
Turntables - Grandmixer D. ST.*

9 You've Got It Bad Girl (7:12)
Acoustic Bass - Dave Holland
Arranger - Bob Belden
Drums - Jack DeJohnette
Guitar - John Scotfield
Percussion - Don Alias
Piano, Arranged By - Herbie Hancock
Saxophone [Soprano, Tenor] - Michael Brecker

*Includes full cover and booklet scan*

Enjoy!
Link in comment: