Tag: Herbie Hancock

Herbie Hancock – V.S.O.P. (Live) (1977/2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24-bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:27:37 minutes | 1,69 GGB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Columbia – Legacy

V.S.O.P. is an April 1977 jazz-funk fusion live album by keyboard player Herbie Hancock featuring performances by the V.S.O.P. Quintet (Hancock, Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter and Tony Williams), the Mwandishi band with Eddie Henderson on two tracks, and The Headhunters featuring Bennie Maupin and Paul Jackson.

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Herbie Hancock – Dedication (1974/2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24-bit/96 kHz | Time – 40:26 minutes | 783 MGB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Columbia

This is a unique experiment in the Hancock discography, recorded in Tokyo in just one day during a tour of Japan. The first side contains two introspective, complex solo acoustic piano tracks, “Maiden Voyage” and “Dolphin Dance,” which are notable since they date from a period when Hancock was supposedly totally immersed in electronics. Side two has two even more unusual pieces — “Nobu,” a one-man show recorded in real time with the sample-and-hold feature of an ARP 2600 synthesizer providing a rhythm section for Hancock’s electric keyboards, followed by “Cantaloupe Island” with a pre-recorded synth bassline. Side two is a fascinating look back at the charms and stringent limitations of mid-’70s analog keyboards, as well as a challenge to Hancock’s on-the-wing inventiveness — and despite some inevitable stiffness in the rhythm, he comes through with some colorful work. This would be the first of several Japan-only Hancock albums from the ’70s, an indication that Japanese jazz fans were (and perhaps still are) far more open-minded and free-spending than their American counterparts. ~ Richard S. Ginell

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Herbie Hancock – Speak Like A Child (1968/2013)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 37:01 minutes | 1,3 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download – Source: HDTracks.com | Digital booklet | © Blue Note Records

Recorded March 6 (tracks 1-3) and March 9 (tracks 4-6), 1968 in Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ

Produced by Alfred Lion

Originally released as Blue Note BLP 4279 (mono) and BST 84279 (stereo)

“In preparing these hi def remasters, we were very conscientious about maintaining the feel of the original releases while adding a previously unattainable transparency and depth. It now sounds like you’ve set up your chaise lounge right in the middle of Rudy Van Gelder’s studio!” – Blue Note President, Don Was.

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Herbie Hancock – River: The Joni Letters (2007)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 67:53 minutes | 1,38 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download – Source: HDTracks.com | Digital Booklet | © Verve Records

2007 Album of the Year
The legendary pianist and innovator explores the words and music of another musical pioneer Joni Mitchell on his first new studio recording for Verve since 1998’s GRAMMY® Award winner Gershwin’s World.

Inspired in equal parts by Mitchell’s poetic lyrics and unique melodies/harmonies, the musicians play with a restraint and elegance (on both the instrumental and vocal tracks) that achieves a perfect balance between the adventurous aesthetics of jazz improvisation and the emotional directness of the finest Adult Pop music.

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Herbie Hancock – Head Hunters (1973/2012)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 41:46 minutes | 889 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download – Source: HDTracks.com | © Columbia/Legacy

Headhunters is a monumental release in Herbie Hancock’s career and a defining moment in jazz-funk. It reached #1 on Billboard’s Top Jazz Albums and #2 on Billboard’s Top R&B Albums. This is one of the most endearing works in the jazz/funk legacy. In 2007, Headhunters was inducted into the National Recording Registry and is included on Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”.

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Herbie Hancock – The Prisoner (1969/2014)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 41:16 minutes | 1,52 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download – Source: HDTracks.com | © Blue Note Records

Originally released as Blue Note BST 84321

“In preparing these hi def remasters, we were very conscientious about maintaining the feel of the original releases while adding a previously unattainable transparency and depth. It now sounds like you’ve set up your chaise lounge right in the middle of Rudy Van Gelder’s studio!” – Blue Note President, Don Was.

Herbie Hancock’s The Prisoner was one of his first records after leaving the Miles Davis quintet in 1968. The album was done in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, a musical social statement focused around civil rights while exploring the vastness of the new jazz form known as post-bop. The recording features Garnett Brown on trombone, Joe Henderson on tenor saxophone and alto flute, Johnny Coles on flugelhorn, Buster Williams on bass, and Albert Heath on drums. Although post-bop wasn’t as conventional as jazz or bop, Hancock’s challenging compositions invite listeners into his world of simple melodies and emotionally austere music.

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Herbie Hancock – My Point Of View (1963/2014)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 34:30 minutes | 1,31 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download – Source: HDTracks.com | © Blue Note Records

My Point of View is Herbie Hancock’s sophomore album, originally released in 1963 on Blue Note Records. The album followed his successful debut album Takin’ Off and helped solidify his position in the jazz world. Hancock wrote the piece “Blind Man, Blind Man” after an experience where he encountered a blind man playing his guitar on the corner of his Chicago neighborhood.

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Herbie Hancock – Mr. Hands (1980/2008/2014)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 39:58 minutes | 887 MB | Genre: Jazz
Official Digital Download – Source: HDTracks.com | © Contemporary Jazz Masters

Recorded in 1980 at The Automatt (#1-2, 4, 6), (San Francisco); Filmways/Heider Recording (#5), (San Francisco); The Village Recorder (#3), (Los Angeles).

Mr. Hands was originally released in 1980 and is Herbie Hancock’s thirtieth album. It was one of the last albums on which Hancock played more “straight” electric jazz before moving on to focus more on R&B influences. The track “4 A.M.” features the late great bassist Jaco Pastorius.

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