Tag: Herbie Hancock

Herbie Hancock – Flood (1975) [Japanese SACD Reissue 2007] PS3 ISO + DSF DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC

Published March 24, 2022

Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters take to the road in the live double album Flood, recorded and released only in Japan. Contrary to the impression left by his American releases at this time, Hancock was still very much attached to the acoustic piano, as his erudite opening workout on “Maiden Voyage/Actual Proof” with his funk rhythm section makes clear. The electric keyboards, mostly Rhodes piano and clavinet, make their first appearances on side two, where Hancock now becomes more of a funky adjunct to the rhythm section, bumping along with a superb feeling for the groove while Bennie Maupin takes the high road above on a panoply of winds. Except for “Voyage,” the tunes come from the Head Hunters, Thrust, and Man-Child albums (another reason why this was not released in the U.S.). “Chameleon” comes with a lengthy outbreak of machine pink noise that attests to Hancock’s wide-eyed love of gadgetry. In all, this was a great funk band, not all that danceable because of the rapid complexities of Mike Clark’s drumming, and quite often, full of harmonic depth and adventure.

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CoreaHancock – An Evening With Chick Corea And Herbie Hancock (1979/2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Published March 8, 2022

CoreaHancock – An Evening With Chick Corea And Herbie Hancock (1979/2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192kHz | Time – 01:23:09 minutes | 2,91 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download – Source: HDTracks | © Polydor Records | The Verve Music Group
Recorded live at Masonic Auditorium, San Francisco, Dorothy Chandler Pavillon, Los Angeles & Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor, February, 1978.

An Evening With Chick Corea & Herbie Hancock was the first of two popular live albums recorded by Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock, the second CoreaHancock released a year after the first in 1979. The record features the two performing on acoustic pianos at three different venues across California and one in Michigan. An Evening With Chick Corea & Herbie Hancock features cover works as well as pieces written by the duo and individual works by each artist.

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Herbie Hancock – Future Shock (1983) [Japanese SACD Reissue 2000 #SRGS 4536] {PS3 ISO + FLAC}

Published August 31, 2021

Herbie Hancock completely overhauled his sound and conquered MTV with his most radical step forward since the sextet days. He brought in Bill Laswell of Material as producer, along with Grand Mixer D.ST on turntables — and the immediate result was “Rockit,” which makes quite a post-industrial metallic racket. Frankly, the whole record is an enigma; for all of its dehumanized, mechanized textures and rigid rhythms, it has a vitality and sense of humor that make it difficult to turn off. Moreover, Herbie can’t help but inject a subversive funk element when he comps along to the techno beat — and yes, some real, honest-to-goodness jazz licks on a grand piano show up in the middle of “Auto Drive”.

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Herbie Hancock – Dedication (1974/2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Published August 31, 2021

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) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Published August 31, 2021

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) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Published August 31, 2021

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) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Published August 31, 2021

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) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Published August 31, 2021

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

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) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Published August 31, 2021

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) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Published August 31, 2021

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.