New Herbie Hancock

[Chrome]

So, I'm surfing around this morning and stumble upon this:

Sting on forthcoming Herbie Hancock album

Sting records new version of 'Sister Moon' for Herbie Hancock album...

Herbie Hancock has remained seminal and innovative through four decades of music making, having won ten GRAMMY® Awards, an Academy Award and countless other accolades for his various and influential work. The diverse lineup of artists who accepted Hancock's invitation to create and record music with him for his forthcoming duets album, 'Possibilities', is a testament to the breadth and magnitude of his impact. The genesis of the album was Hancock's vision of collaborating in studio to create music with some of the artists he most admires. The final list of collaborators is a diverse group of world renowned musicians who represent genres of music well beyond the world of jazz, including: John Mayer, Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan, Sting, Annie Lennox, Joss Stone and Johnny Lang, Paul Simon, Raul Midón, Carlos Santana and Angelique Kidjo, Christina Aguilera and Trey Anastasio. Possibilities will be released simultaneously at Starbucks Company-operated locations and traditional retail stores by Hancock Music, Vector Recordings and Starbucks Hear Music beginning August 30, 2005.

Herbie Hancock describes 'Possibilities' this way: "This is real collaboration that we're doing here. It's all been decided at the session," and calls the album, "a record without borders, woven like a tapestry with many colors." John Mayer came to his session with a simple guitar phrase from which he and Hancock created a fully arranged song, replete with lyrics and a rhythm section of drums, bass and keyboards. Sting and Hancock freshly reinterpret Sting's song 'Sister Moon', from the album 'Nothing Like the Sun'.

As with the multi-platinum, eight GRAMMY®-winning Ray Charles' 'Genius Loves Company', Starbucks will participate in all facets of the project's lifecycle - from facilitating production to distribution and marketing of the album, which will be sold in traditional retail outlets as well as at Starbucks locations.

"We have always admired the enormous talents of Herbie Hancock," said Vector principal Ken Levitan. "When Jack Rovner and I first learned that we might be able to work with Herbie, we immediately jumped at the opportunity. And for the relationship to begin with a project as exciting as Possibilities is more than we could have hoped for. There are very few artists whose contribution to music has been as substantial and original as Herbie Hancock's. It is a great privilege to be undertaking this project with him."

"We are honored to be working with Herbie Hancock and the unprecedented array of talented artists he has assembled to create this truly special event album," said Ken Lombard, president, Starbucks Entertainment. "Following the success of Ray Charles' 'Genius Loves Company', Possibilities reflects our ongoing commitment to working with innovative artists and labels to create unique projects which we believe our customers will embrace."

The newly formed Herbie Hancock's Headhunters '05 just performed their first live shows together, including this year's Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Manchester, TN, where Hancock will had the honor of being the festival's first Artist in Residence, performing with other artists and bands in the festival lineup. Herbie Hancock's Headhunters '05 features an all-star lineup of musicians, including Hancock (piano), John Mayer (guitar), Marcus Miller (bass), Roy Hargrove (trumpet), Kenny Garrett (saxophone), Munyungo Jackson (percussion), Lionel Loueke (guitar), and Terri Lynn Carrington (drums).

[JSngry]

I wonder which duet will be the hit?

[Rosco]

Oddly enough, this story was in one of the British tabloids a couple of weeks ago (The Sun, I think...)

Jazz legend Herbie Hancock was dumbstruck by Christina Aguilera's incredible vocal prowess after recording a track with her.

The Beautiful pop beauty impressed Hancock so much, he hails her work as "perfect" from the very first take.

He enthuses, "I knew she could sing. I knew she could really sing. But I didn't know she could sing like that. She knocked me out. She did her first take and I said, 'Well, you nailed it.'

"And she said, 'Oh no, no, no, that was just a scratch vocal.' Her intonation was so perfect, I mean, not a flaw in it at all."

[Rosco]

"The Beautiful pop beauty "

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Yeah, good writing, folks...

Edited July 22, 2005 by Rosco

[brownie]

Sounds to me like another Hancock to avoid

[jazzbo]

It isn't good writing, and lord knows I don't want to hear that cd. . . but sometimes her beauty is worth mentioning twice. . . .

If I were single, I'd probably have a poster up on a wall (and put my old Shelia E poster up)!

Edited July 22, 2005 by jazzbo

[bertrand]

I heard about this a few months ago from an 'industry insider', who pretty much told me the same 'decided at the session' story. Doesn't really sound like my cup of tea.

No duet with Wayne on this one?

Bertrand.

[Aggie87]

to Lon's yin, I submit this yang:

Edited July 22, 2005 by Aggie87

[Joe G]

Reality check!

[RDK]

I much prefer the yin...

[CJ Shearn]

I'm gonna check it out cuz its Herbie. I mean, anything is better than Feets Don't Fail Me Now, Sound System, Future Shock and Perfect Machine. Gotta give props to Herbie staying current.

[WD45]

... Starbucks will participate in all facets of the project's lifecycle ...

Does that include taking in multiple used copies after the inital hype dies out, and the cut-outs after it goes out-of-print?

[jazzbo]

I did say "sometimes". . . -_-

I agree she has some weird image ideas sometimes, part of being a big pop diva I guess. But fresh out of the shower. . . I think her beauty would be worth mentioning twice.

[Dan Gould]

Very schizoid for me. Sometimes I think she's OK but most of the time I think she's the skank that other skanks look down on.

[Dave James]

"Maiden Voyage" indeed. He's gotta be dialed into something on the side.

Up over and out.

[WD45]

Very schizoid for me.  Sometimes I think she's OK but most of the time I think she's the skank that other skanks look down on.

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[Dmitry]

She probably watched his Bose infomercial and fell in love.

Edited July 22, 2005 by Dmitry

[JSngry]

Sounds like Herbie's trying to do sort of a Quincy Jones thing and establish pop production cred. More power to him if that's where he finds the most interesting challenge at this point in his life.

Truthfully, I think that Herbie Hancock could make a helluva lot more interesting pop record than Quincy Jones, and that's with no undue disrespect towards Quincy. The guy's always been as much of a colorist as he has anything, and pop music of a certain bent has always been accomodating to colorists, to say nothing of the rich harmonic pallate that Herbie might bring to these songs. The results could be interesting, although not to people who don't have a place for quality ear candy.

Or he might just wuss out and make a drab slab of flab. Who knows? But I'm not dismissing this project out of hand. I came up surrounded by pop music, and pop music is not something I reflexively avoid on principle.

What I do worry about, though, is the lyrics. Herbie's pop work with lyrics in the past has been rather, uh....."dire". I sincerely hope he's working with a collaborator, and a good one.

[Dmitry]

Truthfully, I think that Herbie Hancock could make a helluva lot more interesting pop record than Quincy Jones, and that's with no undue disrespect towards Quincy.

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I'm not sure about that.

Quincy knows his shit.

Herbie ain't nothin but a punk comparing to Q.

[JSngry]

Could be. Could very well be.

We'll know soon, won't we...

[Dmitry]

C'mon, man. Q lived with HER.

Edited July 22, 2005 by Dmitry

[JSngry]

That's not Peggy Lipton!

[Rosco]

I'm gonna check it out cuz its Herbie.  I mean, anything is better than Feets Don't Fail Me Now, Sound System, Future Shock and Perfect Machine.  Gotta give props to Herbie staying current.

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I actually liked Future Shock (although the follow-ups were increasingly formulaic), maybe not as a Herbie album per se, but it was a genuinely creative piece of (then) contemporary electropop. I still remember hearing 'Rockit' for the first time and being blown away! (It's still an astonishing pop record)

I've always cut Herbie some slack for his pop stuff, possibly because at the age of 12 or so Herbie's disco records were my introduction to him, but mostly for the fact that he manages to keep his 'jazz' career going simultaneously (if only the same could be said for George Benson!). Plus I think they're genuinely part of Herbie's artistic make-up. It never seems like these projects are done simply to make a fast buck and, much like Louis Armstrong's recordings of the 1930s, there's usually some little flash of improvisatory genius to remind you- hey- you're not listening to just anybody here.

[jazzbo]

That is not Peggy Lipton indeed.

I still have THAT poster.

It's in a closet somewhere. . . but I have it. I was crazy for Kinski in those days!

[marcello]

I've been listening to some radio recordings of Herbie with Bobby Hutcherson, Scott Coley and Terri Lynn Carrington made for a tour in Europe in 2003.

Let me tell you that Herbie is still as creative, hip, slick, and impressive as ever. These are all acoustic sets that are so good, that if he released something like that here, would shake everybody up!

Edited July 23, 2005 by marcello