Herbie Hancock - Head Hunters

Styles: Jazz
Year: 1973
Time: 41:47
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 95,6 MB
Art: Front

(15:44) 1. Chameleon
( 6:31) 2. Watermelon Man
(10:20) 3. Sly
( 9:10) 4. Vein Melter

Head Hunters was a pivotal point in Herbie Hancock's career, bringing him into the vanguard of jazz fusion. Hancock had pushed avant-garde boundaries on his own albums and with Miles Davis, but he had never devoted himself to the groove as he did on Head Hunters.

Drawing heavily from Sly Stone, Curtis Mayfield, and James Brown, Hancock developed deeply funky, even gritty, rhythms over which he soloed on electric synthesizers, bringing the instrument to the forefront in jazz. It had all of the sensibilities of jazz, particularly in the way it wound off into long improvisations, but its rhythms were firmly planted in funk, soul, and R&B, giving it a mass appeal that made it the biggest-selling jazz album of all time (a record which was later broken).

Jazz purists, of course, decried the experiments at the time, but Head Hunters still sounds fresh and vital decades after its initial release, and its genre-bending proved vastly influential on not only jazz, but funk, soul, and hip-hop. By Stephen Thomas Erlewine
https://www.allmusic.com/album/head-hunters-mw0000649551#review

Personnel: Herbie Hancock – Fender Rhodes electric piano, Hohner D6 Clavinet, ARP Odyssey & ARP Pro Soloist synthesizers; Bennie Maupin – tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, saxello, bass clarinet, alto flute; Paul Jackson – bass guitar, marímbula; Harvey Mason – drums, arrangement on "Watermelon Man"; ill Summers – agogô, balafon, cabasa, congas, gankogui, log drum, shekere, surdo, tambourine, beer bottle on "Watermelon Man"

Head Hunters

---

Chick Corea - The Mad Hatter

Styles: Piano Jazz   
Year: 1978
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:02
Size: 115,4 MB
Art: Front

( 4:25)  1. The Woods
( 1:08)  2. Tweedle Dee
( 1:39)  3. The Trial
( 6:30)  4. Humpty Dumpty
( 1:19)  5. Prelude To Falling Alice
( 8:17)  6. Falling Alice
( 2:50)  7. Tweedle Dum
(13:07)  8. Dear Alice
(10:43)  9. The Mad Hatter Rhapsody

This post-Return to Forever Chick Corea LP is a bit of a mixed bag. Corea is heard on his many keyboards during an atmospheric "The Woods," interacts with a string section on "Tweedle Dee," features a larger band plus singer Gayle Moran on a few other songs and even welcomes fellow keyboardist Herbie Hancock for the "Mad Hatter Rhapsody." The most interesting selection, a quartet rendition of "Humpty Dumpty" with tenorman Joe Farrell set the stage for his next project, Friends. Overall, this is an interesting and generally enjoyable release.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-mad-hatter-mw0000105344

Personnel: Chick Corea - piano, synthesizer, marimba, percussion, vocals, arrangement;  Joe Farrell - tenor saxophone, flute, piccolo;  Herbie Hancock - electric piano on Falling Alice and The Mad Hatter Rhapsody;  Jamie Faunt - bass;  Eddie Gómez - bass;  Steve Gadd - drums;  Harvey Mason - drum;  Gayle Moran - vocals

The Mad Hatter

---

Joe Henderson - Power To The People (Remastered 2024)

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2024
Time: 42:41
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 97,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:51) 1. Black Narcissus
(7:04) 2. Afro-Centric
(4:56) 3. Opus One-Point-Five
(4:55) 4. Isotope
(8:44) 5. Power To The People
(4:36) 6. Lazy Afternoon
(7:32) 7. Foresight And Afterthought

The late sixties were an exciting time for jazz, although not a lucrative one. Faced with a declining market share due to the popularity of rock music, jazz musicians were forced to find an audience by pursuing new avenues in composition and instrumentation.

Joe Henderson, a much beloved player for the Blue Note label was dropped in the late sixties. Orrin Keepnews, who certainly could recognize great talent when he saw it, signed him to his newly formed Milestone label. This 1969 release finds Henderson with a near perfect rhythm section. It features imaginative compositions that easily make it a highlight of the accomplished musician's career.

Power to the People is an appropriate title for a session filled with the sense of urgency and charisma found here. Henderson took a page from the compositional methods of the Miles Davis quintet from a few years back in that many of the compositions feature the same dark corners and ambiguous chord structures of that famous group. Only "Incognito" harkens back to an earlier time in Henderson's career.

Henderson has, for the most part, abandoned the harsh tone of his earlier releases for a more smoothed over sound, giving up nothing in confidence. Herbie Hancock and Ron Carter are session musicians here, featured both on acoustic and electric instruments.

Jack DeJohnette, another master who would contribute heavily to Miles' electric period, provides skilled drumming in the background. As an added bonus, two selections feature Mike Lawrence, a promising trumpeter who died in 1983.

As part of the Keepnews Collection, the sound on this release is superb. Carter is served especially well every note is clearly heard. Hancock's electric piano, at times both burbling in the background and providing an acid sting, is also crisp.

While signed to the Blue Note label, Henderson provided seminal releases in the accepted format. On many levels, Power to the People is more satisfying, a neglected gem that showcases an artist reaching for all that he can accomplish. By David Rickert
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/power-to-the-people-joe-henderson-review-by-david-rickert

Personnel: Joe Henderson — tenor saxophone; Mike Lawrence — trumpet (2, 5); Herbie Hancock — piano (3, 4, 6), Fender Rhodes (1, 2, 5); Ron Carter — double bass (1, 3, 4, 6, 7), electric bass (2, 5)Jack DeJohnette — drums

Power To The People (Remastered 2024)

---

Wayne Shorter - The All Seeing Eye

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1965
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:33
Size: 102,5 MB
Art: Front

(10:34) 1. The All Seeing Eye
(11:48) 2. Genesis
( 6:57) 3. Chaos
( 5:32) 4. Face Of The Deep
( 9:40) 5. Mephistopheles

With such titles as "The All Seeing Eye," "Genesis," "Chaos," "Face of the Deep," and "Mephistopheles," it is clear from the start that the music on this LP is not basic bop and blues. Wayne Shorter (who composed four of the five originals) picked an all-star cast (trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, altoist James Spaulding, trombonist Grachan Moncur III, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Joe Chambers, along with brother Alan Shorter on flügelhorn for the final song) to perform and interpret the dramatic selections, and their brand of controlled freedom has plenty of subtle surprises. This is stimulating music that still sounds fresh. By Scott Yanow
https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-all-seeing-eye-mw0000097755

Personnel: Wayne Shorter – tenor saxophone; Freddie Hubbard – trumpet, flugelhorn; Grachan Moncur III – trombone; James Spaulding – alto saxophone; Herbie Hancock – piano; Ron Carter – bass; Joe Chambers – drums; Alan Shorter – flugelhorn (track 5 only)

The All Seeing Eye

---

Miles Davis Quintet - Live At The Oriental Theatre 1966 (CD1) And (CD2)

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:08 (CD 1)
Size: 97,3 MB (CD 1)
Time: 48:38 (CD 2)
Size: 112,3 MB (CD 2)
Art: Front

(CD 1)

( 0:40) 1. Announcement
( 9:49) 2. Autumn Leaves
( 9:22) 3. Agitation
(10:31) 4. Stella By Starlight
(11:44) 5. Gingerbread Boy

---

(CD 2)
( 9:30) 1. The Theme
( 9:32) 2. All Blues
( 8:51) 3. Who Can I Turn To?
( 9:06) 4. So What
(11:38) 5. My Funny Valentine

This release contains a complete previously unissued concert by the 1966 Miles Davis Quintet. Recorded at the impressing Oriental Theatre in Portland shortly before it was demolished, it presents the only existing testimony of bassist Richard Davis playing with Miles. Among its many highlights are many great trumpet solos by Miles, including his only existing version of "Who Can I Turn To ?" a free jazzoriented So What, and a beautiful reading of My Funny Valentine.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Oriental-Theatre-1966-2CD/dp/B004M3NKBC

Personnel: Miles Davis - tp; Wayne Shorter - ts; Herbie Hancock - p; Richard Davis - b; Tony Williams - d

Live At The Oriental Theatre 1966 (CD1)(CD2)

---

Joe Henderson - The Complete Blue Note Studio Sessions (5-Disc Set)

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2021
Time: 79:01
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 180,9 MB
Art: Front

(15:18) 1. Una Mas (One More Time)
( 8:58) 2. Straight Ahead
( 7:20) 3. Sao Paulo
( 5:08) 4. If Ever I Would Leave You
( 8:01) 5. Blue Bossa
( 9:09) 6. La Mesha
( 4:14) 7. Homestretch
( 6:02) 8. Recorda Me
( 7:23) 9. Jinrikisha
( 7:24) 10. Out of the Night

If an artist stamps his jazz passport with any one of these labels Blue Note, Verve, Milestone it's pretty much a guarantee that you've arrived in style. Tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson has traveled with all three and more. The 2021 reissue from the prestigious Mosaic Records focuses on Henderson's 1960s tenure with Blue Note offers a new opportunity to experience an abundance of rich and creative jazz from the decade.

Big band and bop were duking it out in the late 1940s, bebop gained a foothold in the 1950s and the 1960s saw some amazingly creative artists emerge as they conjured up even more jazz hybrids (straight jazz, Avant-Garde, fusion and more). Henderson began to come of age during the very late 1950s, the tail end of one of the most dynamic and creative decades for jazz. He then moved confidently into the 1960s and beyond. He began to gain momentum in the 1960s (sitting in with saxophone master Dexter Gordon early on), learned from listening to other sax giants including Charlie Parker and Sonny Rollins and soon teamed up with numerous A-list artists including trumpeter Kenny Dorham, a Blue Note co-artist. The spotlight shifted a bit during the seventies and eighties for Henderson but he was amazingly prolific in the 1990s. Verve championed him during that decade with a high profile 'come back' campaign and sessions such as Lush Life (1982) contained everything from the supple and smoky "Isfahan" and "Blood Count" to the soaring and spontaneous "Johnny Come Lately." Touring took him to various venues and in a talk backstage after a mid-1990s concert, Mr. Henderson was dapper and smartly dressed, low key, quiet and reserved. He was a joy to talk to. But his constant companion, a lit cigarette, was absent, probably due to venue restriction (chain smoking eventually took him down in 2001.)

Mosaic collected nearly fifty cuts on five CDs and captured a world of spontaneous creativity. In addition, a modest yet informative booklet is included. A book's worth of praise could follow, so let's look at a few tracks from each compact disc: Everything gets underway with the title cut from trumpeter Kenny Dorham's Una Mas (1963) album in which Henderson joins as a featured sideman. At over fifteen minutes, the opening track is a celebration of the then contemporary sounds of Bossa Nova, with hints of other styles including the blues. He may be the second billed musician on the disc, but Henderson's sax is supple, lush and creatively enticing as a close bond was being forged between the two men. Everyone swings, and they are upbeat on "Straight Ahead," one of the other standout tracks from the Dorham-lead sessions. (full review => https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-complete-joe-henderson-blue-note-studio-sessions-joe-henderson-mosaic-records)

Personnel: Joe Henderson: Saxophone; Kenny Dorham: Trranumpet; Herbie Hancock: Piano; Tony Williams: Drums; McCoy Tyner: Piano; Bob Cranshaw: Bass; Duke Pearson: Piano; Richard Davis: Bass, Acoustic; s: Drums; Tommy Flanagan: Piano; Ron Carter: Elvin Jones: Bass; Cedar Walton: Piano; Lee Morgan: Trumpet; Curtis Fuller: Trombone; Grant Green: Guitar; Bobby Hutcherson: Vibraphone; J.J. Johnson: Trombone; Al Harewood: Drums; Woody Shaw: Trumpet; Andrew Hill: Piano.

The Complete Blue Note Studio Sessions CD1

---

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2021
Time: 76:41
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 175,6 MB
Art: Front

( 8:17) 1. La Mesha (alternate take)
( 7:38) 2. Homestretch (alternate take)
( 8:33) 3. Teeter Totter
(10:05) 4. Pedro's Time
( 5:38) 5. Our Thing
( 6:20) 6. Back Road
( 8:06) 7. Escapade
( 7:11) 8. Teeter Totter (alternate take)
( 5:31) 9. Our Thing (alternate take)
( 9:18) 10. In 'N Out (alternate take)

The Complete Blue Note Studio Sessions CD2

---

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2021
Time: 76:45
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 175,7 MB
Art: Front

(10:25) 1. In 'N Out
( 9:09) 2. Punjab
( 6:17) 3. Serenity
( 7:11) 4. Short Story
( 6:25) 5. Brown's Town
(12:24) 6. Trompeta Toccata
( 5:46) 7. Night Watch
(11:05) 8. Mamacita
( 8:00) 9. The Fox

The Complete Blue Note Studio Sessions CD3

---

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2021
Time: 78:40
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 180,1 MB
Art: Front

(11:58) 1. Inner Urge
( 9:16) 2. Isotope
( 7:14) 3. El Barrio
( 7:21) 4. You Know I Care
( 7:24) 5. Night and Day
( 8:14) 6. Hobo Joe
( 8:30) 7. Step Lightly
( 6:07) 8. The Kicker
( 5:46) 9. Mo' Joe
( 6:45) 10. If

The Complete Blue Note Studio Sessions CD4

---

Styles: Jazz
Year: 2021
Time: 59:11
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 135,5 MB
Art: Front

(7:08) 1. A Shade of Jade
(8:03) 2. Mode for Joe
(6:53) 3. Black
(6:43) 4. Caribbean Fire Dance
(7:23) 5. Granted
(6:41) 6. Free Wheelin'
(9:28) 7. Mode for Joe (alternate take)
(6:49) 8. Black (alternate take)

The Complete Blue Note Studio Sessions CD5

---

Roy Ayers - Stoned Soul Picnic

Styles: Vibraphone Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:27
Size: 89,3 MB
Art: Front

(9:00)  1. A Rose For Cindy
(2:47)  2. Stoned Soul Picnic
(8:01)  3. Wave
(3:54)  4. For Once In My Life
(6:34)  5. Lil's Paradise
(8:09)  6. What The People Say

Stoned Soul Picnic is vibraphonist Roy Ayers' third and probably best solo album, made in 1968 while he was still a part of Herbie Mann's group. Ayers stands clearly in the shadow of Bobby Hutcherson on this primarily modally-oriented date, sounding nothing like the groove-meister he would become known as later in the 1970s. Producer Mann, always an underrated talent scout, assembles an especially exceptional septet for Ayers here with Gary Bartz on alto sax, arranger Charles Tolliver on trumpet/flugelhorn, Hubert Laws on flute, Herbie Hancock on piano (and probably uncredited organ on the title cut), Ron Carter or Miroslav Vitous on bass and Grady Tate on drums. The program is a typical late 1960s menu, heavy on such Top 40 pop covers as the dated "Stoned Soul Picnic," "For Once In My Life" and "What The People Say." What sets these and the interesting, if unsuccessful, cover of Jobim's "Wave" apart are Tolliver's rather ingenious arrangements. Tolliver seems to tear apart the constraints of these duds (although "Picnic" is beyond hope) by dramatically slowing down the melodies, providing Ayers the time and space to set the mood (Tolliver correctly recognizes Ayers's strengths with ballads) and punctuating with nicely considered horn statements in between. It is the two modal originals here Ayers lovely "A Rose For Cindy" and Tolliver's waltz, "Lil's Paradise" that make this disc worth hearing. Ayers plays some of his finest-ever work on these pieces. You're sure to hear something new and different in these pieces every time. Hancock completists will also be especially pleased with the pianist's performance here (and on "What The People Say" too). Except for the nods toward late 1960s pop-jazz conventions, Stoned Soul Picnic is a marvelous disc well worth investigating. With so much of Ayers's West Coast work of the 1960s (especially with Jack Wilson) lost in limbo, this disc serves as a cogent reminder of the strength of the vibraphonist's chops. And groove lovers might be happily surprised hearing what Ayers was up to before the groove.
~Douglas Paynehttps://www.allaboutjazz.com/stoned-soul-picnic-roy-ayers-32-records-review-by-douglas-payne.php

Players: Roy Ayers: vibes; Gary Bartz: alto sax;  Charles Tolliver: arranger, trumpet, flugelhorn; Hubert Laws: flute;  Herbie Hancock: piano, organ; Ron Carter: bass;  Miroslav Vitous: bass;  Grady Tate: drums.

Stoned Soul Picnic

---

Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams, Ron Carter - The Herbie Hancock Trio

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1977
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:14
Size: 106,2 MB
Art: Front

(12:25)  1. Watch It
(13:06)  2. Speak Like A Child
( 6:20)  3. Watcha Waitin For
( 7:42)  4. Look
( 6:40)  5. Milestones

Herbie Hancock Trio is an album by Herbie Hancock released in September 21, 1977 in Japan. It features performances by Hancock with Ron Carter and Tony Williams. A second selection of six tracks recorded by the trio during the same day's sessions was released under Ron Carter's name as Third Plane. This is the first of two albums with the same title. A second Herbie Hancock Trio, featuring the same personnel, was released in 1982. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbie_Hancock_Trio_(1977_album)

Personnel:  Herbie Hancock – piano;  Ron Carter – bass;  Tony Williams – drums

The Herbie Hancock Trio

---

Wayne Shorter - Adam's Apple

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:55
Size: 109.7 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz, Bop
Year: 2003
Art: Front

[6:46] 1. Adam's Apple
[6:35] 2. 502 Blues (Drinkin' And Drivin')
[6:28] 3. El Gaucho
[7:26] 4. Footprints
[6:13] 5. Teru
[7:32] 6. Chief Crazy Horse
[6:52] 7. The Collector

Bass – Reginald Workman; Drums – Joe Chambers; Piano – Herbie Hancock; Tenor Saxophone – Wayne Shorter.

By the beginning of '66, Wayne Shorter had already made jazz history twice: forging gospel-drenched hard bop with Art Blakey from '59 to '64 and helping to create the metaphysical artistry of the Miles Davis quintet during the mid-'60s. So it should come as no suprise that Adam's Apple , which was recorded in February of '66, has Shorter compositions in standard AABA blues form and introspective ballads that sound like his work with Davis.

Recorded at the infamous Van Gelder studio for Blue Note Records, Adam's Apple features Shorter leading an all-star rhythm section consisting of pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Reggie Workman, and drummer Joe Chambers. As in the second "classic" Miles Davis quintet, Hancock and Shorter find solace in each other on Adam's Apple. Shorter's solos throughout the album are encouraged by Hancock's stride-like comping.

Adam's Apple features underrated drummer Joe Chambers, who appeared on four of Wayne Shorter's Blue Note albums during the '60s. Not a well-known Blue Note favorite like Tony Williams or Art Blakey, Chambers still manages to produce outstanding aesthetics of sound on his drums, frequently using the tom-toms in his solos to produce a tympanic effect. Chamber's playing is so controlled throughout Adam's Apple that he manages to keep a swinging tempo during his extremely polyrhythmic solos. ~Aaron Rogers

Adam's Apple

---

Michael Brecker - Don't Try This At Home

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1988
File: MP3@128K/s
Time: 55:34
Size: 52,3 MB
Art: Front

(7:43) 1. Itsbynne Reel
(7:51) 2. Chime This
(7:46) 3. Scriabin
(4:59) 4. Suspone
(9:30) 5. Don't Try This At Home
(7:13) 6. Everything Happens When You're Gone
(5:10) 7. Talking To Myself
(5:20) 8. The Gentleman & Hizcaine

Michael Brecker's second album as a leader is almost the equal of his first. Surprisingly, only one song ("Suspone") uses his working quintet of the period (which consists of guitarist Mike Stern, pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Jeff Andrews and drummer Adam Nussbaum) although those musicians also pop up on other selections with the likes of pianists Don Grolnick and Herbie Hancock, bassist Charlie Haden, drummer Jack DeJohnette and violinist Mark O'Connor. Brecker (on tenor and the EWI) is in superb form, really ripping into the eight pieces (mostly group originals). Recommended.~Scott Yanowhttps://www.allmusic.com/album/dont-try-this-at-home-mw0000197612

Personnel: Michael Brecker – tenor saxophone, Mike Stern – guitar; Don Grolnick – piano; Herbie Hancock – piano; Joey Calderazzo – piano; Jim Beard – synthesizer, piano ; Mark O'Connor – violin; Charlie Haden – bass; Jeff Andrews – fretless electric bass; Jack DeJohnette – drums; Adam Nussbaum – drums; Peter Erskine – drums; Judd Miller – synthesizer programming

Don't Try This At Home

---

Herbie Hancock - Gershwin's World

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:39
Size: 155,2 MB
Art: Front

( 0:56)  1. Overture (Fascinating Rhythm)
( 4:48)  2. It Ain't Necessarily So
( 5:58)  3. The Man I Love
( 4:00)  4. Here Come De Honey Man
( 5:51)  5. St. Louis Blues
(11:05)  6. Lullaby
( 3:31)  7. Blueberry Rhyme
( 1:26)  8. It Ain't Necessarily So (Interlude)
( 4:45)  9. Cotton Tail
( 4:43) 10. Summertime
( 1:56) 11. My Man's Gone Now
( 4:44) 12. Prelude in C# Minor
( 9:13) 13. Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in G, 2nd Mvt
( 4:38) 14. Embraceable You

Gershwin's World is a tour de force for Herbie Hancock, transcending genre and label, and ranking among the finest recordings of his lengthy career. Released to coincide with the 100th anniversary of George Gershwin's birth, this disc features jazzman Hancock with a classy collection of special guests. The most surprising of Hancock's guest stars is Joni Mitchell, who delivers a gorgeously sensual vocal on "The Man I Love," then provides an airy, worldly take on "Summertime." On these two tracks, she shows she has come a long way from her folksinger beginnings to become a first-class jazz singer in her own right. Stevie Wonder's unmistakable harmonica complements Mitchell's singing on "Summertime" and shares lead instrument space with his own voice on the W.C. Handy classic "St. Louis Blues." Jazzman extraordinaire Wayne Shorter smokes a solo spot on Duke Ellington's "Cotton Tail" and carves out some space for his soprano saxophone in the midst of "Summertime." 

A number of the young lions of jazz are featured on various cuts, and Herbie's old pal Chick Corea joins the leader for a piano duet of James P. Johnson's "Blueberry Rhyme." Gershwin's wonderful, extended "Lullaby" finds Hancock teamed with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, as does an attractive arrangement of a "Concerto for Piano and Orchestra" by Maurice Ravel, whose jazz influence can be heard on the piece. In addition, one of the most beautiful tracks on the album places star soprano Kathleen Battle's voice at the forefront of Gershwin's own "Prelude in C# Minor." Yet with all the fine performances by his guests, Gershwin's World remains Hancock's show, and he plays magnificently throughout. From beautiful to funky, percussive to melodic, improvisational to tightly arranged, Hancock and cohorts take a wondrous journey through the music and world of Gershwin. ~ Jim Newsom  http://www.allmusic.com/album/gershwins-world-mw0000038316

Personnel: Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea: Piano; Madou Dembelle: Djembe; Massamba Diop: Talking Drum; Cryo Baptista, Bireyma Guiye, Cheik Mbaye: Percussion; Eddie Henderson: Trumpet; Kenny Garrett: Alto Saxophone; James Carter: Tenor and Soprano Saxophones, Wayne Shorter: Tenor Saxophone; Bakithi Kumalo: Bass and Guitar; Ira Coleman: Bass; Terri-Lynn Carrington: Drums, Marlon Graves: Guitar, Robert Sadin: Percussion Programming; Stevie Wonder: Harmonica and Vocals; Charles Curtis: Cello, The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Kathleen Battle: Vocals, Joni Mitchell: Vocals.

Gershwin's World

---

Bobby Hutcherson - The Best Of The Blue Note Years

Styles: Vibraphone Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:14
Size: 159,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:33) 1. Blues Mind Matter
(5:10) 2. Little B's Poem
(8:05) 3. Bouquet
(6:16) 4. Ghetto Lights
(5:57) 5. Patterns
(4:44) 6. 'Til Then
(5:18) 7. Dave's Chant
(9:26) 8. Same Shame
(7:47) 9. Ummh
(6:25) 10. Houston St. Thursday Afternoon
(6:28) 11. Roses Poses

Quick. Name some jazz vibraphonists. Most of you would pick the legendary Lionel Hampton, who played in Benny Goodman's band, among others. Some of you would name Milt Jackson, who's one-fourth of the Modern Jazz Quartet. But what about Bobby Hutcherson?

Thumbing through some jazz history books, you might find a page or two mentioning his name in passing, which is a shame. Not many people can make the vibes swing or sing, and Hutcherson should be added to the list. The recently released Bobby Hutcherson: The Best of the Blue Note Years spans nearly a decade of recordings with the record label beginning in 1965. The liner notes includes some background information from Down Beat magazine correspondent Mitchell Feldman. Hutcherson glides through the 11 tracks from 11 different albums with the greatest of ease. His sidemen are no slouchers themselves, including pianists Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, saxophonists Sam Rivers and Harold Land, bassist Ron Carter, and drummers Billy Higgins and Joe Chambers.

On "Dave's Chant," it starts out with a Latin feel, but then jumps into cut-time swing, with Hutcherson playing a Charlie Parker-like solo on the vibes, paving the way for Land to take the solo reins. Hutcherson's mallets travel so fast along the vibes during "Patterns," one would wish a movie camera had been trained on him during the recording session in order to see the brilliance. He's also eager to branch into different genres, like on the funk-blues-injected "Ummh" or the Latin influence in "Rose Poses." But this collection doesn't merely showcase Hutcherson. In most cases, he backs off to let the other players shine. Listen to Hancock's amazing solos on "Little B's Poem" and "Bouquet," or Rivers' and Hubbard's solos on "Ghetto Lights." In all, it's a collection that features the best of this relatively unknown yet phenomenal vibraphonist. ~ Michael Fortuna https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-best-of-the-blue-note-years-bobby-hutcherson-blue-note-records-review-by-michael-fortuna.php

Personnel: Bobby Hutcherson: vibes; Herbie Hancock: piano; Joe Henderson: alto saxophone; Freddie Hubbard: trumpet; Ron Carter: bass

The Best Of The Blue Note Years

---

Bob Brookmeyer - Bob Brookmeyer & Friends

Styles: Trombone Jazz
Year: 1964
File: MP3@320K/
s Time: 55:12
Size: 127,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:40) 1. Jive Hoot
(5:17) 2. Misty
(5:18) 3. The Wrinkle
(4:57) 4. Bracket
(5:00) 5. Skylark
(4:04) 6. Sometime Ago
(5:04) 7. I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face
(7:02) 8. Who Cares
(5:18) 9. Day Dream
(3:37) 10. Time For Two
(4:50) 11. Pretty Girl

This somewhat obscure session was reissued on LP by Columbia in 1980. Valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer and tenor-great Stan Getz (who had played together regularly a decade prior) had a reunion for this date, performing five standards and three Brookmeyer originals. The young rhythm section (pianist Herbie Hancock, vibraphonist Gary Burton, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Elvin Jones) uplifts what would have been a fairly conventional (although high quality) bop date. https://www.allmusic.com/album/bob-brookmeyer-and-friends-mw0000030917

Personnel: Valve trombone - Bob Brookmeyer; Tenor saxophone - Stan Getz; Vibraphone - Gary Burton; Piano - Herbie Hancock; Bass - Ron Carter , Drums - Elvin Jones; Vocals - Tony Bennett (track 9).

Bob Brookmeyer & Friends

---

Christian McBride - Sci-Fi

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:45
Size: 165,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:49)  1. Aja
(6:20)  2. Uhuru's Moment Returned
(7:59)  3. Xerxes
(7:30)  4. Lullaby For A Ladybug
(6:52)  5. Science Fiction
(6:43)  6. Walking On The Moon
(7:13)  7. Havona
(6:11)  8. I Guess I'll Have To Forget
(6:44)  9. Butterfly Dreams
(8:05) 10. Via Mwandishi
(1:14) 11. The Sci-Fi Outro

Undeniably a great technician and one of the best jazz bassists of his generation, Christian McBride is so much in demand that he might safely be considered a Paul Chambers for the new millennium. But like many talented men who find themselves viable artists in the role of sidemen, McBride has been inconsistent in his efforts as the person in charge. Sci-Fi, his fourth set for Verve as a leader, is still meandering in spots but has a creative edge to it that finds McBride earning points in the resourcefulness category.The most captivating moments here come with McBride's reworking of such pop tunes as Steely Dan's "Aja" and Sting's "Walking on the Moon," the former taking pieces of the original form for its light swing and the latter possessing a brooding and languorous quality complete with James Carter's moody bass clarinet. A salute to bass masters Jaco Pastorius and Stanley Clarke makes for more highlights, with Pastorius" "Havona" turning into a heady romp, while Clarke's beautiful waltz "Butterfly Dreams" comes on with an impressive bit of bowed work from McBride.Mixing electric and acoustic elements, guitarist David Gilmore figures prominently into the mix. The other special guests are far less integral to the success of the whole, yet Hancock tears it up on "Xerxes." McBride's own writing is not as strong as his arranging, yet the overall mood hangs together and the presentation is somewhat in the vein of a modern update on early '70s fusion (the track "Via Mwandishi" should give the astute reader a signpost in the general direction). So even though the theme may lead a bit on the side of kitsch, Sci-Fi packs a visceral punch that's worth a listen. ~ C.Andrew Hovan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/sci-fi-christian-mcbride-verve-music-group-review-by-c-andrew-hovan.php

Personnel: Christian McBride- electric and acoustic bass; keyboards; Ron Blake- tenor and soprano saxophone; James Carter- bass clarinet (tracks 6 & 10 only); Shedrick Mitchell- piano and Fender Rhodes; Herbie Hancock- piano (track 3 & 4 only); Dianne Reeves- vocals (track 4 only); Toots Thielemans- harmonica (track 8 only); David Gilmore- guitars (tracks 1,5,6,and 10); Rodney Green- drums

Sci-Fi

---

Miles Davis - Seven Steps To Heaven

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1963
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:09
Size: 131,6 MB
Art: Front

(10:27)  1. Basin Street Blues
( 6:23)  2. Seven Steps to Heaven
( 6:43)  3. I Fall In Love Too Easily
( 6:58)  4. So Near, So Far
( 8:25)  5. Baby Won't You Please Come Home
( 6:58)  6. Joshua
( 5:09)  7. So Near, So Far
( 6:02)  8. Summer Night

Seven Steps to Heaven finds Miles Davis standing yet again on the fault line between stylistic epochs. In early 1963, pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Jimmy Cobb left to form their own trio, and Davis was forced to form a new band, which included Memphis tenor player George Coleman and bassist Ron Carter. When Davis next entered the studio in Hollywood, he added local drummer Frank Butler and British studio ace Victor Feldman, who ultimately decided not to go on the road with Davis. It's easy to see why Davis liked Feldman, who contributed the dancing title tune and "Joshua" to the session. On three mellifluous standards  particularly a cerebral "Basin Street Blues" and a broken-hearted "I Fall in Love Too Easily" the pianist plays with an elegant, refined touch, and the kind of rarefied voicings that suggest Ahmad Jamal. Davis responds with some of his most introspective, romantic ballad playing. When Davis returned to New York he finally succeeded in spiriting away a brilliantly gifted 17-year-old drummer from Jackie McLean: Tony Williams. On the title tune you can already hear the difference, as his crisp, driving cymbal beat and jittery, aggressive syncopations propel Davis into the upper reaches of his horn. On "So Near, So Far" the drummer combines with Carter and new pianist Herbie Hancock to expand on a light Afro-Cuban beat with a series of telepathic changes in tempo, texture, and dynamics. Meanwhile, Feldman's "Joshua" (with its overtones of "So What" and "All Blues") portends the kind of expressive variations on the basic 4/4 pulse that would become the band's trademark, as Davis and Coleman ascend into bebop heaven. ~ Rovi Staff https://www.allmusic.com/album/seven-steps-to-heaven-mw0000188023

Personnel: Miles Davis – trumpet; George Coleman – tenor saxophone; Victor Feldman – piano; Ron Carter – bass; Frank Butler – drums; Herbie Hancock – piano;  Tony Williams – drums

Seven Steps To Heaven

---

Charles Tolliver - Paper Man

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1968
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:26
Size: 90,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:26)  1. Earl's World
(9:39)  2. Peace With Myself
(5:51)  3. Right Now
(6:08)  4. Household Of Saud
(7:08)  5. Lil's Paradise
(6:11)  6. Paper Man

Also released by the Freedom label, this was trumpeter Charles Tolliver's full-length album as a leader. One of the top brassmen to emerge during the era (although he never quite lived up to his potential), Tolliver had the fat tone of a Freddie Hubbard, the adventurous spirit of Woody Shaw and a somewhat original conception of his own that bridged the gap between hard bop and the avant-garde. 

He performs six of his originals with pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter, drummer Joe Chambers and (on three of the selections) altoist Gary Bartz. This explorative and stirring music is well worth investigating. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/paper-man-mw0000874948

Personnel: Charles Tolliver - trumpet, producer, composer; Herbie Hancock - piano; Ron Carter - bass;  Joe Chambers - drums; Gary Bartz - alto saxophone

Paper Man

---

Donald Byrd - The Chant

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1961
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:15
Size: 103,9 MB
Art: Front

(7:39)  1. I'm An Old Cowhand
(7:25)  2. You're Next
(8:55)  3. Chant
(9:37)  4. That's All
(7:01)  5. Great God
(4:35)  6. Sophisticated Lady

Not released until 1979, this excellent quintet session features the always formidable team of trumpeter Donald Byrd and baritonist Pepper Adams. The accompanying rhythm section includes pianist Herbie Hancock shortly before he joined Miles Davis. The repertoire consists of six likable tunes including an uptempo "I'm an Old Cowhand," "That's All," "Sophisticated Lady," two Byrd originals and Duke Pearson's "Chant." This is superior hard bop from the early '60s. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/chant-mw0000898045

Personnel: Donald Byrd – trumpet; Pepper Adams – baritone saxophone; Herbie Hancock – piano; Doug Watkins – bass; Teddy Robinson – drums

The Chant

---

Herbie Hancock - Sunlight

Styles:  Piano Jazz
Year: 1978
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:20
Size: 90,8 MB
Art:

(8:55)  1. I Thought It Was You
(8:24)  2. Come Running to Me
(7:10)  3. Sunlight
(6:18)  4. No Means Yes
(8:32)  5. Good Question

After Man-Child, alas, Herbie Hancock's American jazz-funk records in the 1970s grew gradually more commercial, less stimulating, and crucially, less truly funky with each release, even as his equipment rack grew larger. Just take a look at the staggering collection of keyboards on the back cover of the Sunlight LP all sought-after collectors' items now yet Hancock makes so little use of their possibilities here. For much of the album, he seems most interested in establishing a new career as an electronic vocalist. "I Thought It Was You," "Come Running to Me," and the title track introduce the ghostly, gauzy sound of Herbie's singing voice as heard through a vocoder; there's even an electronic Herbie scat choir. Stevie Wonder, he's not. There are still occasional splashes of Hancock harmonic color on the keyboards, but he also relies upon superfluous, self-arranged brass riffs and string backgrounds. The backup bands shift from track to track, from combinations of Headhunters alumni that offer soft-focused facsimiles of the old funk drive to a surprisingly strait-jacketed pairing of Tony Williams and Jaco Pastorius on the eccentric "Good Question." ~ Richard S.Ginell https://www.allmusic.com/album/sunlight-mw0000473390

Personnel:  Herbie Hancock – keyboards, synthesizers, lead and background vocals (through vocoder) (1–3), string, brass and woodwind arrangements; Patrick Gleeson – additional synthesizers (5); Bennie Maupin – soprano saxophone solo (3); Wah Wah Watson, Ray Parker, Jr. – guitar (1, 3); Byron Miller (1), Paul Jackson (2–4), Jaco Pastorius (5) – electric bass; Leon "Ndugu" Chancler (1), James Levi (2, 3), Harvey Mason, Sr. (4), Tony Williams (5) – drums; Raul Rekow (exc. 3), Bill Summers (exc. 1) – percussion; Baba Duru – tabla (2); Bobby Shew, Maurice Spears, Robert O'Bryant, Garnett Brown – brass (exc. 4); Ernest J. Watts, Fred Jackson, Jr., Jack Nimitz, David Willard Riddles – woodwind (2, 5); Terry Adams, Roy Malan, Nathan Rubin, Linda Wood, Emily VanValkenburgh – strings (2)

Sunlight

---

Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage

Styles: Piano Jazz 
Year: 1965
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:05
Size: 96,8 MB
Art: Front

( 7:57)  1. Maiden Voyage
( 6:01)  2. The Eye Of The Hurricane
( 8:47)  3. Little One
(10:03)  4. Survival Of The Fittest
( 9:16)  5. Dolphin Dance

Over the past forty-nine years there's been no shortage of ink spilled extolling the musical virtues of Herbie Hancock's 1965 recording, Maiden Voyage. Featuring the great trumpet of Freddie Hubbard and the bracing tenor of George Coleman, the record is as good as any effort turned in by Hancock during that period. It's a record every jazz fan should know. Unfortunately, Maiden Voyage also has a long standing reputation for mediocre sound quality. In another review of an expensive vinyl re-release of this record I wrote, "There is nothing to be gained by a first-class analogue pressing of a record that, sadly, was not recorded with the attention to sound quality that it deserved." In my record collection, the smeared quality of every instrument is prominent on a recent CD issue and the aforementioned double 45RPM LP, and an original 1965 vinyl copy while less smeared sounds flat and dull. I acquired each of these disks successively in a quest to find a truly good sounding copy of this date, and was disappointed each time. With that many different versions revealing similar deficiencies it's easy to conclude that this record just wasn't very well recorded in the first place.  All Rudy Van Gelder recordings from the 1950s and 60s have a certain period quality to them. Hard-panning instruments to the left and right channels creates an unnatural soundstage environment. Horns brass and woodwinds generally fare the best, with full-sized scale, realism, and even air surrounding the players (in some cases they're quite extraordinary). Drums and bass are also pretty good. The piano, however, has long been criticized for often sounding small, muffled and indistinct. 

That piano alone makes almost any Van Gelder recording instantly recognizable as such. For whatever the reason, other copies of Maiden Voyage seemed to suffer the additional indignity of an even more deeply truncated piano, blurring of the other instruments, and a collapsed soundstage that sounds as though it had been recorded in a closet. It's never sounded as good as it should have for the quality of its music, making it a frustrating record to love. So when Ron Rambach of Music Matters announced that he was shipping his 33rpm version of Maiden Voyage the first thing that sprung to mind was, "Why bother? It's been done to death and it never gets any better." I stuck it on a shelf without even opening it until Rambach followed up with several emails insisting that I listen to it. Finally relenting, I tossed it on the turntable with absolutely no expectation of being impressed. What else could I possibly hear in this fourth copy that I hadn't already heard in the first three? Boy, was I wrong. It is said that the original master tape for this date has deteriorated significantly over the years, making a truly great 1st generation analog copy supposedly impossible. Yet here it is. Rambach is pretty relentless about getting great sound out of his Blue-Note re-releases, but given its history the sound quality on this pressing is truly surprising. 

The smearing is gone, the instruments are distinct, the soundstage has actual depth that doesn't exist even on my original copy, and most impressively, the piano sounds like an actual piano: large(er. It's still a Van Gelder, after all.), weighty, and dynamic. The horns sound life-like and detailed, Ron Carter's bass has woody pluck, and Tony Williams' drums have resonance while the cymbals shimmer in space. Perhaps the only thing missing in comparison to the best Van Gelder Blue Notes is the scale of the instruments, which on certain recordings can be almost bigger than life. Here, they lack any vertical height, leaving them to sound a little small in a very wide soundstage, a minor quibble on an overall excellent mastering job from a troublesome tape. As usual with the Music Matters releases, the vinyl is dead quiet, which helps more detail emerge from the recording. Whatever hi-fi mojo Rambach and mastering Engineer Kevin Gray used to get this sound off that tape and onto new vinyl, it should be bottled and shipped to every recording engineer in the world. Maiden Voyage has always been musically first-rate, but I'd written off this recording as sonically dead years ago. It's been brought back to life in the most dramatic way. It's still a Van Gelder recording of course, and it sounds like one, with all of the period sonic hallmarks that entails, but now it sounds like a solidly good Van Gelder recording instead a botched job. I've often wondered, "What if Maiden Voyage had actually been recorded properly?" This Music Matters 33rpm pressing is the answer writ large. With sincere apologies to Rudy Van Gelder, this turns out to have been a pretty darned good recording after all. 

~ Greg Simmons https://www.allaboutjazz.com/maiden-voyage-herbie-hancock-blue-note-records-review-by-greg-simmons 7952.php

Personnel: Herbie Hancock: piano; Freddie Hubbard: trumpet; George Coleman: tenor saxophone; Ron Carter: bass; Tony Williams: drums.

Maiden Voyage

---

Herbie Hancock - Empyrean Isles

Styles: Piano Jazz 
Year: 1964
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:51
Size: 124,4 MB
Art: Front

( 7:21)  1. One Finger Snap
( 8:30)  2. Oliloqui Valley
( 5:34)  3. Cantaloupe Island
(14:01)  4. The Egg
( 7:37)  5. One Finger Snap (Alternative Take)
(10:47)  6. Oliloqui Valley (Alternative Take)

As a member of Miles Davis' second quintet during the 1960s, pianist Herbie Hancock rarely performed live under his own leadership, but he did take the time to record. Hancock's 1964 effort, Empyrean Isles, remains one of the most diverse and often challenging records of the pianist's tenure with Blue Note Records. It's a rare jazz record that offers both a hugely popular hit, as well as an outré masterwork of rhythmic repetition and angular melodies. A masterpiece like Empyrean Isles deserves a first-class reissue, and the good folks at Music Matters have undertaken to press the ultimate vinyl version. With access to the original master tapes, some of the finest cutting and pressing equipment available, and a boatload of enthusiasm, they've cut what was a single LP onto two 180g 45 rpm discs that simply smoke any CD version ever released. Packaged with a deluxe, full-color gatefold jacket, and additional Francis Wolff session photographs inside, this pressing is a feast for both the aural and visual senses. Empyrean Isles is best know for the hit "Cantaloupe Island," which alone is worth hearing on this vinyl edition. The sound is large and smooth, and the piano which can sometimes sound boxed in on Van Gelder recordings is almost full-sized. Most importantly the weight of the piano chords come through loud and clear. What is most startling is the amount of additional information revealed through this true analog pressing. Freddie Hubbard's trumpet is brassy and rich, and Ron Carter's bass, which can often lack tone and depth on CD, is plump and three-dimensional. "Cantaloupe Island" has become one of the most ubiquitous jazz songs ever, especially after being sampled by Us3 for their hit 

"Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)." A pressing like this will make people question whether they've ever really heard it at all. The real meat of Empyrean Islesits adventurous heart lies with "The Egg," A thirteen-minute exploration of the limits of beat repetition that includes some of Hubbard's most restless trumpet playing. He strains his horn against the locked rhythm, looking for a way out that never comes. It's a fascinating juxtaposition of improvisation over rigid reiteration. On this Music Matters pressing, those elements have never been clearer, with the Tony Williams' drums revealing particular snap and scale. Like most albums in the Blue Note catalog of the 1950s and '60s, Empyrean Isles was recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. That pedigree leaves a few period sonic fingerprints, but on the whole, with the proper care taken in this remastering, this recording offers a wealth of fresh detail and enhanced musicality. Empyrean Isles has fared well through the Music Matters process, yielding a pressing that will truly augment an understanding of the music. 

~ Greg Simmons https://www.allaboutjazz.com/empyrean-isles-herbie-hancock-blue-note-records-review-by-greg-simmons.php

Personnel: Herbie Hancock: piano; Freddie Hubbard: cornet; Ron Carter: bass; Tony Williams: drums.

Empyrean Isles

---