Herbie Hancock - Gershwin's World
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CD Details
Artist: Herbie HancockConductor: Robert Sadin
Performer: Wayne Shorter
Performer: Chick Corea
Performer: Stevie Wonder
Performer: Joni Mitchell
Performer: Kenny Garrett
Performer: Kathleen Battle
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Original Language)
CD Release Date: 1998-10-20
Music Label: Polygram Records
Product features:
- HANCOCK HERBIE GERSHWIN`S WORLD
- Overture (Fascinatin' Rhythm)
- It Ain't Necessarily So
- The Man I Love
- Here Come De Honey Man
- St. Louis Blues - Herbie Hancock
- Lullaby
- Blueberry Rhyme
- It Ain't Necessarily So (Interlude)
- Cotton Tail
- Summertime - Herbie Hancock
- My Man's Gone Now - Herbie Hancock
- Prelude In C# Minor - Herbie Hancock
- Concerto For Piano And Orchestra In G, 2nd Movement - Herbie Hancock
- Embreceable You - Herbie Hancock
Music reviews of Gershwin's World
Music Review: A beautiful musical experience.
Rating: 5 Stars
This recording is beautiful. When I first got it, I was curious about what other listeners would think of this record. I thought it would get great reviews, but a lot of people didn't like it. I was very surprised at this. This album is more than worth the twelve dollars I spent to get it. His ability to work with such a wide range of guests such as Wayne Shorter, Kathleen Battle, Kenny Garrett, Stevie Wonder, The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Chick Corea, and Joni Mitchell (who shows the potential to be a jazz star), and some very solid sidemen, shows that Herbie Hancock is a musical genius. Only he could put together such a great collection of songs ranging from compositions by George Gershwin, of course, the great W.C. Handy, James P. Johnson, Duke Ellington, and believe it or not, Maurice Ravel, modern classical genius. The album begins with a fun "Fascinating Rhythm Overture", which only lasts about a minute but is very interesting. There are such instruments in this piece as the talking drum (played by Massamba Diop), the djembe (as played by Madou Dembelle), and there are also three percussionists who add to the rhythmic flavor. The second track is the jazzy "It Ain't Necessarily So", which features a saxophone solo from Kenny Garrett, and some tenor saxophone playing from James Carter. There is a certain rhythmic flavor about this song. It is jazz meets african as there is even a little Duke Ellington flavor on this song. Herbie's solo on this track is amazing. It swings so well, and it has a creative improvisation. Then he flows well while backing up the other soloists and introducing the song with that one specific chord. The bassist Ira Coleman plays solid lines and makes an interesting flavor to the piece. "The Man I Love" is a great performance from Joni Mitchell, as she sings with feeling being backed by Herbie and Wayne Shorter, who both take tremendous solos. The song is very heartfelt and you can tell by listening that there is a lot of happiness going on in the studio while this song was being recorded. A certain special warmth is evident here. Plus, with Wayne Shorter and Joni Mitchell on one track, plus Herbie Hancock, this is a masterpiece. Then there is an interesting remake of "Here Come De Honey Man". It is more rhythmic than, say, when Miles Davis did it on Porgy And Bess, and has a good ensamble of James Carter, Kenny Garrett, and Eddie Henderson on trumpet are good for the melody. The guitar adds something special to the song, too, and the bass is played very well by Ira Coleman. Cyro Baptista plays many percussion instruments here. Robert Sadin, the producer, does some percussion programming on here and it is very successful and adds to the song. My favorite is next, the great "St. Louis Blues", which has a Stevie Wonder feature on this W.C. Handy composition is amazing. Stevie doubles up on harmonica and does some great vocals. It is great how he sings the tune like he did. Stevie could make a jazz album. The beats are all very good, too, and the bass hits hard. "Lullaby", is a beautiful slow song with a classical flavor. To me, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra is an excellent addition to this song. There are no drums, as with many of the songs on here. Herbie wanted to have more of a clasical style to personalize the Gershwin tunes, as he said in the liner notes. The piece goes on as Herbie and the strings trade solos for eleven minutes. This is one of the better tracks on this album. Then there is the beautiful "Blueberry Rhyme", which is a duet between Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock. They trade riffs on this beautiful song. It is hard to tell who is doing what on this song. This tune was written by James P. Johnson, and the melody is played beautifully by Chick and Herbie. Once again, there are no drums on the piece, just two great pianists. Then there is the short "It Ain't Necessarily So(Interlude)" is a little jam that is done very well, with a good back-up band. The percussion and bass shine very well and the results are amazing. The tune isn't really played here, but it doesn't have to be, and the jam is very solid. Okay, now we have a great composition, Duke Ellington's "Cotton Tail". One of the few straight-ahead jazz tracks on here, this is a great track where Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, and drummer Terri Lyne Carrington make great contributions. They do an excellent job on a classic tune. This song goes very well with the rest of the album, too, which will surprise you. The next track is the talent-laden "Summertime", which has a great assembly of talent; Joni Mitchell on vocals, Stevie Wonder on harmonica, Herbie Hancock on piano, Wayne Shorter on soprano saxophone, and Ira Coleman on bass. Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell, Wayne Shorter, and Herbie all on one track. How could it not be good? Stevie takes a great swinging solo, and Joni tears it up. Wayne Shorter only does a little back-up work, but does a fine job. "My Man's Gone Now", is a sweet ballad with great rhythm and a great piano solo job from Herbie. The song is kind of outdone by the other songs, but is a great song. "Prelude In C# Minor", is a great feature for Kathleen Battle, as it has that typical Kathleen Battle sound and some amazing vocals by Battle. There is a cello on this track and a guitar as well, but as Herbie said before, there are not that many tracks with drums because he wanted to capture a certain feeling. This song definitely captures that feeling. Then there is the highlight of the album, the remake of the classical song "Concerto For Piano And Orchestra In G, 2nd Movement". This track has an incredible arrangement and Herbie plays it very well. They sure did pick the right classical song to jazz up, because the song had some jazz on it to begin with. It is dedicated to Tony Williams. The final track is the sweet "Embraceable You", which is a piano solo. Herbie does a great job on it.To conclude my review, this album is one of the better jazz albums I've ever heard. It is jazzy, sensitive, interesting, and elaborate. The music gives you great memories. It is great, and a must buy. Why some didn't like it I'll never understand. They probably just don't understand it and don't know anything about jazz. Please buy the album, and you will not regret it.
Description of Gershwin's World
Japanese only SHM-CD (Super High Material CD - playable on all CD players) pressing. Universal. 2008.Perhaps the most ambitious of album tributes to George Gershwin on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his birth, Gershwin's World earns its title by encompassing not only jazz versions of key pop songs from his catalog and a version (with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra) of his Prelude in C-Sharp Minor but also reminding us of the composer's sources in everything from Ellington, W.C. Handy, and stride pianist James P. Johnson to Ravel. Those four are represented by versions of key pieces that affected Gershwin, in a bid to place his achievement in a context that is often discussed but perhaps too little listened to. This is an album that could have been a massive, pretentious failure; instead, with the likes of Wayne Shorter and a nearly unrecognizably torchy Joni Mitchell on hand, it's as close to a triumph as this type of thing reaches. --Rickey Wright
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