"Possibilities" (are endless)
Posted by: u5227470736789524 on 09 October 2005
Herbie Hancock has always known that, I think that is why he is constantly experimenting in all the various sub-genres of jazz - endless curiosity (along with some marketing savvy - horrors - a jazz musician making money - as Scofiled alludes to in a recent Stereophile article - shameless 
).
Herbie's new disc "Possibilities" certainly has some delights. Available at Starbucks and elsewhere, the disc includes guests on each track contributing "their" songs or working with Herbie on interpretations of other's. Guests include John Mayer (it was the recording of this disc and the Scofield-Ray Charles tribute that led JM to work with Steve Jordan and Pino in the currently touring John Mayer Trio - I promised myself I would find a way to work JM's name into all my threads until I have converted the world - hahaha), Santana, Damien Rice (somehow continuing his unfair advantage - sorry, another relapse on my part), Annie Lennox, Sting (horrors), Trey Anastasio (Phish) and for me, the killer track, Christine Aguilera (no post-pubescent chattering here, this lady has some pipes). I saw Christina and Herbie on Ellen Degeneres this Fri past and the version they played that day was stunning - the crowd looked uneasy - not sure they had ever heard anything like that before. Christina has a long career ahead, and kudos are due Herbie for acknowledging that.
Not for purists, but if inclined, worth checking out.
(as is John Scofields tribute to Ray Charles, with a great core band and plenty of guests as well. for purists here, check out an older album on which Scofield appears - Joe Henderson's "So Near, So Far - Musings on Miles" which contains all-Miles compositions and some very very tasty "trad" guitar work by Sco)
Jeff A
).Herbie's new disc "Possibilities" certainly has some delights. Available at Starbucks and elsewhere, the disc includes guests on each track contributing "their" songs or working with Herbie on interpretations of other's. Guests include John Mayer (it was the recording of this disc and the Scofield-Ray Charles tribute that led JM to work with Steve Jordan and Pino in the currently touring John Mayer Trio - I promised myself I would find a way to work JM's name into all my threads until I have converted the world - hahaha), Santana, Damien Rice (somehow continuing his unfair advantage - sorry, another relapse on my part), Annie Lennox, Sting (horrors), Trey Anastasio (Phish) and for me, the killer track, Christine Aguilera (no post-pubescent chattering here, this lady has some pipes). I saw Christina and Herbie on Ellen Degeneres this Fri past and the version they played that day was stunning - the crowd looked uneasy - not sure they had ever heard anything like that before. Christina has a long career ahead, and kudos are due Herbie for acknowledging that.
Not for purists, but if inclined, worth checking out.
(as is John Scofields tribute to Ray Charles, with a great core band and plenty of guests as well. for purists here, check out an older album on which Scofield appears - Joe Henderson's "So Near, So Far - Musings on Miles" which contains all-Miles compositions and some very very tasty "trad" guitar work by Sco)
Jeff A