1+1

Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 1, 1997)
• Original Release Date: July 1, 1997
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Polygram Records
• ASIN: B0000047EW
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,550 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, beautiful, January 4, 2003

By 

DMG (Swindon UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 1+1 (Audio CD)

This a return of sorts for both artists...but a return to what? What we here is not the HH of Maiden Voyage, or the WS of the Miles Davis Quintet that produced such masterpieces as Nefertiti...this is music that escapes categorisation, and by that I do not mean that is 'fusion' or 'crossover.' With no support from drums or bass, the two musicians have to plumb the depth of their artisry to find compelling ways to paint beautiful pictures on blank, hostile canvases. If you've only previously experienced HH on something like 'Future Shock', or Shorter on a Weather Report album, you'll be in for quite a shock. This is music of illusion, dreams, and serenity. Familiar sounds poke there heads through the mist, then dissappear again just before you can identify them. At times, it doesn't work, but at others, notably 'Memory of enchantment', it's perfect. Is it classical...jazz...who cares. It's sublime.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not for people with small ears, April 15, 2005

By 

Lydian (Davis, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 1+1 (Audio CD)

This album steps outside of the familiar musical categories with which people seem so familiar. That's the crux of the matter. A lot of people get so used to feeling music a certain way that they can't shift gears.

But that's precisely what I like about this album. It doesn't have typical song structures. One of the pieces has no II-V progressions at all (but isn't that a trend in modern jazz anyway?) Hancock has presented original compositions that, yes, use development sections and other compositional techniques more associated with European Classical music. This is played by master jazz musicians with a free feel and includes some nice improvisation. (To the people who think this music is mediocre: YOU try blowing over those changes.)

It is a reminder to me that 'jazz' doesn't have to be a restrictive noun. It can be a liberating verb that allows to explore new ideas and draw inspiration from any musical idiom. It can even smash old preconceptions about what 'jazz' should be. I say bring it on.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Warning: Active Listening Required, June 6, 2006

By 

Sor_Fingers (Boulder, CO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 1+1 (Audio CD)

This album is a real manifest of brilliance, two geniuses in the studio collaborating. The music is free, liquid and liberal. There is not much form, nor is there much planning. This album is mostly free jazz and I am pretty sure that much of the people who rated this recording low were probably not very appreciative of free jazz in general. Because this album is not as musically simple or structured as something like "Kind of Blue," it really requires a different listening style than most music in the mainstream. You wouldn't listen to this album in the same way that you would listen to "Kind of Blue" just as you wouldn't read Salman Rushdie the same way you would read Hemmingway. This album really requires the listener's brain to be completely engaged. Though there is much to analyze on all jazz records, many can be put on as background music and the sounds can be enjoyed and appreciated passively. That is not the case with this disc. The listener can only really appreciate this album by getting into the mindset of Hancock and Shorter and trying to figure out what exactly is going on. What the listener can discover besides the fact that both are incredible players with an incredible technical mastery of their instruments, is that this album is essentially four golden ears at work. The two players are constantly in eachother's heads. Rarely is either player soloing, instead, the two players are creating an intricate dialog of sound, chords, melodies and rhythm that requires the use of the amazing ears each player has. They make the sparse setting of piano and saxophone not just work, but engulf you. I have to disagree with reviewers who claim this album lacks emotion, shape or inspiration. I just don't understand how that accusation can be made. Listen to the brilliance, engage your brain and try to dissect the dialog Shorter and Hancock compose. The only thing simple about this album is the title. Everything else is going to require a little bit more engagement. If you are willing to take on that task, more power to you.