Gershwin's World

Herbie Hancock, George Gershwin, Herbie Hancock / Michael Brecker / Roy Hargrove | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 20, 1998)
• Original Release Date: October 20, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Polygram Records
• ASIN: B00000DBYQ
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,039 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

HANCOCK HERBIE GERSHWIN`S WORLD

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Majestic, a musical experience for body and soul, December 7, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Thailand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gershwin's World (Audio CD)

I saw Herbie Hancock live for the first time in London in the early 80's, accompanying Winton Marsalis. He blew me away, for the range of his technique and conceptual genius.On this album, he soars on gilded wings, portraying his vision of Gershwin, aided by the stellar cast he has surrounded himself with.The sound of Wayne Shorter's Tenor horn brings back memories of that all -time great band of Miles in the 60's.The amazing vision that Herbie has, which he gathered under Miles, is shown at its fullest here, in the mental and aural concepts he explores.He takes Gershwin's compositions to their limits, expanding them with a subtle intensity which breaks into white flame on tracks like " Summertime", a piece now so common that one would think it impossible to reignite it with new life. But reignite it he does, with Joni's smoky,etheral/erotic vocals and that piano. The incorporation of African percussionists is a master stroke, and underpins the themes with a breathy freshness. It is marvellous to hear Stevie Wonder exploring those cadences which show here where Rap and Hip hop came from. There are no duds here-this is a coming together of all that is finest in American and world music, united in the vision of genius-Gershiwn and Herbie Hancock. If your are not a jazz fan, if you listen to one "jazz" album a year, but if you listen to musci of any sort, listen to this. Majestic,marvellous, this is a master work for all.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a beautiful rendition....., October 10, 1999

By 

Russell Jennison ([e-mail]) (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gershwin's World (Audio CD)

Just when you thought you'd heard all of gershwin.. a jazz master such as herbie hancock brings together this talented bunch and gives us a whole new definition of his work. A new approach to gershwin which leaves me gasping. The album flows beautifully from end to end and can be considered a summation of the "feel" of gershwin from the point of view of the arranger herbie hancock. Herbie has always been one of my favorite jazz aritsts, and this album is no exception to his excellent musicmanship. If you've liked herbie's albums before, I'd put this one right up there with 1+1, headhunters, and all his other defining albums.. Herbie has definately created a winner here.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ambitious and Satisfying, But Not Completely Effective, July 5, 2000

By 

M. Allen Greenbaum (California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Gershwin's World (Audio CD)

This would have earned 5* were it not for the annoying title and a few cuts that just don't work. While many of the 14 selections evoke Gershwin, not all of them "reach inside the core of the piece in search of the composer's original impulses," as stated (pretentiously, I think) on the CD cover. The most effective pieces stay fairly close to Gershwin, (including "The Man I Love" and "Summertime" with inspired, bluesy vocals by Joni Mitchell and effective comping by Wayne Shorter on sax), although there is outstanding African instrumentation (djembe, talking drum, and three percussionists) on the "Overture" (a spin on "Fascinating Rhythm) and on "It Ain't Necessarily So." The latter features multi-layered African drums, an immense bottom, and a beautifully muted trumpet by Eddie Henderson. Another highlight is the unaccompanied "Embraceable You," taken here at a languid pace that recalls Andy Bey's rich vocal version.

Stevie Wonder's scat/harmonica on "St. Louis Blues" (by W.C. Handy) is a major disappointment. Was it included here for it's single potential? It doesn't fit, either as a Gershwin-esque reconstruction or as a W.C. Handy interpretation. "St. Louis Blues" and Duke Ellington's "Cotton Tail" seem like marketing ploys, even if Cotton Tail is based on the "I Got Rhythm's" chord structure (a debt that is hardly unique in jazz).

"Lullaby" is a Gershwin song I've never heard (or just don't recognize), but the band pulls it off with majesty and soul. Operatic at times, floating and mystical at others, layered with blue notes, it is a beautifully orchestrated number (Did "There is a Rose in Spanish Harlem" copy some of the melody?). This piece, along with Gershwin's "Prelude in C# Minor and Ravel's Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in G, 2nd Movement" represent Gershwin's "classical" side. The `Prelude' features Kathleen Battle's soprano, but sounds thinner than the Ravel piece, which is given chamber orchestra treatment and beautiful long flowing lines by Hancock. (Why Ravel? He and Gershwin shared great admiration for each other: Gershwin met and played for Ravel; Ravel's Piano Concerto in G contains hints of jazz.) The connection seems more solid than than the fatuous one drawn between Gershwin and Ellington ("the two men were kindred spirits in their search to expand the scope and language of American music"). Fortunately, one does not buy music for the liner notes.

The concept, though not wholly realized, is ultimately subordinate to its parts. Most of the numbers succeed, either on their own terms or as extensions of a Gershwin sensibility. Recommended.