The Imagine Project

Herbie Hancock | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 21, 2010)
• Original Release Date: 2010
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Herbie Hancock Records
• ASIN: B003HG5WN4
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,556 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Herbie Hancock's Imagine Project is an unprecedented international recording and film project featuring collaborations between music legend Herbie Hancock and a dozen superstars from every region of the planet. It utilizes the universal language of music to express its central themes of peace and global responsibility. The album combines Herbie s genre defying musical vision with the local musical identities of cultures from around the world.

Herbie's last two efforts, 2008's Grammy Album of the Year River: The Joni Letters sold over 750,000 units worldwide and 2005's Possibilities sold over one million units INTERNATIONALLY.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Profound superstar meeting, June 22, 2010

By 

Bodhi Heeren (Copenhagen) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Imagine Project (Audio CD)

It's not always projects studded with superstars are artistically frugal and satisfying. But here Herbie Hancock and producer/bassist Larry Klein have collected a host of renowned singers and musicians for a truly creative and impressive album. And a CD with an uplifting message of love, peace and understanding. In many ways refelecting Hancock's years long immersion in Buddhism.

In the vein of Joe Zawinul or Santana this is really a melting pot of world music influences, putting an African spin on the title track, while Dylan's "The Times They Are A changing" is presented as a fascinating mix of Irish - vocalist Lisa Hannigan and The Chieftains - with a surprise African finish by the intricate guitarist Lionel Loueke.

There is pure Brazilian jazz-pop with Céu, a surprisingly psychedelic "Tommorow Never Knows" with Dave Matthews. A grooving take on the old Joe Cocker hit "Space Captain" with Susan Tedeschi and her husband guitar star Derek Trucks . While the closing track "The Song Goes On", recorded in Mumbai, is in a beautiful Indian space, Hancock and old friend Wayne Shorter teaming up with sitar goddess Anoushka Shankar while Chaka Khan and K. S. Chitra shares the vocals.

Pink, Seal, Jeff Beck, Alex Acunã, India.Arie, Marcus Miller, Los Lobos and a host of others contribute to the fun. And lots of praise for Klein's once again superb production: multi layered and crystal clear and yet with a certain warmth and 'live feeling'. And ofc over and around it all the impressive piano and keyboard work of the man himself.

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Some wild imagination..., June 21, 2010

By 

Nse Ette (Lagos, Nigeria) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Imagine Project (Audio CD)

"Possibilities" and the Grammy winning "River: The Joni letters" found Herbie Hancock collaborating with artists as diverse as Joss Stone, Corinne Bailey Rae, Tina Turner, John Mayer, Angelique Kidjo, and Carlos Santana on songs that were mostly covers.

"The imagine project" continues that but with a concept of love and world unity, and different sounds from around the world. "Imagine" features India.Arie, Seal, Pink, Jeff Beck (on guitar) and some African chanting as well as Hancock's delicate tinkling of the ivories. The atmospheric "Don't give up" features John Legend and Pink.

"Tempo de amor" features Céu and has a Latin feel (of course) and some great guitar and bass. The Bluesey organ-driven "Space captain" has an anthemic Gospel-style chorus and features the soulful Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks. "The times, they are a' changing" features The Chieftains and Lisa Hannigan (who was on the absolutely gorgeous "Don't explain" on "Possibilities") and is a slow shuffle with sprinklings of horns and sitar.

"La tierra" features Juanes and is a beautiful Tango, "Tamitant Tilay/Exodus" is desert Blues with an Arabic touch featuring K'naan, Los Lobos and Tinariwen and sampling Bob Marley's "Exodus".

"Tomorrow never knows" has a psychedelic Middle Eastern feel and features The Dave Mathews Band, "A change is gonna come" is slowed down even more than the original and features James Morrison, and closing is the sitar-drenched "The song goes on" featuring Chaka Khan, Anoushka Shankar and Wayne Shorter giving an Indian sound.

24 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars As a Pop recording, it's okay..., July 6, 2010

By 

Michael (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Imagine Project (Audio CD)

When I first heard about this project, I envisioned a collaboration of different musical styles from around the world creating something new and completely different. This is just a pop recording with artists from around the globe sitting in, not a musical hybrid of something totally new. As a pop record, its okay, but Mr. Hancock's gift is his incredible talent as a composer (Speak Like a Child), and of course, as a pianist. The pop diversion is cool Mr Hancock, but enough already...can you please get back to giving the world some more JAZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!