Ken Burns JAZZ Collection: Herbie Hancock

Herbie Hancock, Ken Burns JAZZ Collection | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 7, 2000)
• Original Release Date: November 7, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000050HVS
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #256,288 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Herbie Hancock's multiple musical personality disorder..., November 25, 2000

By 

J. Lund "jazzbrat" (SoCal, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ken Burns JAZZ Collection: Herbie Hancock (Audio CD)

DisorderLY is how pianist Herbie Hancock's career has been, for better AND worse! For those unfamiliar with one or more periods of Hancock's career, he began in the 1960s with a series of mainstream jazz albums for BLUE NOTE, while concurrently playing in one of Miles Davis' greatest combos. The first five tracks of this collection offer five key early Hancock performances/compositions--MAIDEN VOYAGE in particular is as good as jazz gets!

Though not all would agree with me, I believe electronics and funkier Sly Stone-like rhythms were creatively fused with jazz by Hancock in the mid-1970s, as represented here by CHAMELEON and ACTUAL PROOF. After that--again, an arguable point--I see Hancock spending most of the next two decades in two unsatisfactory musical climates: Firstly, a series of uninspiring acoustic small-group jazz reunions with primarily his former Miles Davis sidemen. Secondly, concocting mostly tepid disco/funk excursions that relegated Hancock's improvisation-based keyboard talents into limbo. Neither setting is represented here.

One exception: Herbie's three mid-1980s collaborations with Bill Laswell had a progressive edge. I think this collection would have had better continuity if AUTODRIVE--with an acoustic piano solo by H.H.--had been included instead of the sololess MTV hit ROCKIT...but I guess the latter was too popular to ignore. Finally in the 1990s, Hancock showed signs of trying to place his keyboard talents in fresh surroundings, which brings us to the mid-90's track YOU GOT IT BAD GIRL...where his multiple musical personalities seemed to converge for the first time in two decades.

For the potential buyer, be forewarned that this CD moves into areas so musically diverse that you may wonder how these tracks can be by the same artist. Rest assured, even us long-time Hancock fans continue to ask that question. It is somewhat enigmatic--and maybe appropriate--that the last quarter century of Herbie's career is represented by two tracks, while roughly the first decade gets seven cuts. For newcomers, this disc will give you a sufficient sampling...then you can explore any or all periods further if you like some or all of what you hear.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent introduction to the styles of H. Hancock, August 2, 2001

By 

Hephaistion (South Beach, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ken Burns JAZZ Collection: Herbie Hancock (Audio CD)

Yes, I am a big fan of Herbie Hancock in his many incarnations. He has created memorable albums and tunes that have now spanned more than 30 years, and trying to get an overview of his work is not necessarily the easiest of tasks. For instance, if you are only familiar with his 70's hits or the "Headhunters" years, you could easily miss out on some of his early pure jazz tunes which have been sampled and sampled for the last decade or so.

This album takes many of the hits from "The Best of Herbie Hancock; The Blue Note Years" and adds in a few additional tunes that show his wide range of styles, both acoustic and electric. If you own more than two of Herbie Hancocks albums, then this might not be the collection for you, but for those unfamiliar with his work, this might just be the introductory collection that gets you hooked. Highly recommended.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very eclectic jazz stylings, August 7, 2001

By 

G. Sawaged - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ken Burns JAZZ Collection: Herbie Hancock (Audio CD)

Before getting this album, the only song of Hancock's that I was really familiar with was "Rockit", although I had heard "Chameleon" once or twice. So it was a nice suprize to hear his many styles of jazz on one album. Some people may not like his electric, synthesizer-driven jazz of the 70's, but for someone who is not sure, this album is a great place to decide, as it has a good variety of his styles. Including his more "traditional" earlier stuff as well. The booklet includes photos and an informative essay on Hancock.