Customer Reviews

Mr Hands

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I first heard the song "Spiraling Prism" when I was 15 years old. I never knew the name of the song but everytime I went into a music store I would do my best to describe it. Of course no one ever knew what the Sam Hill I was talking about! In my twenties, driving home from work, I heard the song on our local jazz station. I immediately called and asked what the song was and the DJ told me, what I thought was, "Sparkling Prism". So, for the next several years, everytime I went into my favorite record store (Record Theater in Dewitt, NY - very sadly, now defunct) I would search every Herbie Hancock album, cassette, cd but sadly nothing. UNTIL, one of my afternoon music fix shopping sprees, I look through a rack of $3.99 cassettes and picked up an unfamiliar Herbie Hancock cassette. When I turned it over, the very first song was Spiraling Prism! I could barely contain myself. I was 36 when I finally found Mr. Hands. I played nothing but Spiraling Prism in my car for a solid week! I'm 42 now, and that one song still gives me goosebumps! Enjoy this album!!!

God bless Mr. Hands for making music like this. It's at the same time funky, sleek, jazzy and sophisticated, filled to the brim with warmth, spaciousness and light. Really makes you want to fly! To get the most juice out of this delicious concoction, one should be well-primed in 70's style jazz/funk and fusion, because this is where this stuff is coming from, despite it's relatively late appearance on the scene. That has a lot to do with the fact that it's one of the most overlooked fusion albums. this was the time when old school funk and disco were going out of style, to be replaced by electronic funk and dance music, and fusion by smooth jazz. One of the last of it's kind, this album is a must own for any fusion or jazz/funk fan.

It may not be the majestic spaced out funk of "Headhunters" and "Thrust", but "Mr. Hands" is Herbie's last artistic gasp during the classic fusion era of the 70's. This album has a more laid back smooth jazz vibe, but its far from watered down. Adding a touch of brazilian flavor into his Jazz Funk, Herbie was able to deepen the template he helped pioneered several years back. Since Herbie does chase down every jazz trend of the moment(circa 1979), Mr. Hands sound like a period piece at times but, Herbie is able to employ enough inventive dynamics within the compositions to keep it from sounding too dated.

"Spiraling Prism" opens the album lovely with a smooth strak bassline that makes you feel like you're swimming in a ocean and the coolness of the water washes you away with it's liqiud flow. "Calypso" is exactly what the tile indicates. It's latin styled jazz number with Tony Willams pounding the skins as if he's spreading fire with a blow torch and he's committing first degree arson because his playing is that relentless. "Just Around the Corner" is nice piece of funky disco jazz. Eventhough the synth touches can become a little bit annoying, the steady bassline makes it a standout on the album. "4 AM" has a bassline that gives the track a nocturnal feel. Picture how the early mourning looks outside when it begins to light up and you'll get a accurate description of the type of vibe "4 AM" carries. "Shiftless Shuffle" is the most unique track on the album as a turbulent drum beat is set to a fast and funky bassline that sounds like a off beat blend that becomes a interesting experiemental track by accident. Herbie pulls out the stops with his solo performance. "Textures" is the track that steals the show. It sounds like Herbie is painting picutres for the mind. As the track progreeses, it sounds like he's moving closer to completing his portriat.

There's not much more I can write about this album but, if you're looking for some mentally stimulating music, your mind is in good hands with "Mr. Hands".

Herbie Hancock is one of my favorite jazz musicians. Not going to deny that. I honestly haven't heard anything of his yet that qualifies as even fair. His weakest efforts are usually good. That says a lot. Now especially in the period between the end of the disco era and the "Rockit" years a lot of his albums got burried for this reason or that. And this is one of them. It has an eye catching,avant garde collage type cover art. And it actually describes the music very well. Even though it made some very unexpected music turns Monster is basically a hook filled sophistifunk album. And this isn't. Taken as a whole I don't know if it represents anything. None of the songs here sound particularly alike. But everything on it defines itself by being very chancy. And even falling back just a little on a sound that worked well on many levels.

Though not fully so in some ways this is one of his few 80's album that came closest what the Headhunters would've sounde like by this particular point. In face the smooth groove "Spiraling Prism" and "4 AM" would not have been too out of place during the 'Man-Child' period. "Shiftless Shuffle",with it's mixture of hard driving afro latin rhythms and soloing evokes Herbie's earliest pop jazz/funk excursions circa 1973. Only appropriate since Harvey Mason and Bill Summers reunite with him to play on these tracks. However for serious,chunky and bass heavy funk "Just Around The Corner" picks up where the previous album left off. And is a strong number from the funk standpoint here. "Calypso" finds Herbie back with old Quartet members Ron Carter and Tony Willians for a Carribbean flavored acoustic number,complete with percussion from a young Sheila E.

The most thrilling number to me musically is the closing "Textures". A rhythmically dynamic piece built around a squirmy high pitched bass synthesizer playing a very unusually chorded,rather early 70's Stevie Wonder styled melody it's a potent reminder of Herbie's instrumental creativity. There's a lot of burried albums that simply didn't merrit their fate. And this is one of them. As a matter of face don't remember being too crazy about it on first listen. These are songs that take a little more time to really develop. It was really fascinating to see,considering how much Herbie grew as an acoustic jazz musician,how much he'd grown by this time as a funk-jazz musician as well. And even for that while still taking tangents back into the acoustic relm with the VSOP album series. No matter how they were received,everyone from electronic jazz-funk obsessed DJ's/hip hop samplers to people searching for explorative funk grooves should probably be grateful for albums such as this. I sure know I am.

Herbie Hancock laid it down once again on this solid recording. The tracks on here are quite melodic and funky as well. This cd is definitely worth having in one's jazz collection.

One of my favorite Herbie albums. The highlight is definitely Jaco's bass playing on 4 AM. What a rhythm section! Herbie, Jaco, and Harvey Mason on the same track!

A clishe' yes but thats the only word I can think of to describe "Mr.Hands".A collection of somewhat electric Brazillain
flavored fusion (of so fasionable at the time) tempered only by
the monster funk of "Just Around The Corner".Excellent from start
to finish but far to much of a consession to please jazz purists
sometimes.

LOOK IM A JAZZ FUSION FREAK LETs SAY 3 YEARS AGO ME AND MY DAD WAS HAVING A LITTLE BUYING CDS OUTING AND I CAME ACROSS HERBIE hancock and i asked my dad is there any herbie hancock cds i aint got thats good he thought about it a little bit then he said OH yea (MIKEY I SAID WAT? DAD HEY SEE IF THEY GOT THIS HERBIE HANCOCK ALBUM CALLED MR.HANDS) I SAID OKAY DADDY AND GUESS WAT?THEY DID LATER THAT DAY WE GOT HOME, OUT OF ALL THE DAMN CDS WE BOUGHT THE FIRSTS CD HE PUT WAS MR.HANDS AND HE WAS VERY ANXIOUS FOR ONE PARTCULAR SONG HE WAS HUMMING IN THE CAR THAT SONG WAS (4A.M.) WHEN HE PUT THAT JAM IN I WAS JAMMING WITH HIM AND PLUS THE SONG 4A.M. STARTS OFF GOOD SO YOU WILL KNOW IT JACO PASTORIUOS PLAYS GOOD BASS ON THIS SONG TOO ALSO HERBIE SCORES VERY GOOD ON THE FENDER RHODES WHICH IS MY FAVORITE KEYBOARD THAT I ALSO HAVE IN MY HOUSE ANYWAY.. DONT BE FOOLED BY THE MADE IN 1980 CUZ HE WENT SOUL FUSION SERCHING ON THIS ONE THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS ALBUM IS 4a.m.,and a few others heres are my jazz fusion ratings....

herbie hancocks... fender rhodes playing 9 out of 10
herbie synth work is average 7out of 10

jaco pastorious guest stars for 4a.m.
harvey mason is back and funkin real good
paul is doing his thing

the works
this is a must have album for you fusion fans out there who wants to do some reminicing going to work or just crusing you dig.
seeyaaa............

My friend had the CD in LP form. When I bought it was in 8 track form. I left it in the car and it melted. To me this is one of the best albums he has ever recorded. I have been looking for this album for years but haven't been able to find it.