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Track Listings
| 1. Court And Spark |
| 2. Edith And the Kinpin |
| 3. Both Sides Now |
| 4. River |
| 5. Sweet Bird |
| 6. Tea Leaf Prophecy |
| 7. Solitude |
| 8. Amelia |
| 9. Nefertiti |
| 10. The Jungle Line |
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
On paper, River sounds like a match made in several versions of heaven. Legendary pianist Herbie Hancock re-imagines Joni Mitchell with his hand-picked, star-studded band--including saxophonist Wayne Shorter--in tow. Luminary guests lend vocals to a song apiece: Norah Jones ("Court and Spark"), Tina Turner ("Edith and the Kingpin"), Corinne Bailey Rae ("River"), Luciana Souza ("Amelia"), Leonard Cohen (with an unsettlingly sanguine version of "The Jungle Line"), even Mitchell herself ("Tea Leaf Prophecy"). In the event, though, a few fundamental elements go awry. Hancock plays with almost saccharine understatement throughout, and even Shorter's seminal "Nefertiti" and Duke Ellington's "Solitude" fall into the album's presiding, somnolent surface, though to a lesser degree does the instrumental version of Mitchell's "Sweet Bird." But girding, and in some measure, saving, the proceedings, the lyrics here testify to a subtler wisdom guiding Hancock's set list. The mix includes a continuum from intrepid classics to dusty, fans-only fare, but a distinct reverence for Joni Mitchell the Poet threads them together, and, in the end, this album works best as a sleepy window into one fan's giddy and particular love affair with his source material. Fans of Hancock win out. --Jason Kirk
Product Description
The legendary pianist and innovator explores the words and music of another musical pioneer JONI MITCHELL on his first new studio recording for Verve since 1998's GRAMMYr Award winner Gershwin's World. Inspired in equal parts by Mitchell's poetic lyrics and unique melodies/harmonies, the musicians play with a restraint and elegance (on both the instrumental and vocal tracks) that achieves a perfect balance between the adventurous aesthetics of jazz improvisation and the emotional directness of the finest Adult Pop music Herbie Hancock's latest recording Possibilities has scanned nearly 400,000 units. Joni Mitchell's brand new album also releases on 9/25 early confirmed media includes: NPR Morning Edition feature (airdate TBD); NY Times Arts & Leisure Fall Preview; review in The New Yorker.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
The sophistication of Mitchell's song constructions provides a plethora of interpretive possibilities. Hancock heads for the Ritz-Carlton. With guest vocalists Norah Jones, Tina Turner, Corinne Bailey Rae, Luciana Souza, and Joni herself, Hancock dances gracefully up and down the twisting staircases of Mitchell's melodies, crossing the ballroom again and again for yet another chic-to-chic peek at her poetry. It's all gleaming wood and polished elegance, even as Wayne Shorter's sax prods Hancock on to more adventurous turns of phrase. The disc closes with Leonard Cohen's guttural narration of Mitchell's "The Jungle Line," a fittingly odd close to an album idolizing an iconoclast. A celebration of subtlety.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Yanksta
Format:Audio CD
SHORT REVIEW: Very enjoyable cd, with great production & instrumentation by Herbie Hancock. great pop songs by Joni Mitchell. great performances by all performers involved.
LONG REVIEW: A seemless cd, made up of a variety of jazz musical sounds by Herbie, together with the jazzy introspective folk-pop of Joni Mitchell.
Sure its on the mellow side but Joni is the showcase and her lyrics, here performed by Joni and others, goes perfectly with the savy down tempo playing of the instrumentalists. But that is not meant to be a negative comment. The instrumental passages and moments are very good. This is jazz, a bit mellow, but not in a bad way. Its loose and improvisational jazz(heck look who is playing it!!!), with a wee bit of sly Hancock funk, lightly sprinkled throughout. Subtle yet poignant. Sweet yet salty.
...if you have any hesitation, see if you can listen to the first 2 songs all the way through. Beautiful performances all the way around, but these songs are not meant to be 30sec clips. Sweet Bird & Tea Leaf Prophecy are also very nice. I was not disappointed with anything really. Even the non-Joni songs fit seemlessly into the overall vibe of the cd. I have even enjoyed the cd playing it loud while driiving, just to hear every musical nuianse. A real audio treat, and to quote a review I saw for another work, "every sound is deliberate and perfect."
Reminds me of Miles Davis cool-jazz ensembles of the late 50s and up thru the 60s up, until he he formed his Bitches Brew group (which had the harder sound that was inspired by late 60s hard rock.). its Miles influenced cool-jazz, filtered thru 70s era Joni Mitchell, with the jazz being a bit more experimental & low key in some sections.
...to me, as jazzy and loose as this cd is, it still has a good amount of style, rhythm & melody throughout. Except Herbie & Co. play with it, much the way Joni herself did on many of her original songs & albums.
If you are only familiar with Joni's singles you may nt be aware of the rest of the songs she had on her original albums. some tended to have alot of instrumental experimentation venturing into jazz turf.
loved this cd throughout & recommended for jazz and joni fans looking for different versions of her songs.
Thanks HH & JM.
LONG REVIEW: A seemless cd, made up of a variety of jazz musical sounds by Herbie, together with the jazzy introspective folk-pop of Joni Mitchell.
Sure its on the mellow side but Joni is the showcase and her lyrics, here performed by Joni and others, goes perfectly with the savy down tempo playing of the instrumentalists. But that is not meant to be a negative comment. The instrumental passages and moments are very good. This is jazz, a bit mellow, but not in a bad way. Its loose and improvisational jazz(heck look who is playing it!!!), with a wee bit of sly Hancock funk, lightly sprinkled throughout. Subtle yet poignant. Sweet yet salty.
...if you have any hesitation, see if you can listen to the first 2 songs all the way through. Beautiful performances all the way around, but these songs are not meant to be 30sec clips. Sweet Bird & Tea Leaf Prophecy are also very nice. I was not disappointed with anything really. Even the non-Joni songs fit seemlessly into the overall vibe of the cd. I have even enjoyed the cd playing it loud while driiving, just to hear every musical nuianse. A real audio treat, and to quote a review I saw for another work, "every sound is deliberate and perfect."
Reminds me of Miles Davis cool-jazz ensembles of the late 50s and up thru the 60s up, until he he formed his Bitches Brew group (which had the harder sound that was inspired by late 60s hard rock.). its Miles influenced cool-jazz, filtered thru 70s era Joni Mitchell, with the jazz being a bit more experimental & low key in some sections.
...to me, as jazzy and loose as this cd is, it still has a good amount of style, rhythm & melody throughout. Except Herbie & Co. play with it, much the way Joni herself did on many of her original songs & albums.
If you are only familiar with Joni's singles you may nt be aware of the rest of the songs she had on her original albums. some tended to have alot of instrumental experimentation venturing into jazz turf.
loved this cd throughout & recommended for jazz and joni fans looking for different versions of her songs.
Thanks HH & JM.
14 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Herbie Hancock's Joni Mitchell tribute is very good, and it's nice Herbie received the extra recognition of the Grammy. I don't think it's the best jazz CD of 2007, but I'm not a voter anyway. The key element in Herbie's band is Wayne Shorter. He plays a big role, and his sensibilities shape the sounds of each song. Dave Holland's bass is excellent, and the drums and guitar don't stand out much. The vocal songs are sung by a variety of fine singers. None of them jazz the song up too much. Tina Turner may not be recognized as a jazz singer, but she sounds very good. My favorite has to be Corinne Rae Bailey, simply for the sound of her voice. Even though there's no scatting, it's certainly a jazz CD, and Herbie and Wayne make sure of that. They play unobvious notes throughout, and make them go down easy enough. The instrumentals are laid back, but it's deep. "Nefertiti" is an instrumental highlight. The last song with Leonard Cohen's narration is just kind of strange.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Smooth River
Not a bad CD if you like improv. I enjoyed the soft style of the songs, great for easy listening, but I'm a little more of a fusion and Jazz Rock person, reason for four stars.
Published 2 months ago by B. Moncrief
5.0 out of 5 stars
I give six stars.......
This is the best Cd I have heard since I first heard "In A Silent Way" by Miles Davis. It helps if you like Joni Mitchell, but do not be deterred. Read more
Published 3 months ago by william a. roesler
5.0 out of 5 stars
great album!
joni mitchel could not have any better representation of her songs than Herbie hacock and his great guests. the track with tina turner is particularly amazing. Read more
Published 5 months ago by javel saudades
3.0 out of 5 stars
The singers are flat
This is less a full review than a quick note on a thought I had listening to the vocal numbers: Boy, Joni Mitchell is a matchless singer, and nobody here can match her. Read more
Published 7 months ago by jcd
5.0 out of 5 stars
Herbie and River, The Joni Letters
This is a beautiful album. Even though it was made in 2007, I love it more everytime I listen. Joni Mitchell is an icon and those of us who are of a "certain generation" strongly... Read more
Published 11 months ago by LZ
5.0 out of 5 stars
the best of 2007
As a jazz musician for the past 30 years, I have always considered Herbie's work to be of the highest integrity,brilliance and thoughtfullness. Read more
Published 15 months ago by cwaduke
5.0 out of 5 stars
Contemplative Joni tunes through a HH jazz prism
An exceptional album that blends the essence of J Mitchell tunes with thoughtful and compelling HH jazz. Read more
Published on June 24, 2010 by J. W. Bradbury
2.0 out of 5 stars
Hancock's big disappointment
Once again it seems Mr. Hancock merely wanted to produce something unusual and not necessarily good. Read more
Published on January 22, 2009 by J. Webb
4.0 out of 5 stars
Herbie coes it again
Great take on Joni Mitchell songs. As always Mr. Hancock brings his mastery to a diverse collection of songs. Love IT
Published on December 16, 2008 by Thomas H. Pickard
5.0 out of 5 stars
Joni's World
Ok, all the rest comes further down, but here is the cut: Listen to this, if you can, without judgement, without a thought, because by the time you get to track eight, you are... Read more
Published on March 13, 2008 by !
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