Herbie Hancock

Given that Blue Note Records has issued a definitive 1960s box set of Hancock's earliest – and some consider his most seminal – work, and the literally dozens of best-ofs that have been issued, more by Columbia than by anybody else, this set with its spare futuristic design might at first glance seem like overkill, as in, "do we really need another Herbie Hancock collection, especially a damned box set?" In this case, it's very important to take a second and even third look. For starters, this set is housed in a see-though plastic box, all four CDs clearly visible on spare individual trays. On a fifth tray rests the CD booklet. On the bottom of the box is a sticker identifying the contents within. In the booklet are complete liners by Herbie himself (actually, excepts from an interview by Chuck Mitchell), and gorgeous reproductions of the album covers. It's a cool coffee table conversation piece for hep cats and kitties who are into jazz – or those who just like happening accoutrements in their living spaces.

Herbie Hancock recorded for Columbia between 1972 and 1988. During that period, between the label's American and Japanese divisions, he released 31 albums, both solo and with an astonishing variety of players in an equally breathtaking panorama of styles, from straight-ahead post-bop, to fusion, jazz-funk, disco, R&B, smooth jazz, and even hip-hop. Though Hancock had a celebrated career before signing to Columbia, it was his longest label association; and during his tenure there, he experienced his greatest commercial success and his name was etched permanently into the history of popular music. This box set contains 34 discs – 28 single and three double albums – all housed in handsome individual LP and gatefold sleeves.

The first 2cd collection to span herbie hancock's entire career, from 1962 debut lp to 2000 collaboration with stevie wonder. Includes previously unreleased 1978 live concert duet with joni mitchell on "goodbye pork pie hat" from mingus plus appearances with dexter gordon, freddie hubbard, sonny rollins, ron carter, tony williams, miles davis, wayne shorter, joe henderson, harvey mason, bill laswell, and more!

Hancock is one of the best known modern jazz composers, creator of “Watermelon Man” (which has been a reference point throughout his career), “Maiden Voyage”, “Dolphin Dance”, right through to the dance grooves of “Rockit”. Hancock also has the distinction of having made the largest-selling jazz record of all time in “Head Hunters”. The early genius of Herbie Hancock – perfectly summed up here in five classic albums for Blue Note – each presented in a tiny LP-styled sleeve.

Herbie Hancock - Future 2 Future (2001) [2 Editions + DVD] {Transparent Music}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 823 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 279 Mb
DVD9 -> 6.76 Gb | All Regions | NTSC 4:3 | English (Dolby AC3, 2 ch / Dolby AC3, 6 ch / DTS, 6 ch) | ~ 1h 44m | ISO Image
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 149 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2001, 2002 Transparent Music / MX / Columbia / JVC | 505211 / VICP 61354 / 201812
Jazz / Electronic / Fusion / Piano

One of Herbie Hancock's greatest attributes is his ability to take a contemporary form of music and add his own unique perspective through his recordings. Future 2 Future is no exception to the rule. Teaming with Bill Laswell, Hancock recruits some of the most forward-thinking musicians in music for Future 2 Future. The contributions of electronic music pioneer Carl Craig, vocal diva Chaka Khan, drum'n'bass producer A Guy Called Gerald, as well as jazz legends Jack DeJohnette and Wayne Shorter make the album feel like a cross between modern electronica and world music.

Herbie Hancock's edition in the Columbia This Is Jazz series draws six tracks from the approximately 12-year period between 1974 and 1986. An electric band is featured on half of the selections, including "Gentle Thoughts" from Secrets, "Actual Proof" from Thrust, and "Calypso" from Mr. Hands. These aren't exactly the best tracks from Hancock's electric period, and the acoustic portion – covering "The Sorcerer" from a 1981 V.S.O.P. performance in Tokyo, the live duet "Maiden Voyage" by Hancock and Chick Corea, and "The Peacocks" from the 1986 film 'Round Midnight – are similarly erratic. All of the selections on This Is Jazz are good, but it doesn't make much sense to feature such a scattered set of tracks.

Herbie Hancock’s Magic Windows (1981) is one of his numerous album issues in the period between the 70’s and 80’s. During these years Hancock released nearly 2 albums per year. On this jazz fusion album Herbie Hancock plays EMU Polyphonic Keyboard, Clavitar, Prophet 5, Yamaha CS80, Rhodes Piano and a variety of synthesizers, including Minimoog and a Modified Apple II plus Microcomputer, Sennheiser Vocoder …and much more. There are no strings, brass or other orchestral instruments on this album. Although Magic Windows is a funk album it is also his most pop-oriented album of this period. The album is an enjoyable adventure in synthesized funkness. Herbie starts out with "Magic Number" with lead vocals of Sylvester, but he must have had a vision of the future, playing "Everybody's Broke".

Gathered here for the first time are all of the recordings Herbie Hancock (b. 1940) made for Columbia Records U.S. and CBS/Sony Records Japan between 1972 and 1988–a stunningly creative, 17-year period, yielding 31 albums. Eight of the titles in this set have never been released outside of Japan. This collection of 34 newly-remastered CDs showcases Herbie's virtuosity in a dazzling display of musical styles. It is a testament to his fearlessness, innovation, and ever-evolving curiosity, as well as his significant commercial success–the platinum certifications of Head Hunters and Future Shock.

This boxed-set features all three albums Herbie Hancock released for Warner Bros Records between 1969 and 1971. They were an extraordinary creative three years, a little island of free-wheeling experimentation between his stint with the Miles Davis Sextet and his later career as the presiding genius of jazz-funk. Herbie Hancock’s Warner Brothers recordings represent the emergence and unfolding of his Mwandishi Band. This genre-crossing group pioneered an expressive use of sound and technologies, a blend of beat and abstraction, Afrocentric sensibilities, and while fronted by a strong leader, a collectivist approach to making music. The band prepared the groundwork for Hancock’s emergence as a proponent of a synergy between jazz and funk.