Includes a new recording with vocals by Tina "Edith and the Kingpin"

Track Listing

1. Court And Spark - Herbie Hancock, Norah Jones
2. Edith And The Kingpin - Herbie Hancock, Tina Turner
3. Both Sides Now - Herbie Hancock
4. River - Herbie Hancock, Corinne Bailey Rae
5. Sweet Bird - Herbie Hancock
6. The Tea Leaf Prophecy (Lay Down Your Arms) - Herbie Hancock, Joni Mitchell
7. Solitude - Herbie Hancock
8. Amelia - Herbie Hancock, Luciana Souza
9. Nefertiti - Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter
10. The Jungle Line - Herbie Hancock, Leonard Cohen

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4978 in Music
• Released on: 2007-10-01
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Running time: 68 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
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

Daily Telegraph, Seven
"truly inspired"

The Guardian
"sublime stuff"

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Customer Reviews

vocal let down
As a Joni fan since I first heard Blue as a 15 year old (35 years ago), I've been enjoing a bit of a Joni-fest recently, what with Shine, the Tribute album, (the very very long-awaited and overdue remastered Court and Spark/ Hissing of Summer Lawns and Hejira trio still to come) and now this.

The playing is superb. Some of Herbie's best piano work, the incomparable Wayne Shorter, Vinnie Colaiuta doing his best supportive playing (and making a return to performing Joni's material) plus the musical bass of Dave Holland combine to create a truly atmospheric, sublime and interesting collection.

There is a bit of a problem though. Some of the vocalists chosen to contribute are, to say the least, a little suprising. Norah Jones does her best "Norah Jones", but adds little to what is one of Joni's best songs. Tina Turner's voice just rattles, and whenever I hear it just I can't get "Steamy Windows" out of my mind. Corrine Bailey Rae's take on River is simply odd - not because of her accent (I'm sure not many American listeners will notice the London style instead of her Leeds accent - and so what, because either accent would not have improved on her performance) but because her voice simply doesn't suit the arrangement. Despite all the fuss (and I did quite like her debut) she gives a weak vocal and seems oddly unable to evoke any real emotion from it.

Luciana Souza's vocal is a bit too pitchy (I know it's "jazz", but it's just not close enough......) and makes me feel uneasy when I listen to it.

I understand why they would want vocalists on the album - basically an all instrumental album wouldn't cop as much of an audience as one with vocals on - and it may be that Joni was going to do it but had to pull out due to her other commitments, but the choice of singers lets the project down. They may have brought with them their "generosity", "deft navigation", "humility" and "grace" but they haven't made this good album a great one.

I'll still give it 4 stars though, for the great combo playing and the subtle and interesting arrangements of some truly great songs.

Joni's Better!
Of course, music is all about personal taste but in the interest of balance I thought I'd contribute my thoughts on this album... Let me start by saying that I'm a Herbie hancock fan, particularly the early work on Blue Note (Maiden Voyage, Takin' Off etc.) but I've felt that in recent years he may have run out of ideas. I'm a huge Joni fan too, so decided this might be worth investigating.
How wrong I was...The only vocal of interest on this album is saved 'til last with Leonard Cohen's take on 'The Jungle Line' - I didn't particularly like it, but at least it was interesting. Norah Jones contributed little to a once great song (Court & Spark) but that was nothing compared to Tina Turner's take on 'Edith & The Kingpin' and the worst was yet to come. Quite why Corrine Bailey Rae adopted a 'mockney' accent for her performance of 'River' is beyond me, being as she's from Leeds!
The instrumental tracks fare slightly better but are at best, pleasant!
For a much more interesting album of Joni Mitchell interpretations, I'd recommend 'A Tribute To Joni Mitchell' by Various Artists (ASIN: B000NJXCG2) or try Joni's excellent new album 'Shine'.

Not exactly a triumph, but something of a return to form
After the excrutiating crossover pop music of 'Possibilties', the only way had to be up for Herbie Hancock, and so here he returns to a jazz idiom, adn some more interesting music making. The guest vocalists seem to have been chosen to cash in on the pop market rather than for their suitability for the sings (though why pop fans would be buying this record is unclear). Norah Jones is pleasant enough, but both she and Corinne Bailey Rae lack the depth needed to get to the heart of these songs - Jones may be famous for the faintly regretful 'Don't Know Why', but Mitchell's work has a far deeper vein of melancholy and world-weariness than that, mixed with naive idealism (that side doesn't really make the record so much). As the previous reviewer says, Rae's 'mockney' accent is an inexplicable artistic choice, and she sings as though she's no idea what the lyrics are about. That said, Leonard Cohen delivers a spookily compelling recitation (rather than singing) on the final track, and Joni herself guests as well, her voice sounding slightly rougher round the edges than in the past, but still very listenable. As for the purely instrumental tracks, Wayne Shorter is featured, which is a bonus, as he's on the form of his life with his quartet at the moment - here, he's a bit more sparse and decorative, but he always finds something itneresting to say. A lot of the time, Hancock and the others play round the melody, rather than stating it clearly, though he says this is the record where he thought about lyrics the most, even with no singers. It's atmospheric, subtle, and somewhat elusive - no classic, but classy.