Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Watermelon Man
2. 'Round Midnight
3. Cantaloupe Island
4. Maiden Voyage
5. Circle
6. Sorcerer
7. Tell Me A Bedtime Story
8. Hidden Shadows
9. Chameleon
10. Joanna's Theme

Disc 2:

1. Butterfly
2. People Music
3. Milestones
4. 4 Am
5. Come Running To Me
6. Finger Painting
7. Stars In Your Eyes
8. Rockit
9. St Louis Blues
10. Manhattan

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5691 in Music
• Released on: 2006-06-26
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .26 pounds

CD Description
A bold jazz innovator whose stylistic range is rivaled onlyby his mentor, Miles Davis, keyboardist/composer/bandleaderHerbie Hancock receives Columbia/Legacy's ESSENTIAL treatment on this excellent 2006 two-disc set. Although whittling the finest moments of Hancock's strikingly eclectic, decades-spanning career down to a mere 20 tracks is an exercise in futility, the collection reveals admirable results within those constraints, offering up tunes from 1962 to 2000. Among the many brilliant moments on this comp are Hancock's swinging hard-bop classics "Watermelon Man" and "Cantaloupe Island"(both featuring ace trumpeter Freddie Hubbard), the fiercely funky "Chameleon", and the groundbreaking electro-pop hit "Rockit". Although many of Hancock's individual albums are essential in their own right, and the four-disc HERBIE HANCOCK BOX delves deeper into his daunting catalogue, this compilation is the perfect introduction to the stunning stylistic and technical breadth of the pioneering artist's output.

Customer Reviews

The Essential Herbie - An essential purchase
Probably the best value for money Herbie Hancock career retrospective on the market.It covers his early work on the Blue Note label including the classic "Cantaloupe island" and the sublime "Maiden voyage", then moves on to the more adventurous "Circle" and "The Sorcerer" which he recorded with Miles Davis's second classic quintet.The Hancock story then moves on to early funky fusion with "Tell me a bedtime story" from the "Fat Albert Rotunda" album.An interesting but valued inclusion is "Hidden Shadows" from the Sextant album which saw Herbie in one of his most creative phases whilst experimenting with elctronica and synths etc as well as acoustic instruments.The disc is rounded out with classic "Chameleon" which was to shape Hancock's career and send him towards the pop-charts,commercial success,and a few quid in the bank as well !
The second disc is probably of lesser interest to jazz fans and covers some fairly commercial straight ahead jazz funk which,of course includes the classic "Rockit" which,i believe,was the first big chart hit to include the newly developed art of scratching(leave me a note on the comments page if i'm wrong).The second disc is rounded out with "St Louis blues" including Stevie Wonder on vocals and "Manhattan" which sees him complete the full circle back to acoustic music with a lovely solo piano piece.
In my opinion Herbie Hancock is one of the most influential and interesting characters in modern music.This album serves as a testement to how one individual can make so much great music,whilst in the process, seamlessly move from one genre and style to another without copying or mimicking those that have gone before him.
A true musical legend.