ContemporaryJazz.com » herbie hancock

Sting, Branford, and Herbie

John Hilderbrand — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 22:18:24 +0000

If you have an iPad, I recommend downloading the free Sting 25 app. Sting is celebrating 25 years as a solo artist. Among the cool things in the app are clips from his 60th birthday concert, from early October, in which he teamed with other artists. On “Consider Me Gone,” we’re treated to Sting with Branford Marsalis and Herbie Hancock. The man on the bass for that evening was another contemporary jazz legend, Christian McBride.

Herbie Hancock Quote from 1983

John Hilderbrand — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 14:22:36 +0000

I’ve been researching contemporary jazz in the 80s and 90s and came across this great 1983 quote from Herbie Hancock:

I don’t mind being classified as a jazz artist, but I do mind being restricted to being a jazz artist. My foundation has been in jazz, though I didn’t really start out that way. I started in classical music, but my formative years were in jazz, and it makes a great foundation.

September 23rd Releases – Kenny Garrett, Fourplay, Spyro Gyra

John Hilderbrand — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 02:17:41 +0000

Kenny Garrett – Sketches of MD: Live At The Iridium. “I wanted to document the band I took on the road for Beyond the Wall while we were working with Pharoah and also write some new songs,” says Kenny of this new recording which features Pharoah Sanders. “The idea of doing the Miles-related songs just evolved.”
Buy the CD from Amazon!
Buy the download from iTunes

Fourplay – Energy
Buy the CD from Amazon!
Buy the download from iTunes

Spyro Gyra – A Night Before Christmas
Buy the CD or DRM-free MP3 download from Amazon!
Buy the download from iTunes

Herbie Hancock – Then and Now: The Definitive Herbie Hancock
Buy the CD from Amazon!
Buy the download from iTunes

The Day After: Jazz Is #1

John Hilderbrand — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 22:43:55 +0000

Grammy winners usually see a bump in sales. So, what is the best-selling recording today on Amazon.com? It’s not Amy Winehouse and it’s not Kanye. Jazz rules the music sales charts today. Herbie Hancock’s River: The Joni Letters may double its sales in one day. It’s only sold about 53,000 copies since it’s release last autumn.

Herbie Sales Jump 967%

John Hilderbrand — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 21:39:23 +0000

I know I’ve written a lot about this already but this is one of, if not the, biggest thing to happen in jazz in years. I’ve already posted about the immediate sales impact for River: The Joni Letters, Herbie Hancock’s winning recording for the Grammy Album of the Year. Now the sales for the week are in. Sales jumped an astronomical 967%. It vaulted from 159 to 5 on the Billboard Top Albums chart. A jazz album in the top five?! Has that happened in my lifetime? It sold 54,000 copies. I thought it had sold 53,000 total so far but Variety says the 54k number is just short of its cumulative sales. It’s awesome to see jazz in the mainstream press, as it’s increasingly rare unless it’s an obituary. Herbie will receive more mainstream exposure on Friday, February 22, when he’ll perform with singer Luciana Souza on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”

Herbie Hancock Wins Music’s Highest Honor

John Hilderbrand — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 02:46:57 +0000

“Unbelievable,” said Quincy Jones after he read the winner of the Album of the Year Grammy. My reaction would have needed to be bleeped. River: The Joni Letters by Herbie Hancock, a pure jazz recording, won the music’s biggest award. Herbie said it was the first time in 43 years that a jazz album has won that. What a great thing for jazz.

News: Oscar Peterson Tribute, David Benoit, John Beasley Tribute To Herbie Hancock

John Hilderbrand — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 02:32:44 +0000

Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder, and Nancy Wilson were among the musicians who paid tribute to the late Oscar Peterson on January 12 at Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall. The event, titled “Oscar Peterson: Simply the Best” saw 2500 fans offering a final farewell to the legendary pianist. He died on December 23, at the age of 82, of kidney failure. Several good recaps of the emotional goodbye were written by J.D. Considine, John Stewart (for the Mississauga News), and Scott Anderson (for Reuters). An archive is available at the CBC site. Share your thoughts on Oscar Peterson in The Forum.

David Benoit counts Oscar Peterson as one of his influences. The contemporary jazz pianist is recording an album of compositions from his favorite artists, including Peterson, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Dave Brubeck, the Doors, the Beatles, and Elton John. It’s titled Heroes and will be out this year.

Also on the topic of tributes: John Beasley has been working on a tribute to Herbie Hancock. He’s joined by Roy Hargrove, Christian McBride and Jeff “Tain” Watts. The recording, expected in March, is the one of the first on a new label called Resonance Records. According to the press release, Resonance Records artists “benefit from an innovative revenue-sharing concept that not only offers greater economic return, but also allows them to produce their music without the typical studio time restrictions and their related expenses.”

Herbie Hancock – Possibilities

John Hilderbrand — Fri, 08 Jul 2005 16:05:35 +0000

Want to know all about Herbie Hancock’s Possibilities recording? Check out Jim Harrington’s June 30 interview with the legend at LiveDaily. Things have changed a bit since I initially reported on it. It appears that the all-star recording will be released on Starbucks’ Hear Music in conjunction with Hancock Records and Vector Records, not Verve. In addition to talents like Sting, Santana, John Mayer, and Paul Simon, Joss Stone and Christina Aguilera have joined the lineup.

Partnering with Hear Music raises the question: will Herbie’s latest be available exclusively at Starbucks? Will it have an advance exclusive for a month prior to retail release like Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill Acoustic? I have not been able to find the answers through news searches. I have not seen it advance listed at Amazon.com, which is unusual given that it is due in less than two months. Possibilities is currently expected on August 30.

Herbie Hancock and the New Headhunters

John Hilderbrand — Fri, 13 May 2005 16:06:24 +0000

This year looks to be the year of the Herbie. Word hit yesterday that Herbie Hancock is doing four concerts this year with a new Headhunters group: guitarists John Mayer and Lionel Loueke, bassist Marcus Miller, drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, trumpeter Roy Hargrove, and percussionist Munyungo Jackson. Whoa!

Hancock is also the first “artist in residence” at the Bonnaroo festival and has a new album of all-star collaborations ready for release in August or September. Billboard elaborates on Herbie news.