Late Night Music Club with Herbie Hancock
By Stella Barkwell Sunday Sep 27, 2009 7:00pmRecorded live at Town Hall, New York City on February 22, 1985
This was jazz’s return to modality, with a funky twist. By the time this performance took place in 1985, ‘Cantaloupe Island’ had been a jazz standard for over 20 years, having been released in 1964 on Hancock‘s 4th album, ‘Empyrean Isles.’ But it still sounded modern in 1985, as it does nearly 25 years after that.
Featured in the live performance at Town Hall in NYC are Herbie Hancock, piano; Freddie Hubbard, trumpet; Joe Henderson, sax; Ron Carter, bass; Tony Williams, drums.
Here’s another studio offering, ‘Watermelon Man’, from the 1973 album ‘Headhunters’ by Herbie Hancock.
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Thank you, Stella!
It almost seems to me that Hancock invented modern jazz harmony; I don't know how he heard the intervals he used in writing some of his best compositions, but they sound so natural when he plays them.
I rummaged around on YouTube and couldn't find a suitable version of my favorite Hancock piece, "Maiden Voyage." "Chameleon" is a lot of fun; it brings back memories of college guitar ensemble and jazz band....
It does strike me as cosmically unfair that Hancock spent decades as a genuine innovative force in music -- and then he wins a Grammy for "Rockit"?!?!? That's a bit like ignoring Ted Williams for most of his career and then giving him the MVP for a season in which he hit .290.
herbie hancock is the man.
try this one from the album Secret.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiR_BA21tPs&fe...
Can anyone advise me about how I can get the Herbie Mann album "Soul Flutes"?
Oscar Peterson Trio - A Gal In Gallico (1958)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=337hbXJD9vk
Cantaloupe Island was the Pop Tune on Empyrean Isles.
The others are far more profound.
So, is "Careless Whisper" supposed to be cool now that Nickelback covered it? What a fucking joke.
Does Herbie Hancock believe bananas were intelligently designed to fit the human hand?
Thanks for this Stella because now I know US3's 1994 ultra cool jazzy rap hit "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)" was sampled from this great Herbie Hancock song, which I had never heard before until now.
It's true: you learn something new every day.
I'm not sure, but they seem to have ushered in an era of many other such remixes and even re-recordings (e.g., Propellerheads with Shirley Bassey). I enjoy many of these, and US3 is at least the first one that ever popped up on my radar screen.
I love this song! As an eighties child I was exposed to him through EMPTV 'Rockit' videos. I dusted off my stepdad's vinyl version of Headhunters (one of the biggest selling jazz records ever, if I remember correctly) and got hooked. It was nice to learn an artist's work in reverse.
Why don't conservative blogs post videos of jazz greats? Maybe they don't listen to music that isn't made to be sold to the masses. Or maybe there's something else behind it....
Thank you for posting this song last night. I am a big Herbie Hancock fan. He is by far one of the most important jazz musicians ever. By fusing jazz with other forms he not only made those other forms popular in the eyes of other jazz musicians but also made jazz more popular around the globe. I am a big fan of his funk era. Albums like "Sunlight" and "Feets don't fail me now" and others have great dance tracks with many jazz elements.
Here is a sample:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2q25nUY3iEE
also for anyone that likes chameleon needs to hear this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MkAf_1GD-4
Sad to watch a potentially great jazz musician like Hancock descend into this half-baked semi-rock piece of tripe.
Freddie Hubbard does the best he can under the circumstances. He's always great.
Ron Carter is reduced to playing the simpleminded phrase over and over.
Tony Williams, is reduced to playing rock patterns.
Hancock seems to enjoy pounding the silly neo-gospel two or three chords over and over and over.
I like Joe Henderson. But this tune is so restrictive and limiting.
None of them look too happy.
They were all born to swing. And instead they have to play this diluted garbage.
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