What the waiter at the Herbie Hancock Restaurant said...
"Good evening. Welcome to the HH restaurant. We have a number of special and regular menu items I'd like to tell you about. This evening we'll be starting you off with the Watermelon Man and Cantaloupe Island, two of our chef's most famous hits, after which I'd like to recommend the Maiden Voyage and The Sorcerer, where the chef branches out into some exploration of chords that before these dishes were invented, really had never been heard before. If you prefer some of the chef's more recent dishes, we have 4 A.M., a nice Manhattan, and of course the always dynamic People Music. If you prefer to experience the chef's skills and enjoy some more standard dishes, we have Milestones, Circle, `Round Midnight, and of course, St. Louis Blues. For dessert, we always recommend the Chameleon, which will take you at least 15 minutes to finish. If none of these are what you are looking for, there are several other selections available. I'll be back to take your order shortly."

Seriously, if you are looking for a sampling of Herbie's work because you just don't know where to start, this is probably a good choice for you, covering almost 40 years of Hancock's career. Keep in mind, though, that is twenty songs over a forty year period of a composer and performer who has been pulling jazz along behind for that entire time, so the treatment will be necessarily shallow. I still recommend this for finding one's likes and dislikes (very few people like ALL of Hancock's work; he got pretty esoteric there, along with Chick Corea, in the early days of synthesizers), and eventually, you'll want to pick up individual albums containing the songs you really like. For the casual listener and non-fan, however, this compilation offers a broad and satisfying sampling of a lot of different Herbie Hancock dishes. Bon appetit!

Great Collection
Herbie Hancock is a Musician who has left a strong and lasting mark on Jazz, R&B,Pop and other forms of Music. He is a versatile Piano, Synth,etc.. etc... Musician who covers such a wide range of styles and yet you know his signature touch. ROund Midnight, Tell me a Bedtime story which still just relaxes me. all the way through the Hip-Hop vibe of "Rockit". I mean the Brother covers Funk, Rock, Jazz,Pop and everything else in between and this double disc set takes you on a incredible journey with a Musician who never has had any boundarys. His embracment of modern technilogy and sound speaks volumes. this is a Great place to start with exploring the Musical journey of Herbie Hancock.

Classic Herbie
No other artist in the last 45 years of jazz has remained on the cutting edge of the music like pianist and keyboardist Herbie Hancock: a musician with passion, an open mind and an awareness of history that constantly propels him forward into new sonic territory.

After listening to the first few songs on The Essential Herbie Hancock, you'll understand this intimately. Both Hancock's 1962 hit "Watermelon Man" and his 1964 gem "Cantaloupe Island," which quietly made a strong contribution to hip-hop music in the 1990s (the group Us3 sampled Hancock's track for their hit "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)") are included in the collection. You'll also hear 1965's "Maiden Voyage," another mainstay on jazz radio for decades now, and a powerful version of "'Round Midnight" by Sonny Rollins where Hancock cleverly backs the saxophonist. Following these four monster recordings, the lineup for the next tune "Circle" is Hancock on keys, Miles Davis on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor sax, Tony Williams on drums and Ron Carter on bass. Together, they seem to be saying everything "My Funny Valentine" ever said only in a modern and more expressive way.

A very well put-together release, The Essential Herbie Hancock includes recordings from an assortment of labels where Hancock recorded, including Blue Note, Verve and RCA. Some of the songs are largely forgotten, but this album re-introduces them to the listener, not forgetting any period of Hancock's growth and development. "Butterfly," an electronic dirge from Hancock's 1974 album Thrust, is here and is as powerful as ever, as is "Chameleon," Hancock's 1973 funk anthem.

But it is the lesser-known tunes that make The Essential Herbie Hancock a complete statement. "Hidden Shadows," a Hancock composition from 1973, is one such moment: more than 10 minutes of complete control, power and improvisational perfection where Hancock creates a wall of sound using keyboards, electronic effects and, most importantly, his heart and soul.

The last three recordings of this album bring Hancock's career and this compilation full circle. His 1983 club hit "Rockit," where Hancock anticipates a hip-hop future and battles hip-hop DJ Grandmaster D.S.T. with boldness and fun is followed by a little known version of "St. Louis Blues" with Hancock leading Stevie Wonder on vocals and harp. There are few arrangements of "St. Louis Blues" that are this inventive.

Of course, the final song here is "Manhattan," from his album The New Standard, another moment in Hancock's career where he challenged the status quo of jazz. Appropriately, on "Manhattan," it is Hancock on piano, all alone for a few moments and without need for any assistance--because as always, Herbie Hancock knows exactly what he wants to say.

-Brian Gilmore (as it originally appeared in Jazz Times Magazine)

great overview of Hancock's stuff
I'm impressed by this collection. I knew just a little of Hancock's work before. I bought this seeking to expand my horizons and it worked.

A Tasty Aperitif
There's no way to summarize Herbie Hancock's four and a half decades as a recording artist in two discs. Nonetheless, this is a valid overview for those who have only dipped occasionally into his thick catalog. Because Herbie has dabbled in and helped to invent so many different facets of the jazz spectrum, the song-to-song segues can be jolting. But every one of the twenty tracks chosen for this compilation is worthwhile: from the original "Watermelon Man" through the modal "Maiden Voyage," the space-age "Hidden Shadows," the jazz-funk masterpiece "Chameleon" and the Stevie Wonder-ful "St. Louis Blues." One can quibble with what's left off--I'd love to have a chance to assemble my own version of the "essential Herbie"--but even the lesser known latter-day material is interesting and invigorating. To really get to this man's essence, you need whole albums from the various phases of his career, but for a quick aperitif, this is very tasty.

Originally published in Port Folio Weekly, 5/23/06
Copyright 2006 Port Folio Weekly. All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission.