River: The Joni Letters by Herbie Hancock

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Tracklist

    Track     Duration Listeners
1 Court And Spark 7:34 8,595
2 Edith And The Kingpin 6:32 6,695
3 Both Sides Now 7:38 29,091
4 River 5:27 7,356
5 Sweet Bird 8:14 22,770
6 The Tea Leaf Prophecy (Lay Down Your Arms) 6:33 1,951
7 Solitude 5:41 25,013
8 Amelia 7:26 4,476
9 Nefertiti 7:29 18,909
10 The Jungle Line 5:00 4,408

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About this album

Universal Music Classics & Jazz (2007) Released: 28 Sep 2007 10 tracks (67:34)
When Herbie Hancock released Possibilities (2005), a collaborative effort that paired the great pianist and composer with a group of pop and rock stocks from the world over, it was obvious the restless master was entering a new phase of his long career. In that context, River: The Joni Letters makes perfect sense. Hancock and his fine band — Lionel Loueke (guitar), Wayne Shorter (soprano and tenor saxophones), Dave Holland (bass), Vinnie Colaiuta (drums) — prepare a series of instrumentals and vocal interpretations of the songs of Joni Mitchell. The vocalists here include those who were inspired by Mitchell, namely Norah Jones, Corinne Bailey Rae, and Mitchell herself on one number (her own recording, Shine, was released on the same day), and some of her peers in the pop world, including Tina Turner and Leonard Cohen. Cohen’s connection to the songwriter is direct in that they are both Canadians and both came up playing clubs and venues in the then new “folk” scene. But Hancock understands something implicit about Mitchell: she was never — ever — a folksinger. Her compositions have always walked wildly adventurous rhythmic and harmonic terrain. Indeed, she has played with jazz musicians solidly since the 1970s, beginning with the L.A. record, The Hissing of Summer Lawns, and toured with jazz groups, including the all-star band assembled for Shadows and Light that included Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorius, Lyle Mays, Don Alias, and Michael Brecker (Shorter played on a number of those dates as well).

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Shouts

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  • bewildrd

    love norah jones'voice on track 1

    November 2010
  • tekkie69

    Tender Dreamy Atmospheric Enigmatic Ethereal Reflective Wistful Romantic Reserved Bittersweet Playful Calm/Peaceful Refined/ Mannered Poignant Witty Sensual Laid-Back/ Mellow Organic Intimate Literate Elegant

    May 2010
  • mikeportnoy7

    Vinnie Colaiuta Rulez!

    December 2009
  • gipc

    Rarely does the Grammy get it right. But they did this time. Although I'm reluctant to give new material a listen, this one doesn't disappoint.

    October 2008
  • SirAlecHendrix

    best contemporary jazz.

    August 2008
  • Grosseteste

    Yes - whoever added the tracks tagged them very oddly (1, 6, & 10 I mean, of course).

    July 2008
  • akrde

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

    April 2008
  • MacRuedi

    just great!

    March 2008
  • Arvyj

    good thing too

    February 2008
  • mitrado

    ... and Album of the Year it is... :-D

    February 2008
See all 10 shouts

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