Herbie Hancock - River: the Joni Letters (2007)

Tracklist:

All songs were written by Joni Mitchell, except where noted.

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" (Eddie DeLange, Duke Ellington, Irving Mills)
8. "Amelia" feat. Luciana Souza
9. "Nefertiti" (Wayne Shorter)
10. "The Jungle Line" feat. Leonard Cohen

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, and some of her peers in the pop world, including Tina Turner and Leonard Cohen.

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).

The material here doesn't walk the line between pop and jazz -- something Hancock is very comfortable doing. This is a jazz record with vocals. The album's ten tracks are, for the most part, programmed for a vocal tune, followed by an instrumental.

River approaches brilliance; it's another accomplishment in a career full of them for Hancock. The album doesn't simply recontextualize Mitchell. Any fan of hers has known that she never comfortably fit the whole singer/songwriter thing anyway. It actually does that more for jazz and pop. He takes a sound that has been floating around since Jones issued her debut album, and roots it deeply in the jazz camp without giving up the immediacy of sophisticated adult pop -- which is, in a way, an element of the tradition of jazz itself. For jazz fans, this is a wonderful new chapter, a new way to hear him (and Shorter). For pop and Mitchell fans, this is a way to step quietly into another world and experience wonders.

by Thom Jurek

Formato mp3 320kbps

BAJAR

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