Herbie Hancock - The Jazz Channel Presents Herbie Hancock DVD

Few jazz artists can claim the versatility and breadth of musical sympathies of Herbie Hancock. His 1998 album Gershwin's World marked the centenary of the composer by putting his music in the context of the origins of jazz and ragtime, and featured a range of star singers. Taking the album on the road, the individual numbers gradually became abstracted into the instrumentals to be heard here. So in addition to Gershwin's "Fascinatin' Rhythm" and "The Man I Love", we're treated to James P Johnson's "Blueberry Rhyme", WC Handy's "St. Louis Blues", Ellington's "Cotton... Tail", and Hancock's own "Here Come Da Honey Man", "Cantaloupe Island", "One Finger Snap" and "Maiden Voyage". The sextet is a well-balanced and responsive one--in addition to Hancock on piano and occasional synthesizer, there's Cyril Battista on percussion, Terrylyn Carrington on drums, Ira Coleman on bass, Eddie Henderson on trumpet and flugelhorn, and Eli Dugiberry on saxophones. Beginning with short, punchy numbers, the concert builds to an inventive confrontation between piano, bass and drums, before the lengthy finale featuring bittersweet trumpet and sax. A beautifully judged programme, filmed in subdued lighting before an attentive late-night audience. There's also a 10-minute post-concert interview with Hancock. If you want to hear a modern master at the relaxed height of his powers, you won't do better than this performance.--Richard Whitehouse [show more]

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