Similar Albums:
- Artist: Herbie Hancock
- Rating:
- Release Date: October 06, 1998
- Total Time: 394:12
- Type: Compilation (best of), Box set
- Genre: Jazz
Review
From the start of his solo recording career in 1962, when he was 22, Herbie Hancock was a very original pianist/composer. Strangely enough, despite the explorative nature of much of his music, Hancock was also quite accessible, recording the future hit "Watermelon Man" on his debut date. This six-CD set is a must for all jazz collectors who do not already own Hancock's Blue Note albums, for the box contains the complete contents of the pianist's albums Takin' Off, My Point of View, Inventions & Dimensions, Empyrean Isles, Maiden Voyage, Speak Like a Child, and The Prisoner. In addition, there are a dozen alternate takes (seven not previously released), five selections taken from dates led by others (Donald Byrd, Jackie McLean, Wayne Shorter, and Bobby Hutcherson), and an unissued R&B-ish number ("Don't Ever Go There") from an abandoned 1966 project. The title of the attractive 1998 package is not completely accurate, for although the program includes all of Hancock's Blue Note dates as a leader, it does not have all of his recordings as a sideman for the label (which would take a really huge box). There are many classics in this reissue, including "Watermelon Man," "Blind Man, Blind Man," "Cantaloupe Island," "Maiden Voyage" (including a second version from a Hutcherson date), "The Eye of the Hurricane," "Dolphin Dance," "The Prisoner," and the entire Speak Like a Child album. Among Hancock's sidemen are trumpeters Freddie Hubbard, Donald Byrd, Thad Jones, and Johnny Coles, tenors Dexter Gordon, Hank Mobley, and Joe Henderson, bassists Butch Warren, Chuck Israels, Paul Chambers, Ron Carter, and Buster Williams, and drummers Billy Higgins, Tony Williams, Willie Bobo, Mickey Roker, and Albert "Tootie" Heath. Timeless music that is still quite undated and fresh. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music GuideTracks
CD 1
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Three Wishes | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (5:10) |
| Empty Pockets | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (6:09) |
| Empty Pockets [Alternate Take] | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (6:26) |
| Three Bags Full | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (5:26) |
| Three Bags Full [Alternate Take] | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (5:35) |
| Watermelon Man | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (7:08) |
| Watermelon Man [Alternate Take] | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (6:41) |
| The Maze | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (6:46) |
| Driftin' | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (6:57) |
| Alone and I | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (6:26) |
| Yams | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (7:56) |
CD 2
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| A Tribute to Someone | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (8:41) |
| King Cobra | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (6:52) |
| Blind Man, Blind Man | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (8:16) |
| Blind Man, Blind Man [Alternate Take][#] | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (8:30) |
| The Pleasure Is Mine | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (4:01) |
| And What If I Don't | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (6:31) |
| Succotash | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (7:38) |
| Triangle | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (11:00) |
| Mimosa [Alternate Take][#] | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (10:05) |
CD 3
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Mimosa | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (8:36) |
| A Jump Ahead | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (6:34) |
| Jack Rabbit | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (5:59) |
| Oliloqui Valley [Alternate Take] | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (10:44) |
| One Finger Snap | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (7:16) |
| Cantaloupe Island | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (5:30) |
| The Egg | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (13:58) |
| One Finger Snap [Alternate Take] | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (7:34) |
| Oliloqui Valley | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (8:26) |
CD 4
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Maiden Voyage | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (7:55) |
| The Eye of the Hurricane | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (5:58) |
| Dolphin Dance | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (9:16) |
| Survival of the Fittest | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (10:02) |
| Little One | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (8:45) |
| The Collector | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (6:45) |
| Maiden Voyage | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (5:48) |
| Main Title from "Blow-Up" | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (8:11) |
CD 5
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Riot [Alternate Take I][#] | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (4:52) |
| Riot [Alternate Take II][#] | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (4:38) |
| Riot | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (4:36) |
| Speak Like a Child | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (7:47) |
| First Trip | Ron Carter | Herbie Hancock | (5:58) |
| Goodbye to Childhood [Alternate Take][#] | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (5:50) |
| Goodbye to Childhood | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (7:04) |
| The Sorcerer | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (5:35) |
| Toys | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (5:49) |
CD 6
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| The Prisoner [Alternate Take][#] | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (5:44) |
| The Prisoner | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (7:55) |
| He Who Lives in Fear | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (6:50) |
| I Have a Dream | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (10:56) |
| Firewater | Buster Williams | Herbie Hancock | (7:31) |
| Firewater [Alternate Take][#] | Buster Williams | Herbie Hancock | (8:39) |
| Promise of the Sun | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (7:50) |
| Don't Even Go There [#] | Herbie Hancock | Herbie Hancock | (7:07) |
