Then and Now: The Definitive Herbie Hancock

Performer: Herbie Hancock
Artist: Stevie Wonder; Corinne Bailey Rae; Damien Rice; Lisa Hannigan; Joni Mitchell
Producer: Marlon Graves; Larry Klein; Alfred Lion; Stevie Wonder; Robert Sadin; Dahlia Ambach Caplin
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Herbie Hancock (piano, Fender Rhodes piano, Clavinet, ARP synthesizer); Stevie Wonder (vocals, harmonica); Damien Rice, Joni Mitchell, Lisa Hannigan (vocals); Eric Gale, Billy Butler , Lionel Loueke (guitar); John Scofield (electric sitar); Vyvienne Long (cello); Bennie Maupin (alto flute, bass clarinet, soprano saxophone, saxello, tenor saxophone); Joe Henderson (alto flute, tenor saxophone); Wayne Shorter (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Bob Sheppard (soprano saxophone); George Coleman (tenor saxophone); Arthur Clarke (baritone saxophone); Eddie Henderson, Ernie Royal, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Newman, Johnny Coles (trumpet); Ray Alonge (French horn); Garnett Brown, Benny Powell (trombone); Paul Jackson (marimbula, bass instrument); Dave Holland, Jerry Jemmott, Marcus Miller, Ron Carter, Shane Fitzsimons, Alex Al (bass instrument); Harvey Mason, Terri Lyne Carrington, Tomo, Tony Williams, Bernard Purdie, Vinnie Colaiuta (drums); George Devens, Bill Summers (percussion); David Passick. Arrangers: David Passick; Herbie Hancock. This nicely selected retrospective tries to cram in 40-plus years of innovation from one of jazz's greatest instrumentalists. It's a tall order, but THEN AND NOW: THE DEFINITIVE HERBIE HANCOCK doesn't aim to be comprehensive. Instead, it skims the highlights, pulling from Hancock's early BLUE NOTE solo outings ("Maiden Voyage," "Cantaloupe Island") all the way through to his Joni Mitchell tribute, RIVER. In between are funk/fusion workouts (the eternally groovy "Chameleon") and early B-boy electro-groove (the indelible "Rockit" in a live version). The compilers might have swapped out Hancock's jazzy cover of Nirvana's "All Apologies" for one of his many sparkling originals, but this is a hits set, and those looking for a roundup of Hancock's best-known recordings will find THEN AND NOW fits the bill.

One of the most open-eared and forward-thinking jazz musicians of his day, Hancock has, more than just about anyone else, consistently tried to broaden the music's horizons by mixing it with the most interesting elements of contemporary pop. Hancock has consistently pushed the envelope, from his earliest days with Miles Davis to his jazz-rock fusion of the early '70s and his early embrace of synthesizers and electronic instruments, his early-'80s experiments with hip-hop and sampling, or more recently, his acoustic piano reinterpretations of songs--the new standards, in his parlance--by everyone from Don Henley to Nirvana.

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