Possibilities

Performer: Herbie Hancock
Artist: John Mayer; Santana; Angelique Kidjo; Christina Aguilera; Paul Simon; Annie Lennox; Sting; Johnny Lang; Joss Stone; Damien Rice; Raul Midon; Stevie Wonder; John Patitucci
Producer: Steve Jordan; Paul Simon; Herbie Hancock
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Personnel include: Herbie Hancock (piano, organ, keyboards); John Mayer , Paul Simon, Raul Midon, Trey Anastasio (vocals, guitar); Johnny Lang (vocals, electric guitar); Christina Aguilera, Joss Stone, Angelique Kidjo, Annie Lennox, Sting (vocals); Tony Remy, Carlos Santana (guitar); Stevie Wonder (harmonica); Greg Phillinganes, Michael Bearden (keyboards); John Patitucci, Nathan East, Willie Weeks (bass instrument); Dennis Chambers, Steve Jordan (drums). Recording information: Stagg Street Studio, Van Nuys, CA; Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California; The Barn, Burlington, VT. Though Herbie Hancock is known first and foremost as the groundbreaking jazz pianist whose career began in earnest with Miles Davis's band in the 1960s, he's been genre-bending for much of his musical life, from his '70s fusion adventures to his '80s hip-hop crossover. So those who cynically accuse Hancock of following Carlos Santana onto the superstar-duets gravy train with POSSIBILITIES may not be taking the long view. Having penned some of the most enduring jazz standards and worked with the music's most towering figures, Hancock is long past needing to prove his jazz credentials, and his collaborations here with Sting, Joss Stone, Stevie Wonder, and others must be taken at face value. Always one to work a groove into whatever he's doing, Hancock dips into R&B with newcomer Raul Midon on a hopped-up version of Wonder's "I Just Called to Say I Love You" and darts and stings behind Christina Aguilera on Leon Russell's "A Song for You." He detours into blues with Jonny Lang, touches on straight pop-rock with Jon Mayer (on the infectious opener, "Stitched Up)," and delves into instrumental impressionism with Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio to end the album, with "Gelo No Montana." Despite some sterling solos, at no point on his album does Hancock hog the spotlight, proving that, as ever, his musical vision transcends both ego and boundaries.

Mojo (Publisher) (p.110) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[With] Paul Simon's 'I Do It For Love,' a lesson in the art of vocal economy. Jonny Lang and Joss Stone turn U2's 'When Love Comes To Town' into a deliciously down and dirty thing."

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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