River: The Joni Letters

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River: The Joni Letters
Herbie Hancock's studio album

Publication
(s)

2007

Label (s) The Verve Music Group

Format (s)

CD

Genre (s)

jazz

Title (number)

10

running time

67:38 min

occupation
  • Piano: Herbie Hancock
  • Saxophone (tenor and soprano): Wayne Shorter

production

Herbie Hancock, Larry Klein

chronology
The Essential Herbie Hancock
(2006) 		River: The Joni Letters -

River: The Joni Letters is the forty-seventh studio album by Herbie Hancock . It was released on September 25, 2007 on Verve Records . The tribute album is a tribute to Joni Mitchell , a long-time colleague and -Freundin of Hancock and producer alike. Both Hancock and saxophonist Wayne Shorter previously performed with Mitchell on the 1979 jazz album Mingus . Hancock also on Both Sides Now. Producer Larry Klein not only played the bass guitar, was not only responsible for the technical execution and co-produced a number of Joni Mitchell's music albums, he was previously married to her.

characterization

“River: The Joni Letters” is not easy to categorize; like Mitchell's endeavors, Hancock's complexity makes it fleeting and elusive. However, upon repeated listening, the subtle details and Hancock's ability to grasp the emotional core of Mitchell's work are revealed. Similarly, his handling of tunes by Duke Ellington (“Solitude”) and Wayne Shorter (“Nefertiti”) is masterly. The former title, for example, contains a matching coda for "Tea Leaf Prophecy". At times, Hancock's interpretation of “Solitude” seems to resume Tea Leaf Prophecy and begin a pilgrimage full of self-discovery; in part it spins the Mitchell song on, suggesting the reason she won't leave her husband or hometown behind. On the other hand, “Nefertiti” provides a frame of reference for the musical paths of the record by showing parallels and connections between Mitchell, Hancock and Shorter's recordings.

Guest vocalists

Hancock was able to win old and new friends for his work on River with Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Tina Turner, Norah Jones, Corinne Bailey Rae and Luciana Souza, who with their different voices contributed significantly to the completion of his project.

One of the biggest surprises is Tina Turner , whose vocal performance on "Edith And The Kingpin" is arguably one of the best performances since her days with Ike. Turner has never deviated from singing pop, rock and soul, but listening to this song begs the question why she hasn't made more jazz albums.

The English soul singer Corinne Bailey Rae , born in 1979, also contributes her “new” voice in the song “River”. The contribution, presented sensitively by the interpreter, abducts the listener to glide along Mitchell's river.

The way Norah Jones takes over “Court and Spark” and makes the song almost her own, moods are provoked.

"The Jungle Line" is performed by Leonard Cohen in his chant. Immediately you feel like you are in a dim nightclub with 50 people or less and the aroma of each column is muffled only by cigarette smoke and debilitating alcoholic beverages.

In “Amelia” from Mitchell's Hejira album, Hancock's piano strokes dance around the gripping voice of the Brazilian jazz vocalist Luciana Souza .

In the midst of all interpretations, Mitchell himself casts the song "Tea Leaf Prophecy" with Hancock for a new, jazzy contribution, completely with a much looser vocal arrangement, which comes along as an extension of an already top-class song. Mitchell sings it in free poetry, while Hancock and the band ensure their stylistic freedom by moving with and around them, complemented by a matching solo by Shorter, followed by a Hancock solo that more than does justice to the text.

Track list

  1. " Court and Spark " - (with Norah Jones)
  2. " Edith And The Kingpin " - (with Tina Turner)
  3. " Both Sides Now "
  4. " River " - (with Corinne Bailey Rae)
  5. " Sweet Bird "
  6. " The Tea Leaf Prophecy (Lay Down Your Arms) " - (with Joni Mitchell)
  7. " Solitude " (Ellington)
  8. " Amelia " - (with Luciana Souza)
  9. " Nefertiti " (Shorter)
  10. " The Jungle Line " - (with Leonard Cohen)

Bonus title

The Amazon exclusive version of the album brings two bonus tracks:

  2. " All I Want " - 4:15
  • with Sonya Kitchell
  • " A Case of You " - 7:36

    • The iTunes Store edition brings two bonus titles:

    2. "A Case of You (Short Version)"
    3. "All I Want"

    reception

    The album reached the 118th position on the Billboard 200 , number 61 in Switzerland, number 70 in France and number 83 in the Netherlands. On February 11, 2008, the work was named "Album of the Year" at the 50th annual Grammy Awards . Hancock competed in this category with Kanye West , the Foo Fighters , Amy Winehouse and Vince Gill .

    Reviews

    Individual evidence

    1. ↑ News . HerbieHancock.com. August 1, 2007. Archived from the original on April 30, 2008. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved September 5, 2007. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.herbiehancock.com
    2. ↑ Amazon listing . amazon.com. September 1, 2007. Accessed September 9, 2007.