Then & Now: The Definitive Herbie Hancock

Posted September 24, 2008

Then & Now: The Definitive Herbie Hancock, an essential collection of tracks from multi-Grammy Award-winning artist Herbie Hancock, was released yesterday (September 23rd) on Verve Records. Included on the disc is a previously unreleased live version of "River" featuring Joni. A first-ever career retrospective of the jazz visionary's unparalleled work, the 12-track CD chronicles five decades, featuring music spanning Hancock's illustrious career from Blue Note, Warner Brothers and Sony, to his present days with Verve. The only truly comprehensive collection of Hancock's work covers the genre-stretching musician's expansive repertoire, from his best-known solo works including "Maiden Voyage" and "Rockit" to his collaborations with artists such as Stevie Wonder, Damien Rice, and Corinne Bailey Rae.

"From avant-garde to Gershwin, post-bop to pop standards, electric jazz to electro-funk, Herbie Hancock has been at the forefront of modern music for five decades," explains writer Kirk Degiorgio in the CD's engaging liner notes. Few artists in the music industry have gained more respect and cast more influence than Herbie Hancock. Beginning his incomparable career as a sideman in the Miles Davis Quintet, Hancock achieved a career milestone in 2008, winning two Grammy Awards including the main prize, Album of the Year for 'River: The Joni Letters' (Verve Records), the first time a jazz record had won Album of the Year since 1964. Hancock was also named to the Time 100, Time magazine's annual list of the most influential people in the world.