From Amazon.com
Not my type of music and yet I still love it
Album Rating: (5 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: I saw Herbie Hancock perform two songs on Live From Abby Road and I was simply amazed at how great they were. I have never considered myself a jazz fan, I have never owned or listed to a Herbie Hancock cd and Joni Mitchell does not live in my cd collection of over a 1000 cds. But when I heard the Herbie and Connie Rae Bailey do the River I knew that i had to own the most beautiful song of all time. I bought the album and every song is easy to listen to and comes across as fresh and new even though Herbie is simply adding a twist to Joni Mitchell's songs.
I think anyone that enjoys the finer things in life will enjoy this cd.
River-Herbie Hancock
Album Rating: (5 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: It won the Grammy, a well deserved honor. Listen to the excerpts because this is not your typical Herbie Hancock, but some great interpretive performances.
interesting... charming... worth the purchase
Album Rating: (5 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: If you like Joni Mitchell you MIGHT like this album. If you like Herbie Hancock and if you like jazz you WILL like this album. Well done, not overplayed... sensitive, pensive, deep. Each song is a seperate world unto itself... a pearl in a string necklace of songs that comprise the whole album. The rotating cameos of vocalists keep each song fresh and surprising. A good record to have. Well recorded.
Marc Waszkiewicz
Bremerton, Washington
Best interpretation of Joni Mitchell songs
Album Rating: (4 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: Herbie Hancock takes classic Joni Mitchell tunes and makes them his own. Who knew that it would work so well? My favorite track is Court and Spark featuring Norah Jones on vocals. This is spell-binding. I heard this track on a plane, and immediately ordered the album. The rest of it is not quite as breath-taking, but well worth it, especially if you like jazz, and grew up on Joni Mitchell.
Grammy's Album of the Year
Album Rating: (4 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: Herbie Hancock is one jazz pianist/composer who needs no introduction for when it comes to jazz music, his name always pops up and never goes unnoticed. He has recorded quite a number of jazz albums as a leader most notably his wonderful tribute to the timeless standards of George and Ira Gershwin entitled Gershwin's World. And not to mention his projects as a sideman to many jazz greats such as Miles Davis, Quincy Jones, Bobby Hutcherson, Hank Mobley, Wayne Shorter and Grant Green, to name but a few. For the record, he is one of the most honored jazz artists of all-time in terms of Grammy Awards, Academy Awards and other prestigious music awards.
"River: The Joni Letters" was recorded in 2007 under a prestigious jazz recording company, Verve Records. It is the winner for 2008 Grammy Awards for the most coveted "Album of the Year." So for fans of Herbie Hancock, this tribute recording to Joni Mitchell is a must-listen if they want to discover why it is an award-winning-album.
Here he is supported by some of the finest musicians in the jazz world namely: Wayne Shorter (soprano and tenor saxophone), Dave Holland (bass), Vinnie Colaiuta (drums) and Lionel Loueke (guitar). For a variety of vocal stylists, he has invited Joni Mitchell on "Tea Leaf Prophecy," Tina Turner on "Edith and the Kingpin," Norah Jones on "Court and Spark," Corinne Bailey Rae on "River," Luciana Souza on "Amelia" and Leonard Cohen on "The Jungle Line." To better experience and appreciate Mr. Hancock's piano artistry, listen closely to the purely instrumental ones: "Solitude," "Both Sides Now," "Nefertiti" and "Sweet Bird." The ingenious arrangements on all the tracks are written by Larry Klein and Herbie Hancock himself.
Jazz fans will surely enjoy Herbie Hancock's artistry on this winning album. For big fans of Mr. Hancock who are completists, it's a must-have.
Purchases
1 Court and Spark featuring Norah Jones
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