Limited edition of 2000 numbered copies on moss green coloured 180-gram audiophile vinyl. This album is one of Herbie Hancock's first departures from the traditional idioms of jazz, as well as the beginning of an original and creative style which eventually appealed to a wider audience. In addition, Mwandishi was Hancock's attempt at continuing the musical principles and styles he explored in his previous experiences with Miles Davis. Mwandishi was recorded at Wally Heider Studios Studio C, in San Francisco, California in January 1971, by Hancock's Mwandishi Sextet. The recording incorporated progressive notions of funk, jazz, and rock. Herbie Hancock is one of the most prolific jazz pianists of the 20th century. A child prodigy, he played with greats such as Donald Byrd and Miles Davis. He was one of the first to embrace and master the electric piano.

When Brooklyn-born, NYC native Kenny Werner came on stage for his concert in Stuttgart in 1992, he had just begun experimenting with the possibilities of solo piano programs. Over time he grew into the role of a high-quality craftsman who drew his strength not from the struggle for innovation, but from the elegance and finesse with which he incorporated the pianistic possibilities of the keyboard tradition into his music. In artistic self-understanding he was one step ahead of his era.

Werner’s advanced position was also evident in the repertoire that he brought with him to the studio room of the SDR (Süddeutscher Rundfunk) in Stuttgart on 10 June 1992. Most of the compositions were standards associated with the “Great American Songbook”, which he took as a starting point for letting his own creativity play on familiar melodies and forms. It didn’t interest Werner to have the material fall apart in the postmodern fashion typical of the time. On the contrary, for him it was about the perfection of an interior design of the songs, which allowed him to savor the freedom within the set frame of classical jazz patterns. The evening in Stuttgart thus becomes a link in the canon of Werner’s style.

Born in Brooklyn, NY on November 19, 1951 and then growing up in Oceanside, Long Island, Kenny Werner began playing and performing at a young age, first recording on television at the age of 11. Although he studied classical piano as a child, he enjoyed playing anything he heard on the radio. In high school and his first years of college he attended the Manhattan School of Music as a classical piano major. His natural instinct for improvisation led Kenny to the Berklee School of Music in 1970. There he sought tutelage of the renowned piano teacher Madame Chaloff. Her gracious wisdom and inspiration became a driving force in Kenny’s conception: A music conscious of its spiritual intent and essence. From Boston, Kenny traveled to Brazil with the saxophonist Victor Assis Brasil. There he met Victor’s twin brother, Brazilian pianist Joao Assis Brasil. He studied with Joao, who provided another piece of the puzzle for Kenny’s conception that would lead to Effortless Mastery, his landmark opus on how to allow the master musician from within to manifest. Kenny Werner has been a world-class pianist and composer for over forty years. His prolific output of compositions, recordings and publications continue to impact audiences around the world.

Double 180gm vinyl LP pressing. Originally released in 1996 (and available for the first time on vinyl), The New Standard features songs by Stevie Wonder, Prince, Sade, Nirvana and more getting creative, inspired and swinging jazz takes from Herbie and a world class band; Michael Brecker (sax), John Scofield (guitar), Dave Holland (bass), Jack DeJohnette (drums) and Don Alias (percussion). Verve By Request Series features transfers from the analog tapes remastered.

Vinyl LP pressing. Released in 1969, Herbie Hancock's album, The Prisoner, is a powerful but overlooked masterpiece. A moving tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, this nonet session features some of the most exceptional instrumentalists in jazz including Joe Henderson, Johnny Coles and more. Hancock said of The Prisoner: "I've been able to get closer to the real me with this album than on any other previous one." Blue Note Tone Poet Series features all-analog, remastered 180-gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging.

Digitally remastered and expanded two CD edition. The multifaceted talent of Joni Mitchell has always been deeply rooted in jazz, and Herbie dug into that with stunning, Grammy-nominated results on this 2007 album featuring his spellbinding piano passages and vocals by Tina Turner ("Edith and the Kingpin"), Norah Jones ("Court and Spark"), Corinne Bailey Rae ("River"), Leonard Cohen ("The Jungle Line") and Joni herself ("The Tea Leaf Prophecy"). This 10th-anniversary reissue adds a second CD of Joni songs exquisitely interpreted: "A Case of You," "All I Want" (featuring Sonya Kitchell), "Harlem in Havana," "I Had a King" and more!

Herbie Hancock recorded this album in 1970, in the early days of the jazz fusion movement, and was still transitioning from post bop and avant-garde jazz to fusion. The first thing he did was use electronic instruments and experiment with the jazz song format. This is the first album with the Mwandishi Sextant, where every member had a Swahili name attributed to them (Mwandishi was Herbie's name).The album has 3 very different tracks. "Ostinato (Suite for Angela)", is composed by an ostinato (riff for the rockers) in 15/8 time signature, and the whole band builds upon that continuous and hypnotic riff, with improvisation and dynamic changes. "You'll Know When I Get There" is quite smooth and calm, if we compare with the other two songs. "Wandering Spirit Song" is an almost free jazz song, that as so much tension, that the listener tries to gasp air in the release moments. This is a mystical album, and should be listened as such.

Herbie Hancock's "Crossings" is a landmark album released in 1972, marking a pivotal point in his evolution as a jazz artist. It's the second album in his Mwandishi trilogy-a set of three experimental, electronic jazz fusion records-following "Mwandishi" (1971) and preceding "Sextant" (1973). "Crossings" was ahead of it's time, blending electronic music with jazz in a way few had done before. The album is highly experimental, featuring electric instruments, synthesizers, and complex arrangements. It fuses African rhythms, spacey textures, and jazz improvisation into a bold sonic journey. If you're into deep spacey grooves, cosmic jazz, or sci-fi soundscapes, this album is your jam. It's not easy-listening jazz-it's exploratory, immersive, and a bit surreal.

Herbie Hancock - "Speak Like A Child (Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series)" / Following his 1965 masterpiece, Maiden Voyage, Herbie Hancock wouldn't record his Blue Note follow-up until 1968 with the innovative classic, Speak Like A Child, on which the pianist and composer added the unique coloring of flugelhorn, bass trombone and alto flute to his trio for an alluring set of originals including "Riot" and "The Sorcerer." Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series features stereo, all-analog, mastering by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal in a gatefold jacket.

With this album the legendary pianist and innovator explores the words and music of another musical pioneer Joni Mitchell on his first new studio recording for Verve since 1998's Grammy Award winner GERSHWIN'S WORLD. Special guests vocalists include Leonard Cohen, Norah Jones, Joni Mitchell, Corinne Bailey Rae, Luciana Souza, and Tina Turner.