Classical Music

The album that shook up both the jazz and rock worlds - and made Herbie Hancock a superstar! In it's original release, this LP proved to be a very important recording that bridged jazz, funk and rock, and was a precursor to techno. Reissue producer Bob Belden has made this new CD sound better than ever and this definitive version also boasts great new liner notes by Herbie Hancock himself.

THE ESSENTIAL Herbie Hancock spans 40 years of one of the most important and influential keyboardists ever. This two disc package features 21 tracks and is the perfect introduction to this relentlessly multi-faceted figure. Includes one previously unreleased track.

1965's Maiden Voyage remains one of the pinnacle artistic achievements of the great pianist's career. Hancock is joined by Miles Davis Quintet bandmates Ron Carter on bass & Tony Williams on drums, along with Freddie Hubbard on trumpet & George Coleman on tenor saxophone. The quintet embarks on an oceanic exploration of 5 original Hancock compositions, several of which have since become enduring standards of the jazz lexicon including the title track, "Eye of the Hurricane," and "Dolphin Dance."

Limited vinyl LP repressing of this 1968 album from the Jazz great. SPEAK LIKE A CHILD was his sixth album for Blue Note Records. The evocative cover photograph was taken by David By the wood, an acquaintance of Hancock. The woman on the cover is Hancock's then-girlfriend, Gigi Meixner.

Vinyl LP pressing. 1965's Maiden Voyage remains one of the pinnacle artistic achievements of the great pianist's career. Hancock is joined by Miles Davis Quintet bandmates Ron Carter on bass & Tony Williams on drums, along with Freddie Hubbard on trumpet & George Coleman on tenor saxophone. The quintet embarks on an oceanic exploration of 5 original Hancock compositions, several of which have since become enduring standards of the jazz lexicon including the title track, "Eye of the Hurricane," and "Dolphin Dance."

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.

Vinyl LP pressing. For his third Blue Note album Inventions & Dimensions (1963), pianist Herbie Hancock began moving away from the modernist hard bop sound that defined his first two albums Takin' Off and My Point Of View. Inspired by explorers like Eric Dolphy and Tony Williams, Hancock went in search of greater musical freedom by composing a set of ingenious originals each with their own unique inner logic that did away with what he considered the established jazz "assumptions" of the time.

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!

FUTURE SHOCK

CD reissue of this 1974 release from the Jazz keyboardist. Herbie Hancock has played with Miles Davis and made a big splash on the Billboard charts in the 1970s with his numerous Jazz Funk albums on Columbia Records. Shortly before his long stint with Columbia, he recorded three albums for Warner Brothers Records. Treasure Chest was released as a two record set in 1974. It encompasses most of his Warner recordings from the albums Crossings, Mwandishi and Fat Albert Rotunda.

Digitally remastered and expanded edition includes seven bonus tracks. The album was produced by Herbie Hancock, David Rubinson and friends. Liner Notes by Alex Henderson. Remastered from the original mastertTapes by Sean Brennan at Battery Studios, New York.

2007 Japanese digitally remastered hybrid Super Audio CD edition that is playable on any CD or DVD player.

The making of Herbie Hancock's recent crossover hit features John Mayer, Paul Simon, Sting, Carlos Santana, Annie Lennox, Joss Stone, Trey Anastasia and others.

Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing. Pianist Herbie Hancock showcased the full breadth of his artistry on his masterful 4th Blue Note album Empyrean Isles recorded in 1964. The album presented 4 diverse original compositions including the hit song "Cantaloupe Island" performed a deeply attuned quartet featuring Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums. Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is stereo, all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes.

Herbie Hancock joins forces with musical icons Annie Lenox, Christina Aguilera, John Mayer, Santana, Sting and more as his early aughts duet album Possibilities makes it's vinyl debut. Releasing in November - just in time for Black Friday - this Ruby Red 3LP set includes the original album, newly remastered, with 4 bonus tracks.

Herbie's Blue Note debut features the incomparable horn duo of Freddie Hubbard and Dexter Gordon (both at their creative peaks), blowing out Hancock's angular, bluesy tunes with passion and finesse. The album kicks off with the classic "Watermelon Man"; the songs are largely uptempo hard-bop until closing with the sparkling, late-night ballad "Alone and I." The pianist's forays into experimentation are displayed in the strange rhythm section solos and the lack of thematic resolution on "The Maze" or the 32-bar broken phrasing on "Three Bags Full." The sound is pure early-'60s Rudy Van Gelder: muted piano, in-your-face horns and rhythm section in your living room. Mastered & Produced by Alan Yoshida & Joe Harley from the Original Rudy Van Gelder Blue Note 2-Track Analog Tapes. The Definitive Versions of Blue Note are on XRCD24... Listen & Compare! XRCD24 is Compatible with ALL CD PLAYERS!

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.

My Point Of View is pianist/composer Herbie Hancock's remarkable 2nd Blue Note album. The 1963 session has an all-star cast: Donald Byrd, Hank Mobley, Grachan Moncur III, Grant Green, Chuck Israels, Tony Williams. The sheer musicality is breathtaking, with Hancock demonstrating arranging prowess. Contains his truly essential compositions such as "King Cobra," "A Tribute To Someone," and more. Blue Note Tone Poet Series features all-analog, remastered 180-gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging.

Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the post-bop sound. In the 1970s, Hancock experimented with jazz fusion, funk, and electro styles, utilizing a wide array of synthesizers and electronics. It was during this period that he released perhaps his best-known and most influential album, Head Hunters. Hancock received considerable attention when, in May 1963, he joined Davis's Second Great Quintet. Davis personally sought out Hancock, whom he saw as one of the most promising talents in jazz. While in Davis's band, Hancock also found time to record dozens of sessions for the Blue Note label, both under his own name and as a sideman with other musicians. In the summer of 1968 Hancock formed his own sextet. This compilation is culled from those 1960s Hancock albums, outtakes and singles.

JAZZ MOODS: ROUND MIDNIGHT

LITE ME UP

Digitally remastered and expanded edition of this 1980 album including nine bonus tracks. Monster is the 29th album by pianist Hancock. As a follow-up to the Feets album, it avoided jazz and funk in favor of disco. Includes musical assistance from Carlos Santana, Freddie Washington, Sheila E, Bill Champlin and many others.

EMPYREAN ISLES

MY POINT OF VIEW

MAIDEN VOYAGE

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.

Part of Universal Japan's 'Everything Jazz - Vol. 3: Concord Edition' reissue campaign. Features the high-fidelity UHQCD format. Green color label coating. Universal. 2025.

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.