Artist: Herbie Hancock
Title: The Best Of Herbie Hancock: The Blue Note Years
Year Of Release: 1995
Label: Blue Note
Genre: Jazz
Quality: FLAC (tracks)
Total Time: 01:03:31
Total Size: 381 MB
Tracklist:
1. Watermelon Man (7:11)
2. Driftin' (7:01)
3. Maiden Voyage (7:58)
4. Dolphin Dance (9:20)
5. One Finger Snap (7:20)
6. Cantaloupe Island (5:34)
7. Riot (4:39)
8. Speak Like A Child (7:49)
9. King Cobra (6:54)
Mirroring his onetime boss and mentor Miles Davis' own protean output, Herbie Hancock has explored hard bop, soul-jazz, fusion, funk-rock, soundtracks, hip-hop-inflected pop ("Rockit"), and many permutations in between. His early work for Blue Note, though, offers the best entree for newcomers. Compiled from five of his albums for the label and covering a period from 1962-1968, this fine sampler includes highlights from his debut, Takin' Off ("Watermelon Man"), the classic Maiden Voyage (the title track and "Dolphin Dance"), and the early electric album Speak Like a Child (the title track and "Riot"). Add to this more indelible cuts like "Cantaloupe Island" and "One Finger Snap," not to mention the presence of numerous '60s jazz luminaries (Dexter Gordon, Freddie Hubbard, Thad Jones, Hank Mobley, Billy Higgins, et al.), and you have perfect way to get a taste of some of the best modern jazz committed to wax. -- Stephen Cook
