IM: WHUSDJ
CURRENT SHOW
The Anti Music Workshop
Recorded February 1996
Herbie Hancock- Piano
Michael Brecker Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone
John Scofield Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Electric Sitar
Dave Holland Acoustic Bass
Jack DeJohnette- Drums, Percussion
Don Alias- Percussion
This album featured interesting re-inventions of familiar tunes such as "Scarborough Fair" and "Norwegian Wood," among other familiar tunes. Hancock's re-imagining of these tunes are both innovative and enjoyable.
But how did he reconfigure them? He frequently achieved this by maintaining same melody while altering the rhythm, harmonies, and by adding solos based on the harmonies and melodies.
It was interesting to hear exactly how each song was altered (as nearly all the tunes were familiar) to fit a jazz context, and Hancock's arrangements all prove to be extremely effective. I would recommend this album to anyone who is looking for some great jazz arrangements of popular songs!
Recorded in 1991
Gerry Mulligan- Baritone Sax
Chet Baker- Trumpet
Henry Grimes/Carson Smith/Bobby Whitlock- Bass
Chico Hamilton/Dave Bailey/Larry Bunker- Drums
Unlike many of the other small ensembles I've reviewed on this site, this recording tends to be more melody-focused than solo-focused.
The recording sounded very quaint and old-timey in a very charming way. The timbre of the baritone sax helped create a darker, smokier color to the album that was very effective.
The tracks are all relatively short track lengths, likely due to their melodic focus, which keeps all the songs a good length for radio.