Details
Track Listing
1. Overture (Fascinating Rhythm)
2. It Ain't Necessarily So
3. Man I Love, The
4. Here Come de Honey Man
5. St. Louis Blues - (with Stevie Wonder)
6. Lullaby
7. Blueberry Rhyme
8. It Ain't Necessarily So (Interlude)
9. Cotton Tail
10. Summertime
11. My Man's Gone Now
12. Prelude in C# Minor
13. Concerto For Piano and Orchestra in G, 2nd Movement (Ravel)
14. Embraceable You
Album Notes
GERSHWIN'S WORLD won the 1999 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Individual Or Group. "St. Louis Blues" won the 1999 Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s).
Personnel: Herbie Hancock (piano, organ); Stevie Wonder (vocals, harmonica); Joni Mitchell, Kathleen Battle (vocals); Bakithi Kumalo (guitar, bass instrument); Marlon Graves (guitar, percussion); Charles Curtis (cello); James Carter , Wayne Shorter (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Kenny Garrett (alto saxophone); Eddie Henderson (trumpet); Chick Corea (piano); Ira Coleman, Alex Al (bass instrument); Terri Lyne Carrington (drums); Massamba Diop (talking drum); Madou Dembelle (djembe); Cyro Baptista, Bireyma Guiye, Cheik Mbaye (percussion); Robert Sadin (programming); Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.
Liner Note Author: Robert Sadin .
The epitome of a 20th Century musician, Herbie Hancock has always traversed wildly divergent stylistic paths, finding his way easily into jazz, funk, fusion, dance-pop and more. His ability to make valid individual statements in all these genres is part of what makes his compositions and performances so rich. So it doesn't seem at all incongrous for Hancock to interpret the work of George Gershwin, redefining much of the Gershwin canon in the process (with assistance from some world-class compatriots). Hancock's stated aim for GERSHWIN'S WORLD is to get inside the pieces, illustrating their essence rather than knocking off rote versions of these standards. Towards that end, "St. Louis Blues" is transmogrified by the soulful vocals and funky chromatic harmonica of Stevie Wonder; "It Ain't Necessarily So" becomes an ominous, angular jazz vamp, with saxmen James Carter and Kenny Garret trading arch, sly interjections. Another genre-buster, Joni Mitchell, makes a case for a potential career as a jazz vocalist via her performance on "The Man I Love" and "Summertime."
Industry Reviews
...the album works, mainly because old rogue Hancock is copping the latest trends injazz rhythm....Hancock is totally at ease...playing pleasantly clanging chords, his sophisticated timing and dissonance signalling a pert intelligence...
The Wire (01/01/1999)
4 (out of 5) - ...Hancock has always been one to do what he wants musically....you're liable to find Hancock stretching out in just about every direction you can think of...
Rap Pages (05/01/1999)
...Herbie Hancock's striking tribute runs deeper and wider than most, clearly revealing Gershwin's cross-stylistic imprint, from jazz to pop to classical...a feat Hancock is familiar with--and adding snippets of Ellingtonia and other seminal jazz references for historical resonance... - Rating: A-
Entertainment Weekly (10/09/1998)
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