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Gershwin's World
Home > Complete List of "h" Artists > Wayne Hancock > Item 10
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Gershwin's World
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by Kenny Garrett, Alex Al, Bakithi Kumalo, Ira Coleman, and Charles Curtis
Sales Rank: 188765
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List Price: $18.98
$18.98
At Amazon
on 11-29-2008.
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1. Overture Fascinating Rhythm - Herbie Hancock, Gershwin, George
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2. It Ain't Necessarily So
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3. The Man I Love - Herbie Hancock, Gershwin, George
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4. Here Come De Honey Man
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5. St. Louis Blues - Herbie Hancock, Handy, W.C.
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6. Lullaby - Herbie Hancock, Handy, W.C.
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7. Blueberry Rhyme - Herbie Hancock, Johnson, James [01]
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8. It Ain't Necessarily So Interlude
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9. Cotton Tail - Herbie Hancock, Ellington, Duke
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10. Summertime
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11. My Man's Gone Now
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12. Prelude in C# Minor
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13. 2nd Movement
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14. Embraceable You - Herbie Hancock, Gershwin, George
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This would have earned 5* were it not for the annoying title and a few cuts that just don't work. While many of the 14 selections evoke Gershwin, not all of them "reach inside the core of the piece in search of the composer's original impulses," as stated (pretentiously, I think) on the CD cover. The most effective pieces stay fairly close to Gershwin, (including "The Man I Love" and "Summertime" with inspired, bluesy vocals by Joni Mitchell and effective comping by Wayne Shorter on sax), although there is outstanding African instrumentation (djembe, talking drum, and three percussionists) on the "Overture" (a spin on "Fascinating Rhythm) and on "It Ain't Necessarily So." The latter features multi-layered African drums, an immense bottom, and a beautifully muted trumpet by Eddie Henderson. Another highlight is the unaccompanied "Embraceable You," taken here at a languid pace that recalls Andy Bey's rich vocal version. Stevie Wonder's scat/harmonica on "St. Louis Blues" (by W.C. Handy) is a major disappointment. Was it included here for it's single potential? It doesn't fit, either as a Gershwin-esque reconstruction or as a W.C. Handy interpretation. "St. Louis Blues" and Duke Ellington's "Cotton Tail" seem like marketing ploys, even if Cotton Tail is based on the "I Got Rhythm's" chord structure (a debt that is hardly unique in jazz). "Lullaby" is a Gershwin song I've never heard (or just don't recognize), but the band pulls it off with majesty and soul. Operatic at times, floating and mystical at others, layered with blue notes, it is a beautifully orchestrated number (Did "There is a Rose in Spanish Harlem" copy some of the melody?). This piece, along with Gershwin's "Prelude in C# Minor and Ravel's Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in G, 2nd Movement" represent Gershwin's "classical" side. The `Prelude' features Kathleen Battle's soprano, but sounds thinner than the Ravel piece, which is given chamber orchestra treatment and beautiful long flowing lines by Hancock. (Why Ravel? He and Gershwin shared great admiration for each other: Gershwin met and played for Ravel; Ravel's Piano Concerto in G contains hints of jazz.) The connection seems more solid than than the fatuous one drawn between Gershwin and Ellington ("the two men were kindred spirits in their search to expand the scope and language of American music"). Fortunately, one does not buy music for the liner notes. The concept, though not wholly realized, is ultimately subordinate to its parts. Most of the numbers succeed, either on their own terms or as extensions of a Gershwin sensibility. Recommended.
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Gershwin's World
Available from Amazon
Price: $18.98
Updated on 11-29-2008.
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