Future to Future: Herbie Hancock


Back from the days of Head Hunters, Herbie Hancock has shown an interest in picking up popular genres of music and seeing where they took him. With Head Hunters he struck gold, literally, and forged a plethora of imitators. Some of them went on to better things, while others languished and ended up littering the charts with pale pastiches of his work.

With this 2001 release, Future to Future on Transparent Disc, Herbie again turned his hand to popular genres, namely hip-hop and drum&bass to which he added a dash of world.

This recording works best as an exemplar; something to which maybe younger musicians can turn for ideas, or failing that to see what their elders make of their music.

And this is perhaps the problem with this album. Its ambition is a little widely focused. It is never better than good. There is none of the excellence or cross-over successes that marked Head Hunters. Herbie’s choice of musicians cannot be faulted. He gives space to younger artists as diverse as DJ Rob Swift, and Dance artists Carl Craig and A Boy Called Gerald. He also calls on sassy soul singer Chaka Khan plus his old colleagues Wayne Shorter and Jack de Johnette.

Yet the best tracks are those where the other artists determine the direction. This leaves Herbie playing a near supporting role - as though he were a guest on their project. Still there is plenty to enjoy here.

Rob Swift provides a taut contribution named, ‘This is Rob Swift’. Mixing samples of what sounds like a music professor earnestly discussing ‘rhythm’ against neatly syncopated beats and sampling to which Herbie adds some nice electric piano. An ironic touch. Black Gravity, a contribution from A Guy Called Gerald, is funky and textural but never quite takes off. ‘Ionosphere’ remains trippy and pleasant. Of the younger generation only Carl Craig produces something memorable with Kebero Pt 1 and Pt2, a strange middle-eastern electronic chant of sorts. However Herbie’s contribution is that of keyboard effects and an ending motif, and good though that is he seems somewhat superfluous.

Elsewhere there is some nice sax playing from Wayne Shorter on ‘Tony Williams’ though the spoken lyrics sound a little preachy and close to New Age sentiment, (as does the track, ‘Wisdom’). ‘Essence’ is an enjoyable song, Chaka Kahn producing her trademark vocals and the album finishes out with ‘Virtual Hornets’ a closer to standard jazz track that, again, has some nice work from Wayne Shorter.

Perhaps the problem is that for a younger generation their music takes place in a sphere that they alone understand. In the urban poetry of hip-hop or the protocols of the dance club or rave.

Full marks to Herbie Hancock for trying though. But I suspect this recording will make few converts among the twenty somethings and leave us older ones feeling just a little perplexed.

(This review refers to the standard release of the recording and does not include the bonus disc of re-mixes)

Copyright (C) David Millington Nov 2007

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