Herbie Hancock uncorks New Standard with a fresh jazzy twist

By Murimi Eston

When you talk about jazz standards, songs that come to mind are mostly those penned at the turn of the 20th Century up to early 1930s. These were composed by musicians like the brothers Ira and George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Hoagy Carmichael, Duke Ellington and others.

Well, as much as the songs are still listenable, loveable and relevant, some more recent ones, fresh and indeed relevant to ‘our time’, may constitute the new standards. These are tunes penned by writers of today but have been given a touch that makes them sound as if they were originally penned to be jazz tunes.

And who are these new standards writers? These are composers of ‘recent’ times, whose songs have made it to the top ten charts in the worldwide ratings but are not necessarily jazz musicians.

This isn’t a new phenomenon per se. World-renowned jazz pianist Herbie Hancock went ahead, in 1996, to do just that; he took songs from contemporary pop artistes like Stevie Wonder, Sting, Prince, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, Sade Adu, and others, and recorded ten songs that make an album any contemporary jazz lover must have and aptly titled The New Standard. Tunes that make up this aggregate include: Love Is Stronger Than Pride by Sade; Norwegian Wood, a Paul McCartney and John Lennon classic, Kenneth ‘Babyface’ Edmonds’ When Can I See You; and Mercy Street by Peter Gabriel.

This album, although produced jointly by Hancock and Guy Eckstine, and co-arranged with Bob Belden, has Herbie’s hand all over it. It sounds like he has written it; it has his funkiness, virtuosity, energy, and liveliness. This is the quintessence of jazz piano.

The 73-year-old Chicago-born was backed by a solid team of seasoned jazz musicians. On soprano and tenor was the late Michael Brecker (passed away January 13, 2007); bassist Dave Holland; drummer Jack DeJohnette; Don Alias on percussion; and John Scofield on guitar.

Hancock, who studied music and engineering at Grinnell College, Iowa, is known for having his fingers into many things besides the piano. He is fond of synthesizers, software, and electronic devices he uses for his productions. But for the The New Standard, he confined his instrumental skills to the acoustic grand piano. On three tracks, Mercy Street, Norwegian Wood, and Love Is Stronger Than Pride, Hancock enlisted woodwinds and brass players; and on When Can I See You, three violins and a cello were added alongside the brass and woodwinds.

The New Standard is a fitting challenge to other jazz musicians to be adventurous by picking up lovely popular tunes from all over the world and giving them a jazzy twist.