Herbie Hancock - Future2Future Live

Herbie Hancock - Future2Future Live

Keyboardist Herbie Hancock's foray into a fusion of jazz, funk, electronics, and hip-hop, begun in the early '70s, continues with this 104-minute concert, recorded in 2002 in Los Angeles. While there are occasional echoes of Weather Report and of Miles Davis's music from <I>Bitches Brew</I> onward (especially with trumpeter Wallace Roney now part of the Hancock ensemble), this is a distinctive, original sound, with the innovations put in service of the music, rather than vice versa; there's plenty of room for these musicians to simply play with the improvisational spirit that's at the heart of jazz. The six-piece group plays "Rockit," Hancock's hit from the '80s (the original video is among the extras), "Chameleon" (the best-known track from the <I>Headhunters</I> album), and eight others; multi-angle shots provide different viewing options, and the sound is uniformly superb. Other bonus features include a Hancock interview and bios (including solo excerpts) for each band member. <I>--Sam Graham</I>