The Imagine Project
| The Imagine Project | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 22, 2010 | |||
| Studio | various | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 66:11[1] | |||
| Label | Hancock | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Herbie Hancock chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| All About Jazz |   [2] |
| Allmusic |  [3] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[4] |
| Jazzwise | [5] |
| The Guardian | [6] |
| Metro | [7] |
| PopMatters | 5/10[8] |
| Tom Hull | B[9] |
The Imagine Project is the forty-first studio album by American jazz pianist Herbie Hancock released on June 22, 2010.[10] Prominent guests include John Legend, India Arie, Seal, Dave Matthews, Jeff Beck, Chaka Khan, Tedeschi & Trucks, The Chieftains and Los Lobos.
Background
[edit]The album, which was recorded in many locations throughout the world and features collaborations with various artists, was complemented by a documentary about the recording process.[11] Hancock's interpretations of these songs are cross-cultural. His version of "Imagine" was inspired by the Congolese group Konono N°1, and won the 2011 Grammy Award for "Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals" (the final year that that award was given). The instruments used on "The Times, They Are A' Changin" combine the West African kora with the Celtic flute, fiddle and Uilleann pipes.[12] It was released in CD, digital download and vinyl.
Reception
[edit]George Varga of JazzTimes noted "This hit-or-miss quality is present throughout the album, which-despite its diverse lineup and lofty ambitions-too often errs on the side of caution and politeness, when risk-taking and surprise would have made this a recording truly worthy of Hancock's expansive skills and imagination".[13] John Eyles of BBC wrote "Ironically, in 2005 Hancock was elected to the Jazz Hall of Fame, since when the jazz aspects of his music have waned. Although The Imagine Project is entertaining and engaging, its jazz content is limited. Fans will hope that the 70-year-old still has another great jazz album in him – preferably alongside Shorter".[14]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Featured artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Imagine" | John Lennon | 7:18 | |
| 2. | "Don't Give Up" | Peter Gabriel |
| 7:26 |
| 3. | "Tempo de Amor" | Céu | 4:41 | |
| 4. | "Space Captain" | Matthew Moore | 6:54 | |
| 5. | "The Times, They Are A' Changin'" | Bob Dylan | 8:04 | |
| 6. | "La Tierra" | Juan Esteban Aristizábal | Juanes | 4:50 |
| 7. | "Tamatant Tilay / Exodus" |
| 4:45 | |
| 8. | "Tomorrow Never Knows" | Lennon–McCartney | Dave Matthews | 5:21 |
| 9. | "A Change Is Gonna Come" | Sam Cooke | James Morrison | 8:46 |
| 10. | "The Song Goes On" | Larry Klein | 7:48 | |
| Total length: | 66:11 | |||
Personnel
[edit]Credits adapted from AllMusic[18]
- Herbie Hancock – arrangement, keyboards, piano, prepared piano, production, background vocals
- Alex Acuña – percussion
- John Alagia – production
- Ibrahim Ag Alhabib – background vocals
- Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni – acoustic guitar, background vocals
- Saïd Ag Ayad – djembe, background vocals
- Lawrence Azerrad – design
- Danny Barnes – banjo, bass, guitar
- Jeff Beck – guitar
- Chris Bolster – assistant engineering
- Richard Bravo – percussion
- Kofi Burbridge – Hammond B3, vocals
- Oteil Burbridge – bass, vocals
- Rodrigo Campos – percussion
- Denis Caribaux – engineering
- Céu – vocals
- Matt Chamberlain – drums
- Michael Chaves – guitar
- The Chieftains – featured artist
- K.S. Chithra – vocals
- Vinnie Colaiuta – drums, tambourine
- Kevin Conneff – bodhran
- Rodrigo "Funai" Costa – assistant engineering
- Curumin – drums
- Paulinho Da Costa – percussion
- Toumani Diabaté – kora
- Yaya Diarra – engineering
- Fatoumata Diawara – vocals
- Larry Goldings – Hammond B3
- Bernie Grundman – mastering
- Roland Guillotel – engineering
- Helik Hadar – engineering, mixing
- Elaga Ag Hamid – guitar, background vocals
- Jessica Hancock – production coordination, background vocals
- Lisa Hannigan – vocals
- Ken Hertz – arrangement, production
- David Hidalgo – vocals
- The Hill-Tones – background vocals
- Graham Hope – assistant engineering
- Shantau Hudikar – engineering
- India.Arie – vocals
- Anand Iyer – second engineer
- Juanes – arrangement, vocals, production
- Manu Katché – drums
- Bhawai Shankar Kathak – pakhawaj drum
- Seán Keane – fiddle
- Alan Kelly – assistant engineering
- Chaka Khan – vocals
- Abhishek Khandelwal – assistant engineering, Pro-Tools
- Douglas Kirkland – photography
- Andrew Kitchen – assistant engineering
- Larry Klein – bass, keyboards, background vocals
- K'naan – vocals
- Konono Nº1 – featured artist
- Rhani Krija – percussion
- Abdallah Ag Lamida "Intidao" – guitar, background vocals
- Eyadou Ag Leche – bass guitar, background vocals
- John Legend – vocals
- Hugo Legrand – assistant engineering
- Gustavo Lenza – engineering
- Frank Lillis – lyric translation
- Lionel Loueke – guitar
- Los Lobos – featured artist
- Jim Lowe – engineering
- Conrad Lozano – vocals
- Lucas Martins – electric bass
- Dave Matthews – guitar, vocals
- Mike Mattison – vocal arrangement, vocals
- Ndofusu Mbiyavanga – percussion
- Wagner Bigu Meirinho – assistant engineering
- Cesar Mejia – engineering
- Dani Michelle – wardrobe
- Marcus Miller – arrangement, bass, production
- Bill Mims – assistant engineering
- Mawangu Mingiedi – likembe
- Alan Mintz – executive production, background vocals
- Matt Molloy – flute
- Paddy Moloney – tin whistle, Uilleann pipes
- Mandy Montiero – groomer
- James Morrison – vocals
- Melinda Murphy – executive production, production coordination
- Áine Ní Ghlinn – lyric translation
- Chris Owens – assistant engineering, Pro-Tools
- Dean Parks – guitar
- Sridhar Parthasarthy – mridangam
- Louie Pérez – vocals
- Cindi Peters – production coordination
- P!nk – vocals
- Maria Ruvalcaba – background vocals
- Jaideep Sahni – translation
- Oumou Sangare – vocals
- Brian Scheuble – engineering
- Eric Schilling – engineering
- Seal – vocals
- Anoushka Shankar – sitar
- Wayne Shorter – saxophone (soprano)
- Jaime Sickora – assistant engineering
- Patrick Spain – assistant engineering
- Satyajit Talwalkar – tabla
- Ibrahim Tangara – engineering
- Susan Tedeschi – vocals
- Tinariwen – featured artist
- Bobby Tis – engineering
- Fernando Tobon – guitar
- Alhassane Ag Touhami – arrangement, guitar, vocals
- Derek Trucks – arrangement, guitar, production
- Visi Vincent – drums
- Marty Wall – engineer
- Pete Wallace – keyboards
- George Whitty – keyboards, sound design
- Tal Wilkenfeld – bass
- Bill Winn – engineering
- Richard Woodcraft – engineering
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA Charts)[19] | 94 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 53[20] |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 35[21] |
| German Albums Chart | 27[22] |
| Greek Albums Chart | 40[23] |
| Norwegian Albums Chart | 25[24] |
| Polish Albums Chart | 12[25] |
| Spanish Albums Chart | 43[26] |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 29[27] |
| Billboard Jazz Albums | 2[28] |
Certifications
[edit]| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Poland (ZPAV)[29] | Gold | 10,000* |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
[edit]- ^ "The Imagine Project - Herbie Hancock". AllMusic. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
- ^ Kelman, John (June 21, 2010). "Herbie Hancock: The Imagine Project". All About Jazz. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
- ^ Jurek, Thom (2010-06-22). "Allmusic review". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
- ^ Wood, Mikael (June 16, 2010). "The Imagine Project". EW.com. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- ^ Graham, Stephen (July 29, 2010). "Herbie Hancock The Imagine Project ***". Jazzwise. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- ^ Fordham, John (29 July 2010). "Herbie Hancock: The Imagine Project". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
- ^ Murphy, Siobhan (1 August 2010). "Herbie Hancock's Imagine Project needed more imagination". Metro. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
- ^ LAYMAN, WILL (13 October 2010). "Herbie Hancock: The Imagine Project". PopMatters. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
- ^ "Tom Hull: Grade List: Herbie Hancock". Tom Hull. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
- ^ "May 13, 2010 Press Release". Herbiehancock.com. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
- ^ "April 1, 2010 Press Release". Herbiehancock.com. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
- ^ Blumenfeld, Larry (June 22, 2010). "A Journey Across Borders". The Wall Street Journal. p. D8.
- ^ Varga, George (10 August 2010). "Herbie Hancock: The Imagine Project". JazzTimes. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
- ^ Eyles, John (2010). "Herbie Hancock The Imagine Project Review". BBC. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
- ^ "Album page". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
- ^ Official Herbie Hancock page
- ^ Cosores, Philip (2010-05-31). "Herbie Hancock records with artists around the world". Consequence of Sound magazine. IndieClick Music Network. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ "The Imagine Project - Herbie Hancock | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 124.
- ^ Steffen Hung (2008-02-22). "Austria Top 40 - Hitparade Österreich". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 2012-02-24.
- ^ Steffen Hung. "Dutch charts portal". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2012-02-24.
- ^ ":: MTV | Album Top 50 KW 8 | charts". Mtv.de. 2011-09-22. Archived from the original on 2012-03-07. Retrieved 2012-02-24.
- ^ Steffen Hung. "Greek charts portal". greekcharts.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2012-02-24.
- ^ Steffen Hung. "Norwegian charts portal". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 2012-02-24.
- ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. 2012-02-19. Retrieved 2012-02-24.
- ^ Steffen Hung. "Spanish charts portal". spanishcharts.com. Retrieved 2012-02-24.
- ^ Steffen Hung. "Die Offizielle Schweizer Hitparade und Music Community". Hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2012-02-24.
- ^ "Jazz Albums". Billboard.com. 2012-08-04. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
- ^ "Wyróżnienia – Złote płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2010 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
