★第50届格莱美年度最佳专辑 ★当代音乐巨擘贺比‧汉考克与全方位音乐才女琼妮‧蜜雪儿创作生命交会的感性即兴记实 ★萨克斯风巨匠韦恩‧萧特、Bass大师戴夫‧霍兰、葛莱美女伶诺拉‧琼斯、摇滚巨星蒂娜‧透娜及老牌男歌手李欧纳‧科恩等携手演绎Joni Mitchell琼妮‧蜜雪儿生涯代表作 ★AMG 4星评价 钢琴手贺比‧汉考克出道以来一向站在爵士乐坛最前端，以其出众琴技及新颖构思不断地自我挑战及大胆实验，在后咆勃、调式、融合及当代爵士等乐风中睥睨群雄，故被誉为七零年代以降最顶尖的爵士钢琴宗师之一，更因跨足电子音乐或电影配乐而成为当今最锋芒四射的全方位音乐人；继2005年与各方巨星携手推出将流行乐、摇滚乐及爵士乐共冶一炉的专辑后，创新求变的汉考克再度探索不同元素间激荡交流的可能性。勇于揉合乡村、民谣及世界音乐且集画家、诗人及社会观察家多元身份的才女Joni Mitchell琼妮‧蜜雪儿，其创作总是蕴含深沈期待的价值批判或抒发真挚无暇的人文感怀，并于字里行间散发出独有的艺术气息，故汉考克以蜜雪儿的作品或影响她的音乐为素材，从文字世界出发，透过其辞藻及所勾勒之意象与歌曲交互融合而叠映出崭新的音乐样貌。 为了更精准掌握蜜雪儿的创作神髓，汉考克特别邀请她长期工作伙伴暨著名制作人赖瑞‧克莱恩共同制作及挑选乐曲，并由萨克斯风手韦恩‧萧特、低音提琴手手戴夫‧霍兰及多位秀逸超凡歌手担纲演出。由葛莱美女伶诺拉‧琼斯诠释蜜雪儿最畅销专辑的经典曲＂Court and Spark＂，她在汉考克清冽甘甜触键里以细致声线飘渺吟咏，刻画出最幽远深邃的迷人质感；蜜雪儿于＂Tea Leaf Prophecy＂在乐手们所构筑的典雅意境里，任歌声流转倾泄，传唱出双亲永恒不朽的真情挚爱；而汉考克特别演奏触动她心灵深处的艾灵顿公爵名曲＂Solitude＂，于悠悠琴音中堆叠出最隽永有味的质朴韵致！ 在本张专辑中，汉考克以蜜雪儿的创作为本质不仅在音乐范畴中开创出另一面向的新视野，更带领乐手及歌手为词曲交汇共谱最清新绝美之天籁诗篇。 This album is Mastered for iTunes. This GRAMMY®-winning album isn’t simply a collection of Joni Mitchell covers by the pianist Herbie Hancock, it’s an expansive tribute album that imaginatively honours the legendary Canadian singer/songwriter from a number of different angles. River features jazz classics that you know Joni must dig, guest vocalists performing Mitchell’s songs, instrumental versions of her tunes, and an appearance by Joni herself on “Tea Leaf Prophecy”. The album is full of surprises. An instrumental version of “Both Sides Now” is a radical reimagining of the original, and a version of Wayne Shorter’s “Nefertiti” reworks the ’60s classic to great effect. The Brazilian vocalist Luciana Souza strongly evokes Mitchell on “Amelia”, but she brings her own touch to the song, too. Tina Turner never sounded as jazzy as she does on “Edith and the Kingpin”. Leonard Cohen’s spoken word performance on “The Jungle Line” is gripping, but “Court and Spark”, sung by Norah Jones, might be the disc’s most intriguing track. Hancock, as restrained and inventive here as he is on the rest of the album, quietly dazzles, and Jones sounds great on this drifting, moody version. The band—Hancock, Shorter, guitarist Lionel Loueke, bassist Dave Holland, and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta—is superb. River is a wonderful homage to Mitchell and an excellent jazz album in its own right.