As Legacy Records slowly works its way through complete album collection boxes for artists ranging fromand Theto the massiveand Johnny Cash boxes, one of the notable absences has been keyboardist Herbie Hancock. While he was not a Columbia artist for as long as either Cash or Davis, he was around long enough to release a total of 31 albums over the course of seventeen yearsthough a full 25 percent of them were never issued Stateside.Legacy redeems itself with the long overdue The Complete Columbia Albums Collection 1972-1988 by including everything Hancock recorded for Columbia and Sony Japan, including eight recordings seeing their first light of day in North America. But more than satisfying fans outside of Japan by making these titles available for the first time, they paint the single broadest picture of Hancock's multifarious interests; Hancock may have first emerged most decidedly in the jazz world on Blue Note in the 1960s with albums like Takin' Off (1962), Maiden Voyage (1965) and The Prisoner (1969)along, of course, with his tenure in Miles Davis' second great quintet of the same decadebut it was during his years recording for Columbia that he first demonstrated what has ultimately become an even more visible truth with recent projects like histribute set, River: The Joni Letters (Verve, 2007) and more pop-oriented Possibilities (Hear Music, 2005) and The Imagine Project (Herbie Hancock Music, 2010): Herbie Hancock has really never been solely a jazz musician; he's been a musician, period.These 31 albums spread over 34 CDs (plus a particularly informative 200-page softbound book that also comes in this compact, square box measuring a little over 5"x5"x5") cover a lot of stylistic ground, including the more abstract electronic musings of Sextant (1973), with his Mwandishi group; the funk-infused fusion of Head Hunters (1973) and Thrust (1974); film scores for Death Wish (1975) and Round Midnight (1986); hard-swinging post-bop with his V.S.O.P. Quintet on The Quintet (1977) and Live Under the Sky (1979); disco-oriented vocal and Vocoder music with Sunlight (1977) and Feets Don't Fail Me Now (1979); an Afro-centric collaboration with koto master Foday Musa Suso, Village Life (1985); his direct-to-disc solo piano excursion, The Piano (1979) and live, four-handed piano duo date, An Evening With Herbie Hancock & Chick Corea (1978); and the keyboardist's groundbreaking techno trilogy with bassist/producer Bill Laswell: Future Shock (1983), which yielded the #1 hit on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play list, "Rockit," along with Sound-System (1984) and Perfect Machine (1988).But as important as The Complete Columbia Albums Collection 1972-1988 is in contextualizing Hancock's career from a bigger picture perspective, it's the eight albums originally released only in Japan and now seeing Stateside release for the first time that make the box both essential, indeed, as a more complete insight into Hancock's expansive development over those 17 years, and evidence that, while he was exploring a wide variety of musical interests, he was doing so concurrently, unlike many of the peers who, like the pianist, had become notable leaders through their association with Miles Davis, specificallyand. All of these musicians pursued specific new directions more monolithicallyMcLaughlin, for example, exploring the high octane electric fusion ofbefore turning his attention to the acoustic, east-meets-west fusion of, and Zawinul and Shorter focusing their energies exclusively (with just one sole exception from Shorter, 1974's Columbia recording, Native Dancer) on the ever-evolving fusion super groupLike the rest of the box, these eight recordings cover significant musical turf. 1974's Dedication represents Hancock's first excursion into unaccompanied solo music, combining both his acoustic and electric interests by devoting one side to each on the original LP. Two recordings with bassistand1977's The Herbie Hancock Trio and 1981's Herbie Hancock Trio with Ron Carter + Tony Williamsexplore Hancock's acoustic predilections in the reduced context of his only official piano trio recordings. Butterfly, a 1979 collaboration with Japanese singer Kimiko Kasai, moves effortlessly between acoustic and electric concerns, while 1975's Flood presents a live Head Hunters set, its original 2-LPs now fitting onto a single CD (prior to the Stateside release of this recording, the only live Head Hunters tracks available were the two found on 1977's V.S.O.P., a two-disc live set that also reunited the Mwandishi band for two tracks and introduced what would come to be known as the V.S.O.P. QuintetMiles Davis' mid-'60s quintet brought back together but within the trumpet seat.Two incendiary albums also add to the V.S.O.P. Quintet canon of the first disc on V.S.O.P., 1977's The Quintet and 1979's Live Under the Sky (initially a single LP but released as an expanded 2-CD set in 2004): 1977's Tempest in the Colosseumthe group's flat-out best record, and proof that adverse conditions (in this case, a live outdoor show during a torrential rainstorm) can sometimes inspire truly great performances)and 1979's almost as stellar Five Stars.Finally, Directstep, another 1979 recording with his then-new electric band, still features plenty of the danceable grooves found on Hancock's more vocal-oriented albums of the time like 1980's Monster, 1981's Magic Windows and 1982's Lite Me Up, but bridges the gap between the instrumental Head Hunters and his 1981 return to instrumental fusion on Mr. Hands, a mixed bag of a record whose best tracks are, hands-down, "Calypso," a thundering acoustic reunion of his trio with Ron Carter and Tony Williams, with the added oomph of percussionist Sheila Escovedo, and "4 A.M.," Hancock's second recorded collaboration with(under his own name, that is, the pianist having been fundamental to the late, great fretless electric bassist's 1976 eponymous Epic debut and 1981 Warner Bros. follow-up, Word of Mouth ). Under Hancock's leadership, the two first worked together on the nuclear "Good Question," a track from 1978's largely disco and funk-oriented Sunlight that, with Hancock's outré piano solo layered over Pastorius' similarly outward-reaching and virtuosic support, demonstrated how, even when he was making accessible, dance floor-ready music, Hancock invariably included a surprise or two to take his records to unexpected spaces.Of course, in the new millennium it's much more acceptable to be as eclectic as Hancock would ultimately prove to be, but back in the '70sand especially the '80s, when neo-con jazz movement emerged, quite literally hemming jazz inside a reductionist box for considerable time before its ever-inclusionary nature allowed it to once again open upthings were very different. And as much as the '80s made electric explorations a problem, acoustic work in the latter half of the '70s, with the emergence of fusion and pre-smooth contemporary jazz making more traditional forms like post bop seem largely old and tired (despite musicians likeandcontinuing to make records that were anything but), created its own kinds of stylistic restraints.Thankfully, artists like Hancock were around to make any kind of compartmentalization seem not just unnecessary, but completely antithetical to the evolution of the music. When Hancock first signed with Columbia, he was still working with the Mwandishi sextet that, having released two recordings on Warner Bros.Mwandishi (1971) and Crossings (1972)signaled his move into more electronic experimentation, with the recruitment of synthesizer expert Patrick Gleeson. Those two records, coming as they did during the early days of fusion and before labels began to push artists towards making more readily accessible, user-friendly records, were particularly innovative, and additional signs that "plugging in" by no means leveled the playing field when it came to the music being made, as Hancock's sextetfeaturing bassist, drummer, trumpeter, reed/woodwind multi-instrumentalistand trombonistproved a thoroughly different alternative to McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra, Corea's, Zawinul and Shorter's Weather Report...and, of course, the electric musings of Miles Davis, from whence they all came.Sextant (1973)Hancock's first Columbia album (and last with his Mwandishi sextet)took his previous Warner Bros.' recordings to their logical conclusion, blending otherworldly electronics from Gleeson's array of early analog synths with Hancock's own growing interest in electric keyboardsemploying, in addition to the Fender Rhodes electric piano that had, by that time, become the instrument of choice for so many jazz pianists, also included the funkier-sounding Clavinet; even the tape-driven mellotron, that bastion of progressive rock music, found its way onto "Hidden Shadows," Sextant's flat-out funkiest track and a hint of things to come. But at this juncture, Hancock was still interested in acoustic timbres as well, with Williams' double bass work on the opening "Rain Dance," in concert with Hart's delicate cymbal and snare work, creating a clear line between what came before and what was to come next.The side-long "Hornets" brings it all together, Hart's high-hat-driven pulse and Hancock's funkified Clavinet pushing things forward, with Henderson, Maupin and Priester soloing in tandem, individual instruments pushing through the dense mix to the forefront for a time, only to then fall back into the weeds for another to dominate. The music possessed structure, but most often of the loosest kind, with cued segments creating both rallying points and delineators amongst Hancock's greater abstractions, as a quick passage does half-way through, leading to a heavily Echoplexed Rhodes solo that takes a sudden, dramatic turn when, suddenly, Hancock switches the echo unit off and his electric piano leaps to the forefront.Hancock had achieved plenty of personal success, right from the beginning of his solo career on Blue Note, where albums like 1962's Takin' Off garnered him a hit with the soul jazz-drenched "Watermelon Man," one of a number of tunes that he would revisit time and again over the years, including on Head Hunters (1973), his second Columbia album and first certified platinum album. But what a difference 11 years make, as Hancock's pipes create a Afro-tinged intro to a far greasier version that hides the original theme so well that it's only halfway into the six-minute piece that it is ultimately revealed.Head Hunters was the first of a series of records by the groupboth with (documented here) and without (not included) the group's erstwhile leader, and not without some personnel shifting. Its opening track, "Chameleon"a 15-minute piece of danceable funk that, nevertheless, goes through a number of stages rather than being simply a vamp-based reason to soloalso continues Hancock's interest in layering keyboards, its intro a full 90 seconds of increasingly layered motifs before saxophonist Bennie Maupin doubles the main theme with Hancock.A leaner groupessentially a reeds/keys/bass/drums group with the addition of percussionistparing down to a quintet from a sextet may have seemed a minor change, but it did make the group more fiscally viableas did its music, which became increasingly accessible. It did, however, also make the live group a much different affair than in the studio, where Hancock liberally overdubbed as many as four keyboards including, for the first time, two ARP synthesizers that would define the sound of his electric music for the next few years (along with a rapidly growing arsenal of additional keys). With a much-abbreviated, single edit of "Chameleon" a hit and Hancock's Head Hunters hitting the road extensively (with Mike Clarke replacing original drummerbut the rest of the group, including bassistintact), the release of Thrust the following year might have suggested that Hancock's focus was, at the time, as monolithic as his peers, but nothing could have been further from the truth.While Thrust did, indeed, continue the Head Hunters formula for a more accessible, groove-driven concept than Mwandishialso introducing tunes like "Butterfly" that Hancock would continue to revisit over the years, as recently as Dis is Da Drum (Mercury, 1994)the same year Hancock was enlisted for two projects: one that was released in North America and demonstrated even greater breadth than his past discography, and a second, released here for the first time, that proved how, even as he was spending considerable time in electrified environs, Hancock had by no means deserted acoustic music.While the members of Head Hunters played an important role in Hancock's score to the Charles Bronson flick Death Wish (1975), this was definitely soundtrack music. While the main title theme was redolent of the groove-centric arena carved out by the Head Hunters, there was also considerable orchestrationsome done by Hancock, others by Jerry Petersthat suggested another side to Hancock's potential. And while some of the score served as incidental thematic music, Hancock's pianosacoustic and electricoften acted as the cornerstone around which much of it was built, though tracks like "Rich Country" are purely cinematic.The real revelation, however, is Dedication (1974), solo album recorded and released in Japan when Hancock was in the midst of touring with the Head Hunters. Beyond this being Hancock's first attempt at a completely solo album, it's notable for his equal division between acoustic and electric music. What was the first side of the original vinyl was solo acoustic piano, with just two tracks: an atmospheric and, at times, downright ethereal look at one of his early Blue Note classics, the title track to Maiden Voyage, one of a number of Hancock compositions (also including "Chameleon") to become a part of the jazz pantheon, and which he would revisit quite often; and an even longer look at "Dolphin Dance," also culled from the same Blue Note record, closing the side with similar poetry but a little firmer grounding.The second side of the album, in contrast, is a totally electronic excursion. The opening "Nobu" harkens back to his Mwandishi days, with a synth sequence underscoring Hancock's Fender Rhodes musings, while a synth bass line makes clear that Hancock's new look at "Cantaloupe Island"first heard on Maiden Voyage's predecessor, Empyrean Isles (Blue Note, 1964) and another tune that would ultimately become a Hancock classicwas to retain its inherent funk but, with Hancock layering Rhodes, String Ensemble, Clavinet and three ARP synths along with a variety of effects, in a much more ambitious fashion as, over the course of nearly 14 minutes, Hancock explores the tune's core premise while, at the same time, gradually moving into more electrified textures as it approaches its conclusion. The sonics are a little dated, but in some ways act as a very early predecessor to the keyboardist's "Plugged In" solo performance at Germany's 2012 Enjoy Jazz Festival.From there, Hancock's career diverged significantly, with 1976's V.S.O.P. both a consolidation of sortswith acoustic music from the V.S.O.P. Quintet, eclectic electric music from the reformed Mwandishi, and an even more dance-friendly Head Hunters with the addition of guitarists Wah Wah Watson and Ray Parker Jr.and a clear statement of intent: Hancock was not, in any way, going to be constrained by label demands or those of the media. Instead, he was going to go his own way, whether it was the vocal funk of Magic Windows, where his Vocodered voice is eerily prescient of today's Auto Tuned vocals, the solo acoustic piano musings of The Piano, the standards and post-bop originals-based Quintet (1983), featuring a 19 year-oldand recorded just one day after Hancock recorded his second trio record with Carter and Williams, Herbie Hancock Trio with Ron Carter + Tony Williams in July, 1981. That Hancock had both the freedom and major label support to pursue these many avenues, all within the space of just a year or twoa timeframe within which other recordings like Mr. Hands, Kimiko Kasai With Herbie Hancock: Butterfly and V.S.O.P. The Quintet: Five Stars were also all recordedspoke of a time where, despite increasing label pressure, so much was still possible, though as the '80s progressed, not only was it less accepted to be releasing multiple recordings in the space of a single year, but public opinion was narrowing, making it increasingly necessary for artists to focus more exclusively on specific projects.In the case of Hancock, however, the keyboardist bucked the neo-con movement that Wynton Marsalis himself spearheaded, to release a triptych of techno-centric collaborations with Bill Laswell, beginning with 1983's Future Shocka surprising hit with the nascent MTV crowd with his video for "Rockit" that stayed on the Billboard Pop chart for 65 weeks and the R&B chart for 60 weeksand ending, five years later, with Perfect Machine, a surprisingly good record, even after nearly 30 years that, however, failed to make it onto the jazz charts and spent a paltry five weeks on the R&B charts.Clearly times had changed, though Hancock was still involved in other diverse projects, most notably the soundtrack to Round Midnight, the 1986 Bernard Tavenier film, for which Hancock won an Academy Award and star Dexter Gordon garnered a nomination for Best Actor. Hancock also released Village Life (1985), with Foday Musa Suso, after first collaborating with him on Perfect Machine's 1984 follow-up, Sound-System. But with these albums, his tenure with Columbia was over, and while Hancock would continue to tour and guest on other recordings, his own output slowed down considerably. A full six years passed before he next released the very retro A Tribute to Miles (Qwest), which reunited V.S.O.P. in all but name but with a youngreplacing Freddie Hubbard, but the same year Hancock also released Dis is Da Drum, which demonstrated that his eclectic electric disposition remained intact.Since then there have been precious few recordings, with only seven albums released between 1995 and 2010. After a massive 31 recordings in the 17 years between 1972 and 1988, this slowdown is a clear disappointment for Hancock fans, though when he has released a record, regardless of its style and content it has typically been well-received. As Hancock nears 75 in 2015 but with no new album in sight, hopefully there will be some celebratory activity, but in the meantime, now's a perfect time to dig deep into The Complete Columbia Albums Collection 1972-1988, a rich set that documents Hancock's busiestand broadestperiod of activity, both in the studio and on the road.Tracks and Personnel:Sextant (1973)Tracks: Rain Dance; Hidden Shadows; Hornets.Personnel: Mwandishi Herbie Hancock: Fender Rhodes electric piano with Maestro Echoplex (1), hand clap (1), Fender Rhodes electric piano (2, 3), Hohner D6 Clavinet w/ Fender Fuzz-wah and Maestro Echoplex (2, 3); Mganga Eddie Henderson: trumpet (1), flugelhorn (2, 3); Pepo Julian Priester: trombone (1, 2), cowbell (2), alto trombone (3); Mwile Bennie Maupin: soprano saxophone (1), bass clarinet (2, 3), piccolo (3), Afuche (3), Hum-A-Zoo (3); Mchezaji Buster Williams: bass (1), electric bass (2), electric bass w/ wah-wah and fuzz (3); Jabali Billy Hart: drums; Patrick Gleeson: ARP 2600, ARP Soloist; Fundi: random resonator (1); Buck Clarke: bongos (2), congas (2).Head Hunters (1973)Tracks: Chameleon; Watermelon Man; Sly; Vein Melter.Personnel: Herbie Hancock: Fender Rhodes electric piano, Hohner D6 Clavinet, ARP Odyssey, ARP Soloist, pipes; Bennie Maupin: alto flute, soprano saxophone, saxello, tenor saxophone, bass clarinet; Paul Jackson: electric bass, marimbula; Harvey Mason: drums; Bill Summers: congas, shekere, balafon, agogo, cabasa, hindewho, tambourine, log drum, surdo, gankoqui, beer bottle.Dedication (1974) (Japan)Tracks: Maiden Voyage; Dolphin Dance; Nobu; Cantaloupe Island.Personnel : Herbie Hancock: piano (1, 2), Fender Rhodes electric piano (3, 4), ARP Pro Soloist (3, 4), ARP Odyssey (3, 4), ARP Keyboard Model 3604 (3, 4), ARP Model 2600 (3, 4), ARP PE-IV String Ensemble (3, 4), Hohner Clavinet D6 (3, 4), Maestro Echoplex (3, 4), Shure Reverberation Mixer (3, 4).Thrust (1974)Tracks: Palm Grease; Actual Proof; Butterfly; Spank-A-Lee.Personnel: Herbie Hancock: Fender Rhodes electric piano, Hohner D6 Clavinet, ARP Odyssey, ARP Soloist, ARP String Ensemble; Bennie Maupin: alto fl, ss, saxello, ts, bcl; Paul Jackson: el-b; Mike Clark: d; Bill Summers: perc.Death Wish (1974)Tracks: Death Wish (Main Title); Joanna's Theme; Do A Thing; Paint Her Mouth; Rich Country; Suite Revenge: Striking Back, Riverside Park, The Alley, Last Stop, 8th Avenue Station; Ochoa Knose; Party People; Fill Your Hand.Personnel: Performed by members of the Head Hunters: Herbie Hancock, Bennie Maupin, Paul Jackson, Mike Clark, and Bill Summers, plus Wah Wah Watson and other L.A. studio musicians and unidentified orchestra. Tracks 1, 2, 5 and 6b arranged by Jerry Peters.Flood (1975) (Japan)Tracks: Introduction/Maiden Voyage; Actual Proof; Spank-A-Lee; Watermelon Man; Butterfly; Chameleon; Hang Up Your Hang Ups.Personnel: Herbie Hancock: piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano, Yamaha electric grand piano, Hohner D6 Clavinet, ARP Odyssey, ARP Soloist, ARP String Ensemble; Bennie Maupin: flute, soprano saxophone saxello, tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, flute, percussion; Blackbird McKnight: guitar; Paul Jackson: electric bass; Mike Clark: drums; Bill Summers: percussion.Man-Child (1975)Tracks: Hang Up Your Hang Ups; Sun Touch; The Traitor; Bubbles; Steppin' In It; Heartbeat.Personnel: Herbie Hancock: piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano, ARP Odyssey, ARP Pro Soloist, ARP 2600, ARP String Ensemble, Hohner D6 Clavinet, Oberheim Polyphonic; Wayne Shorter: soprano saxophone; Bennie Maupin (alto and bass flute, soprano saxophone, saxello, tenor saxophone, bass clarinet; Stevie Wonder: harmonica; Wah Wah Watson: guitar, voice bag, Maestro Universal Synthesizer System, Maestro Sample and Hold Unit; Blackbird McKnight: guitar; David T. Walker: guitar; Paul Jackson: electric bass; Louis Johnson: electric bass; Henry Davis: electric bass; Mike Clark: drums, Harvey Mason: drums, James Gadson: drums, Bill Summers: percussion; Bud Brisbois: trumpet; Jay DaVersa: trumpet; Garnett Brown: trombone; Dick Hyde: bass trombone, tuba; Ernie Watts: flute, saxophones; Jim Horn: flute, saxophones.Secrets (1976)Tracks: Doin' It; People Music; Cantaloupe Island; Spider; Gentle Thoughts; Swamp Rat; Sansho Shima.Personnel: Herbie Hancock: piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano, Yamaha electric grand piano, ARP Odyssey, ARP String Ensemble, Hohner D6 Clavinet, Micromoog, Oberheim Polyphonic, Echoplex; Wah Wah Watson: electric bass (1), lead vocals (1), voice bag, guitar (2-7), Maestro Universal Synthesizer System (2-7), Maestro Sample and Hold Unit (2-7); James Gadson: drums (1), background vocals (1); Ray Parker, Jr: background vocals (1), guitar (2-7); Art Baldacci: background vocals (1); Fred Dobbs: background vocals (1); Don Kerr: background vocals (1); Chris Mancini: background vocals (1); Paul Jackson: electric bass (2-7); James Levi: drums (2-7); Kenneth Nash: percussion (2-7).V.S.O.P. (1977)CD1: Piano Introduction; Maiden Voyage; Nefertiti; Introduction of Players/The Eye of the Hurricane. CD2: Toys; Introductions; You'll Know When You Get There; Hang Up Your Hang Ups; Spider.Personnel: Mwandishi Herbie Hancock: Yamaha electric grand piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano (CD2), Hohner D6 Clavinet (CD2), ARP Odyssey (CD2#4-5), ARP String Ensemble (CD2#4-5), Micromoog (CD2#4-5), Oberheim Polyphonic (CD2#4-5), Echoplex (CD2#4-5), Countryman Phase Shifter (CD2#4-5), Cry Baby Wah Wah (CD2#4-5); Freddie Hubbard: trumpet (CD1#1-4); Wayne Shorter: soprano and tenor saxophones (CD1#1-4); Ron Carter: bass (CD1#1-4); Tony Williams: drums (CD1#1-4); Mganga Eddie Henderson: trumpet (CD2#1-3), flugelhorn (CD2#1-3), effects (CD2#1-3); Pepo Julian Priester: trombone (CD2#1-3), bass trombone (CD2#1-3); Mwile Bennie Maupin: alto flute (CD2#1-3), soprano saxophone (CD2#4-5), tenor saxophone (CD2#4-5), Lyricon (CD2#4-5); Mchezaji Buster Williams: bass (CD2#1-3); Jabali Billy Hart: drums(CD2#1-3); Wah Wah Watson: guitar (CD2#4-5), Maestro Universal Synthesizer System (CD2#4-5), Maestro Sample and Hold Unit (CD2#4-5), voice bag (CD2#4-5); Ray Parker Jr.: guitar (CD2#4-5); Paul Jackson: electric bass (CD2#4-5); James Levi: drums (CD2#4-5); Kenneth Nash: percussion (CD2#4-5).The Herbie Hancock Trio (1977) (Japan)Tracks: Watch It; Speak Like a Child; Watcha Waitin' For; Look (aka "Harvest Time"); Milestones.Personnel: Herbie Hancock: piano; Ron Carter: bass; Tony Williams: drums.V.S.O.P.: The Quintet (1977)Tracks: One of a Kind; Third Plane; Jessica; Lawra; Darts; Dolores; Little Waltz; Byrdlike.Personnel: Herbie Hancock: piano; Freddie Hubbard: trumpet; Wayne Shorter: soprano and tenor saxophones; Ron Carter: bass; Tony Williams: drums.V.S.O.P.: Tempest in the Colosseum (1977) (Japan)Tracks: The Eye of the Hurricane; Diana; Eighty-One; Maiden Voyage; Lawra; Red Clay.Personnel: Herbie Hancock: piano; Freddie Hubbard: trumpet; Wayne Shorter: soprano and tenor saxophones; Ron Carter: bass; Tony Williams: drums.An Evening With Herbie Hancock & Chick Corea In Concert (1978)Tracks: CD1: Someday My Prince Will Come; Liza; Button Up. CD2: Introduction of Herbie Hancock by Chick Corea; February Moment; Maiden Voyage; La Fiesta.Personnel: Herbie Hancock: piano; Chick Corea: piano.Sunlight (1978)Tracks: I Thought It Was You; Come Running To Me; Sunlight; No Means Yes; Good Question.Personnel: Herbie Hancock: Yamaha Polyphonic, ARP 2600, Oberheim Polyphonic, ARP String Ensemble, Prophet-5, Micromoog, Hohner D6 Clavinet, ARP Odyssey, Minimoog, Polymoog, Yamaha CP-30, p, E-MU Polyphonic Keyboard, Fender Rhodes electric piano, Sennheiser Vocoder VSM 201, vocals, brass, woodwinds and string arrangements (1-3); Bobby Bryant: trumpet (1-3); Bobby Shew: trumpet (1-3); Garnett Brown: trombone (1-3); Maurice Spears: trombone (1-3); Fred Jackson, Jr.: woodwinds (1-3); Ernie Watts: woodwinds (1-3); David Riddles: woodwinds (1-3); Jack Nimitz: woodwinds (1-3); Terry Adams: strings (1-3); Nathan Rubin: strings (1-3); Lawrence Granger: strings (1-3); Roy Malan: strings (1-3); Linda Wood: strings (1-3); Emily Van Valkenburgh: strings (1-3); Wah Wah Watson: guitar (1); Ray Parker Jr.: guitar (1, 3); Byron Miller: bass (1); Leon "Ndugu" Chandler: drums (1); Raul Rekow: congas (1, 2, 4, 5); Paul Jackson: bass (2-4); James Levi: drums (2, 3); Baba Duru: tabla (2); Bennie Maupin: soprano saxophone (3); Bill Summers: percussion (3-5); Harvey Mason: drums (4); Jaco Pastorius: electric bass (5); Tony Williams: drums (5); Patrick Gleeson: additional synthesizers (5).Feets Don't Fail Me Now (1979)You Bet Your Love; Trust Me; Ready Or Not; Tell Everybody (Disco version); Honey From The Jar; Knee Deep; Tell Everybody (Original album version).Personnel: Herbie Hancock: keyboards, lead and background voc, Vocoder; Ray Obiedo: guitar; Eddie Watkins: electric bass; James Gadson: drums; Bill Summers: percussion; Julia Tillman Waters: background vocals; Maxine Willard Waters: background vocals; Oren Waters: background vocals; Luther Waters: background vocals; James Levi: drums (2, 6); Ray Parker, Jr.: guitar (3), drums (3); Coke Escovedo: timbales (3); Sheila Escovedo: congas (3); Bennie Maupin: soprano saxophone (6); Wah Wah Watson: guitar (6); Freddie Washington: electric bass (6); Brian Davis: percussion (6); Gordon Bahary: synthesizer programming (6).Direct Step (1979)Tracks: Butterfly; Shiftless Shuffle; I Thought It Was You.Personnel: Herbie Hancock: Fender Rhodes electric piano, Hohner D6 Clavinet, Oberheim, Prophet-5, Yamaha CS-80, Minimoog, vocals, Sennheiser Vocoder; Bennie Maupin: soprano saxophone Lyricion; Ray Obiedo: guitar; Webster Lewis: Hammond B-3 organ, Prophet-5, Yamaha CS-80, ARP String Ensemble, Multimoog synth, Fender Rhodes electric piano, background vocals; Paul Jackson: electric bass; Alphonse Mouzon: drums; Bill Summers: percussion.The Piano (1979 Japan; 2004 USA)Tracks: My Funny Valentine; On Green Dolphin Street; Someday My Prince Will Come; Harvest Time; Sonrisa; Manhattan Island; Blue Otani; My Funny Valentine (alt tk); On Green Dolphin Street (alt tk); Someday My Prince Will Come (alt tk); Harvest Time (alt tk).Personnel: Herbie Hancock: piano.V.S.O.P. The Quintet: Live Under the SkyTracks: CD1: Opening; The Eye of the Hurricane; Tear Drop; Domo; Para Oriente; Pee Wee; One of Another Kind; Fragile. CD2: Opening; The Eye of the Hurricane; Tear Drop; Domo; Para Oriente; Pee Wee; One of Another Kind; Fragile; Stella By Starlight; On Green Dolphin Street.Personnel: Herbie Hancock: piano; Freddie Hubbard: trumpet, flugelhorn; Wayne Shorter: soprano and tenor saxophones; Ron Carter: bass; Tony Williams: drums.V.S.O.P. The Quintet: Five Stars (1979) (Japan)Tracks: Skagly (original LP version); Finger Painting (original LP version); Mutants On The Beach; Circe; Skagly (CD version); Finger Painting (CD version).Personnel: Herbie Hancock: piano; Freddie Hubbard: trumpet, flugelhorn; Wayne Shorter: tenor saxophone; Ron Carter: bass; Tony Williams: drums.Kimiko Kasai with Herbie Hancock: Butterfly (1979) (Japan)Tracks: I Thought It Was You; Tell Me a Bedtime Story; Head in the Clouds; Maiden Voyage; Harvest Time; Sunlight; Butterfly; As.Personnel: Kimiko Kasai: vocals, background vocals; Herbie Hancock: piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano, Oberheim, Prophet-5, Yamaha CS-80, Minimoog, ARP String Ensemble, Hohner D6 Clavinet, Sennheiser Vocoder, background vocals; Bennie Maupin: soprano and tenor saxophones; Ray Obiedo: guitar; Webster Lewis: piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano, Hammond B-3 organ, Yamaha CS-40, Prophet-5, Multimoog, ARP String Ensemble; Paul Jackson: bass; Alphonse Mouzon: drums; Bill Summers: percussions; Mari Kaneko: background vocals; Yuka Kamebuchi: background vocals.Monster (1980)Tracks: Saturday Night; Stars in Your Eyes; Go For It; Don't Hold It In; Making Love; It All Comes Round.Personnel: Herbie Hancock: piano, E-MU Polyphonic Keyboard, Clavitar, Waves Minimoog, Prophet-5, Oberheim 8 Voice, Yamaha CS-80, ARP 2600, Hohner D6 Clavinet, Rhodes 88 Suitcase piano, Steiner EVI, Sennheiser Vocoder, WLM Organ, Linn-Moffett Drum, Modified Apple II Plus Microcomputer, Roland CR-70; Wah Wah Watson: guitar; Freddie Washington: electric bass; Alphonse Mouzon: drums, synthesizer (3); Sheila Escovedo: percussion; Julia Waters: background vocals; Maxine Water: background vocals; Luther Waters, Oren Waters: background vocals; Devadip Carlos Santana: guitar (1); Greg Walker; lead vocals (1, 5); Ray Parker Jr.: guitar (2); Gavin Christopher: lead vocals (2, 4); Oren Waters: lead vocals (3); Randy Hansen: guitar (4, 6); Bill Champlain: lead and background vocals (6).Mr. Hands (1980)Tracks: Spiraling Prism; Calypso; Just Around the Corner; 4 A.M.; Shiftless Shuffle; Textures.Personnel: Herbie Hancock: piano, Rhodes 88 suitcase electric piano, E-MU Polyphonic Keyboard, Clavitar, Waves Minimoog, Prophet-5, Oberheim 8 Voice, Yamaha CS-80, ARP 2600, Hohner D6 Clavinet, Sennheiser Vocoder, Linn-Moffett Drum, Modified Apple II Plus Microcomputer, all instruments (6); Byron Miller: electric bass (1); Leon "Ndugu" Chandler: drums (1); Bill Summers: percussion (1); Ron Carter: bass (2); Tony Williams: drums (2); Sheila Escovedo: percussion (2, 3); Wah Wah Watson: guitar (3); Freddie Washington: electric bass (3); Alphonse Mouzon: drums (3); Jaco Pastorius: electric bass (4); Harvey Mason: drums (4, 5); Bill Summers: percussion (4, 5); Bennie Maupin: tenor saxophone (5); Paul Jackson: electric bass (5).Magic Windows (1981)Tracks: Magic Number; Tonite's The Night; Everybody's Broke; Help Yourself; Satisfied With Love; The Twilight Clone.Personnel: Herbie Hancock: E-MU Polyphonic Keyboard, Clavitar, Waves Minimoog, Prophet-5, Oberheim 8 Voice, Yamaha CS-80, ARP Odyssey, ARP 2600, Hohner D6 Clavinet, Rhodes 88 suitcase electric piano, Sennheiser Vocoder, Linn Drum, Modified Apple II Plus Microcomputer, piano, background vocals (3); Ray Parker, Jr.: guitar (1, 2), drums (2); Freddie Washington: electric bass (1, 5); John Robinson: drums (1, 3); Sheila Escovedo: percussion (1); Pete Escovedo: percussion (1); Juan Escovedo: percussion (1); Sylvester: lead and background vocals (1); Jeanie Tracy: background vocals (1); Michael Brecker: tenor saxophone (2, 4); Vicki Randle: lead vocals (2), background vocals (2-4); Ngoh Spencer: background vocals (2-4); Deke Dickerson: background vocals (2-4); George Johnson: guitar (3), rhythm guitar (6); Louis Johnson: electric bass (3, 6); Gavin Christopher: lead vocals (3-5), "brass" arrangement concept (4); David Bottom: background vocals (3); Jeffrey Cohen: background vocals (3); Al McKay: guitar (4); Eddie Watkins: electric bass (4); James Gadson: drums (4); Wah Wah Watson: guitar (5); Alphonse Mouzon: drums (5); Oren Waters: background vocals (5); Luther Waters: background vocals (5); Julia Waters: background vocals (5); Maxine Waters: background vocals (5); Adrian Belew: lead guitar (6); Paulinho da Costa: percussion (6); Kwawu Ladzekpo: Ghanian drums and bells (6); Kwasi Dzidzomu: Ghanian drums and bells (6); Moody Perry III: Ghanian drums and bells (6).Herbie Hancock Trio with Ron Carter + Tony Williams (1981) (Japan)Tracks: Stablemates; Dolphin Dance; A Slight Smile; That Old Black Magic; La Maison Goree.Personnel: Herbie Hancock: piano; Ron Carter: bass; Tony Williams: drums.Quartet (1983)Tracks: Well You Needn't; Round Midnight; Clear Ways; A Quick Sketch; The Eye of the Hurricane; Parade; The Sorcerer; Pee Wee; I Fall in Love Too Easily.Personnel: Personnel: Herbie Hancock: piano; Wynton Marsalis: trumpet; Ron Carter: bass; Tony Williams: drums.Lite Me Up (1982)Tracks: Lite Me Up!; The Bomb; Getting' To The Good; Paradise; Can't Hide Your Love; The Fun Tracks; Motor Mouth; Give It All Your Heart.Personnel: Herbie Hancock (Fender Rhodes electric piano, Clavitar, Yamaha CS-80, The Source by Moog, Minimoog, Waves Minimoog, Prophet-5, ARP 2600, ARP Odyssey, E-MU Digital Keyboard, Oberheim 8-Voice, Roland Jupiter-8, Hohner D6 Clavinet, voc, Sennheiser Vocoder, Synclavier Digital, Linn Drum, piano, background vocals (1-3, 6-8), lead Vocoder vocals (3, 8), lead vocals (4, 5); David Williams: guitar (2, 3, 6-8); Louis Johnson: electric bass (1-3. 6-8); John Robinson: drums (1-3, 6-8); Jerry Hey ("The Dr. Negroidal"): trumpet (1,3, 5-8), horn arrangement (1-3, 5-8), string arrangement (1, 3, 6-8); Chuck Findley: trumpet and trombone (1,3, 5-8); Bill Reichenbach: trombone (1,3, 5-8); Gary Herbig: saxophones and woodwinds (1,3, 5-8); Larry Williams: saxophones and woodwinds (1,3, 5-8); Patti Austin: background vocals (1-3, 6-8); Jim Gilstrap: background vocals (1-3, 5-8); Paulette McWilliams: background vocals (1-3, 6-8); John Lehman: background vocals (1-3, 5-8); Edi Lehman: background vocals (1-3, 6-8); Steve Lukather: guitar (1); Wayne Anthony: lead vocals (1, 2, 6, 7); Rod Temperton: rhythm and vocal arrangement (1-3, 6-8); Michael Boddicker: additional synthesizer programming (2), synthesizer programming (3), synthesizer (6); Jay Graydon: guitar (4); David Williams: guitar (4); David Foster: piano (4), keyboard arranger (4), background vocals (4); Abraham Laboriel: electric bass (4); Jeff Porcaro: drums (4); Rick Kelly: synth programming (4); Bill Champlin: background vocals (4); Richard Page: background vocals (4); Venette Gloud: background vocals (4); Corrado Rustici: guitar (5); Randy Jackson: electric bass (5); Narada Michael Walden: drums (5), background vocal arrangement (5); Frank Martin; synthesizer (5); Sheri Payne: background vocals (5); Linda Lawrence: background vocals (5); Paulinho da Costa: percussion (6); Patrice Rushen: lead Vocoder vocals (8).Future Shock (1983)Tracks: Rockit; Future Shock; TFS; Earth Beat; Autodrive; Rough; Rockit (Mega Mix).Personnel: Herbie Hancock: Fairlight CMI (1, 4, 6), Rhodes Chroma (1, 3, 5), Sennheiser Vocoder (1), Clavitar (1), Dr. Click Rhythm Coordinator (1, 3, 4), E-MU DIgital Keyboard (1), Minimoog (1, 5), Hohner D6 Clavinert (2), Memorymoog (2), piano (3, 5). Emulator (3, 6), Yamaha CE-20 (4), Yamaha GS-1 (4, 5), alphaSyntauri (6); Bill Laswell: electric bass (1-4); Michel Beinhorn: DMX (1, 3-5), Synare Drum (1, 3-5), Minimoog programming (1), Prophet-5 (2, 6), Prophet Pro-One (2), Memorymoog programming (2-4), Shortwave (5), Minimoog (5); Grand Mixer D. ST: turntables (1, 4); Daniel Ponce: bata (1, 4); Pete Cosey: guitar (2); Sly Dunbar: drums (2), bongos (2); Dwight Jackson, Jr.: lead vocals (2); Bernard Fowler: background vocals (2).Sound System (1984)Tracks: Hardrock; Metal Beat; Karabali; Junku; People Are Changing; Sound-System; Metal Beat (Extended version).Personnel: Herbie Hancock: Fairlight CMI (1-4, 6), Rhodes Chroma (1, 4), Apple IIe (1), Yamaha DX7 (1, 2, 4-6), E-MU 4060 Digital Keyboard (1), piano (3-5), keyboards (6); Will Alexander: Fairlight CMI (1, 2), Fairlight CMI programming (3, 6, 7), Memorymoog (4), Clavinet (5, 6); Rob Stevens: XMD (1, 4), Praxis processing (4); Nicky Skopelitis: guitar (1, 6); Henry Kaiser: guitar (1, 2, 7); Bill Laswell: electric bass (1, 4, 6), DMX (1, 2, 4, 6), tapes (1, 4), Shortwave (2); Anton Fier: Simmons drums (1, 2, 6, 7), sound plates (1, 2, 6, 7), culca (1), cymbals (2, 7), gongs (2, 7), TR-808 (5), wood block (5), percussion (5), Synare Drum (6), tympani (6); Grand Mixer D. ST: turntables (1, 2, 6, 7), FX (7); Daniel Ponce; bata (1); Wayne Shorter: Lyricon (2, 7), soprano saxophone (2); Foday Musa Suso: dusunguni (2, 4), balaphone (2), kora (4, 6), kalimba (4), guitar (6), talking drum (6); Alyb Dieng: talking drum (2, 4, 6, 7), chatan (2, 4, 6, 7), bells (2, 6, 7), don don (4), cowbell (4); Bernard Fowler: voice (2, 7), vocals (3, 5), vocal arrangement (3, 5); Hamid Drake: cymbals (3, 6); Daniel Ponce: bata (3), bells (3), shekere (3); Toshinori Kondo: trumpet (6), speaker (7).Herbie Hancock and Foday Musa Suso: Village Life (1985)Tracks: Moon; Ndan Ndan Nyaria; Early Warning; Kanatente.Personnel: Herbie Hancock: Yamaha DX-1 Digital, Yamaha RX11 Digital Drum Machine; Foday Musa Suso: kora, talking drum.Round Midnight / Original Soundtrack (1986)Tracks: Round Midnight; Body and Soul; Berengere's Nightmare; Fair Weather; Una Noche Con Francis; The Peacocks; How Long Has This Been Going On?; Rhythm-A-Ning; Still Time; Minuit A Champs Elysses; Chan's Song.Personnel: Herbie Hancock: piano (1-7, 9-11); Ron Carter: bass (1, 8, 11); Tony Willams: drums (1, 8, 11); Bobby McFerrin: vocals (1, 11); Dexter Gordon: tenor saxophone (2, 5, 7-9); John McLaughlin: guitar (2, 3); Pierre Michelot: bass (2-7, 9); Billy Higgins: drums (2-7, 9); Chet Baker: trumpet (4), vocals (4); Wayne Shorter: tenor saxophone (5), soprano saxophone (6); Bobby Hutcherson: vibraphone (5, 10); Lonette McKee: vocals (7); Freddie Hubbard: trumpet (8); Cedar Walton: piano (8).Perfect Machine (1988)Tracks: Perfect Machine; Obession; Vibe Alive; Beat Wise; Maiden Voyage / P Bop; Chemical Residue; Vibe Alive (Extended Dance Mix); Beat Wise (12" Edit).Personnel: Herbie Hancock: Apple/Mac Plus, Yamaha DX-1, Yamaha DX-7, Yamaha DZ7llFD, Kurzweil K-250, Fairlight Series II, Fairlight Series III, Akai 900-S Sampler, Roland Super Jupiter, Rhodes Chroma, Oberheim Matrix 12, Yamaha TX 8/16, Sennheiser Vocoder, piano; Jeff Bova: synthesizer programming; William "Bootsy" Collins: electric bass, Sennheiser Vocoder; Mico Wave: Minimoog bass, Talk Box, Sennheiser Vocoder; Nicky Skopelitis: Fairlight Drums; DS.T: turntables, FX; Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonner: vocals.