The Piano is the twenty-sixth album by Herbie Hancock

Herbie Hancock

Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...

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About the Album

Like with Directstep

Direct Step

Directstep is the twenty-fourth album by Herbie Hancock.-About the Album:Directstep, released only in Japan, was one of the earliest albums ever released on CD. Webster Lewis became second keyboardist on this album in order for Hancock to handle the multiple layers of electronic texture that he...

one year before, this album was recorded in Japan. It was one of Hancock's most successful albums in Japan, perhaps because it was entirely solo piano. Hancock tackles Jazz standards such as My Funny Valentine, On Green Dolphin Street and Someday My Prince Will Come while also composing/performing four original songs.

This album was initially released in Japan, but made a release to the United States, 25 years after its initial release. In 2004, the album was released in the USA with bonus tracks.

Track listing

1. "My Funny Valentine
   My Funny Valentine
   "My Funny Valentine" is a show tune from the 1937 Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart musical Babes in Arms in which it was introduced by former child star Mitzi Green...
   
   " (Richard Rodgers
   Richard Rodgers
   Richard Charles Rodgers was an American composer of music for more than 900 songs and for 43 Broadway musicals. He also composed music for films and television. He is best known for his songwriting partnerships with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II...
   
   , Lorenz Hart
   Lorenz Hart
   Lorenz "Larry" Milton Hart was the lyricist half of the famed Broadway songwriting team Rodgers and Hart...
   
   ) - 7:41
2. "On Green Dolphin Street" (Bronislau Kaper, Ned Washington
   Ned Washington
   Ned Washington was an American lyricist.-Biography:Washington was nominated for eleven Academy Awards from 1940 to 1962...
   
   ) - 3:20
3. "Some Day My Prince Will Come
   Some Day My Prince Will Come
   "Some Day My Prince Will Come" is a popular song from Walt Disney's 1937 animated movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It was written by Larry Morey & Frank Churchill , and performed by Adriana Caselotti...
   
   " (Frank Churchill
   Frank Churchill
   Frank Churchill was an American composer of popular music for films. He wrote most of the music for Disney's 1937 movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, including "Whistle While You Work" and "Some Day My Prince Will Come"...
   
   , Larry Morey) - 4:37
4. "Harvest Time" (Hancock) - 4:47
5. "Sonrisa" (Hancock) - 3:44
6. "Manhattan Island" (Hancock) - 3:56
7. "Blue Otani" (Hancock) - 3:24
   • Bonus tracks on 2004 rerelease
8. "My Funny Valentine" (alternate) - 6:07
9. "On Green Dolphin Street" (alternate) - 4:01
10. "Someday My Prince Will Come" (alternate) - 5:13
11. "Harvest Time" (alternate) - 5:15

Recording credits

• Akira Aimi – photography
• Fred Catero – engineer, mixing
• Yasohachi "88" Itoh – production coordination
• Kazumi Kurigami – cover photo
• Keiichi Nakamura – production coordination
• Yusaku Nakanishi – art direction
• David Rubinson – producer
• Mikio Takamatsu – mastering