Inventions & Dimensions

after recently winning a 2008 grammy award for album of the year for his River: The Joni Letters, Herbie Hancock is on a lot of people's minds. although this album has gotten mixed reviews from critics, there's no denying that he is one of the most influential jazz musicians alive.

i first learned of him when i was obsessed with Miles Davis in college. Hancock was the pianist for Davis' "second great quintet" (and my favorite) where he played alongside Wayne Shorter (saxophone), Ron Carter (bass), and Tony Williams (drums). i quickly went into a "Herbie Hancock phase," getting my hands on as much of his music as possible.

yesterday i was working on my "Succotash Soup with Garlicky Cornbread Croutons" recipe, and i needed a little inspiration. so i went to iTunes and looked up "succotash." Hancock has a song entitled "Succotash" on his Inventions & Dimensions (1963). i listened to a snippet of that song then quickly bought the whole album.

it's the best piece of music that i have purchased in a long time.