Herbie Hancock Complete Columbia Box

[jazzbo]

If Warner Bros have dropped such plans (Mwandishi box), why don't they license the tapes to someone who's willing and able to use them in an honourable way?

And who might that be? Possibilities look slim. Mosaic? Rhino Handmade?

[phunkey]

Great to stumble across this thread! I thought I'd chime in...

How come every single alternate take and unreleased track Miles Davis did in that time period has been documented and released in these gorgeous multi-disc box sets, but all we have of Hancock are single disc reissues (mostly LP's that were never hard to find anyway, I think they even reissued Dedication and Flood?) and a 4-disc Columbia/Legacy box which was nothing but an extended "Best Of" compilation?

Where are those extended jams that molded the raw "Spook Who Sat By The Door" tracks into "Actual Proof" on Thrust, the rehearsal sessions where Mike Clark taught Hancock funky licks on the Clavinet (that's coming from the man himself, as hard to believe that is...), the unreleased gems left in the vaults like Miles' "Ghetto Walk" etc., etc.?

Well, at least there's a book coming out about the Mwandishi years. There was supposed to be a book about the Headhunters sessions, but I don't think it ever came to fruition.

The situation with Miles and Herbie is completely different. To my knowledge, Sony Columbia has all master tapes of Miles as well as the publishing rights to posthumously release anything as they see fit. In the case of Herbie, however, pretty much all masters are in his own possession and Sony has not only to persuade Herbie to do a Head Hunters box or similar, they also need to shell out substantial dosh to make it happen. But of course there's loads of unreleased material sitting in Herbie's North Hollywood home, including the master tapes of all 8 tracks recorded for the Head Hunters album, the complete Spook Who Sat By The Door soundtrack (not the rip-off which is for sale now), and virtually everything else Herbie recorded between Crossings and Perfect Machine.

There is a book available about the Head Hunters sessions, although it does not really talk about the recording process as such (see below). It rather speaks to musicologists than avid Herbie fans. Bob Gluck's Mwandishi book will be out next year and definitely is worth picking up a copy.

The Complete Herbie Hancock & The Headhunters Live/Studio RECORDINGS (1973-1975) is what I've been desperately waiting for the past 20 years.

The Complete Columbia box originally set out as a Head Hunters Legacy box which was later abandoned by Sony. That may happen sometime in the future, but I doubt there will ever be anything like a Complete Herbie Hancock & The Headhunters box, even only studio music.

If Warner Bros have dropped such plans (Mwandishi box), why don't they license the tapes to someone who's willing and able to use them in an honourable way?

No interest in projects of yesteryear, and no monetary demand either. Besides, the master tapes are in Herbie's possession and, as far as I know, Warner's publishing rights have since elapsed.

A copy of this was on my doorstep at noon - seems to be nicely done, on first sight.

The book has been available for some years now and essentially is an edited version of the author's doctoral thesis. This explains the typological focus of this book (read: endless deliberations about finding the most adequate term for the music...jazz-funk, fusion, etc.) at the expense of a closer look at the actual recording process, as for example Ashley Khan has done in his books on Miles and Trane. In my opinion, the Mwandishi book to be published next year is a more interesting and intriguing read.

Edited December 25, 2010 by phunkey

[mikeweil]

In my opinion, the Mwandishi book to be published next year is a more interesting and intriguing read.

Please keep us informed - I will certainly get me a copy.

[Sundog]

So was this set actually ever issued? I preordered at Amazon, and after much delay they finally cancelled my order indicated the set was no longer available. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

[Daniel A]

According to a guy I know at Sony, it has been pushed back indefinitely.

[Sundog]

According to a guy I know at Sony, it has been pushed back indefinitely.

Thanks for the info. Keeping my fingers crossed.

[jazzbo]

Now up on amazon. less than 190.

[king ubu]

106 € on amazon.de

and a cool cover, too:

[bogdan101]

Thanks for the tip; I hit preorder now and think about it later. It came to about 102 euro shipped to Canada.

Edited September 26, 2013 by bogdan101

[king ubu]

Pre-ordered one, too ... not sure I really need all of it, even more so as I have what I guess are the most essential ones (Sextant, Headhunters, Thrust) and a couple of others, too ... but hey, it's closing time!

[erwbol]

Thanks for the tip; I hit preorder now and think about it later. It came to about 102 euro shipped to Canada.

Same here. This set contains enough interesting music.

[Sundog]

I'm in at $187.32. It was $221 about a week ago on amazon.

[shaft]

Wow - almost a shame I have all of it on CD and a lot on Vinyl.

The Flood and Directstep albums are great and some of the later stuff is pretty cool too if you don't expect jazz.

[sidewinder]

Waiting with baited breath to see what price Amazon UK will offer it at..

[David Ayers]

Waiting with baited breath to see what price Amazon UK will offer it at..

I'm hardly bated but what I am hoping for is an accidental slip on the download price....

[felser]

Those Columbia boxes often do come down substantially in price, but it might take a year or two.

[erwbol]

Except once they go out of print.

[bogdan101]

Cancelled my order for this after sampling some of the contents... From Empyrean Isles to Monster to Future Shock, what a shocking trajectory!

[erwbol]

From samples, the eighties pop material was so awful it's funny, but the seventies funky stuff was interesting. I primarily want to own all the acoustic material from the seventies/early eighties. At the moment I only have The Piano in my collection (I lost my copy of 2004's Live Under The Sky).

[shaft]

Cancelled my order for this after sampling some of the contents... From Empyrean Isles to Monster to Future Shock, what a shocking trajectory!

Told you so - It's not Jazzy but there is always a Groove in Herbie's work;-.)

Future Shock was kind of cool when it came out - we had heard nothing like it ;-)

[erwbol]

They should include a Herbie space suit action figure with guitar shoulder synth modeled on that photo to complete the set.

[shaft]

They should include a Herbie space suit action figure with guitar shoulder synth modeled on that photo to complete the set.

+1

[felser]

Except once they go out of print.

But then they come back in print cheaply. See: Woody Shaw, Mahavishnu Orchestra.

[jazzbo]

Though both of those are of a different series.

[felser]

Don't think so, they're "Complete Columbia Albums Collection".