Herbie Hancock, River: The Joni Letters


Having read favorable comments on this disc in the likes of Hi Fi+, I purchased this cd over the weekend. What a huge disappointment! This recording is compressed to a significant degree and even worse is a spitty/crackly sound to the vocals and some of the spot miked instruments. It sounds like a poor cable connection or bad pot in the mixing/monitor console. I have not tried to play it on my truck cd/stereo to find if it is any more listenable.

I would be interested to hear if anyone else is similarily disappointed with the sonics of this disc. BTW, it sounds really bad on both of my home systems.
rhljazz

Showing 4 responses by detlof

The sonics are lousy, the singing compared to Joni's original is uninspired and artificial and HH has gone completely commercial. That, for what it is worth, is my view on this. To me it was a huge disappointment in every respect, sonically as well as artistically.
I still think it is contrived, not even brilliantly, but rather highbrow mainstream, what the so called expert critics like, there is not gut feeling in it, nothing to get under your skin, just tickles your grey matter a bit to be soon forgotten after that. If that is "jazz", well you can safely forget about it, because all real life has been driven out of it. Perhaps you younger folks don't know any better. Just the very personal, fiercly unhumble opinion of an old curmudgeon.
Happy listening,
Abucktwoeighty,
52? Well, then just you wait a while until you get to my state of mind. You'll find that you can have lots of fun under the guise of senility!(;
Cheers,
Abucktwoeighty,
As a matter of fact, once you're senile, it does not matter which is which. Main thing your hearing is still good!