Editor’s Note: From Albumism’s inception back in 2016, we’ve remained unabashedly and unequivocally passionate about our mission of celebrating the world's love affairs with albums past, present and future.

But while our devotion to the album as an art form has remained steadfast, as evidenced by our deepening repository of individual album tributes and reviews, we’ve admittedly seldom taken the opportunity to explicitly articulate our reverence for the virtues of artists’ complete album repertoires as a whole.

Hence why we’ve decided to showcase what we believe to be the most dynamic discographies of all time in this recurring series. In doing so, we hope to better understand the broader creative context within which our most beloved individual albums exist, while acknowledging the full breadth of their creators’ artistry, career arcs, and overall contributions to the ever-evolving musical landscape.

We hope you enjoy this series and be sure to check here periodically for the latest installments.

HERBIE HANCOCK

Jazz artists have a reputation for being aloof and stodgy, stuck in their ways and taking themselves entirely too seriously. Few have embraced change as readily and enthusiastically as Herbie Hancock or had as much fun while doing so. As a pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer, he’s been in just about every stage of jazz music’s development in the past 60 years. And he’s earned legendary status all the while.

Hailing from Chicago, Hancock got his start playing with Donald Byrd, soon signing with the famed Blue Note Records and releasing Takin’ Off (1962), a strikingly mature album that featured the track “Watermelon Man,” which would become a jazz standard. His skill attracted the attention of Miles Davis, who enlisted him for his second and most famous incarnation of his Jazz Quintet, which backed Davis on some of his best albums in the mid to late ’60s.

While with Blue Note, Hancock became an accomplished solo artist of his own, releasing ambitious and conceptual hard-bop masterpieces like Empyrean Isles (1964) and Maiden Voyage (1965), as well as projects that promoted positivity and social change, like Speak Like a Child (1968) and The Prisoner (1969).

After leaving Blue Note for Warner Bros. Records, Hancock stretched his creative legs even further, going from the soul and funk influenced Fat Albert Rotunda (1969) to abstract, ethereal forays into jazz fusion like Mwandashi (1971) and Crossings (1972). After heading to Columbia Records and releasing the experimental Sextant (1973), he decided to ground himself with the “lighter” Head Hunters (1973). The latter become one of his most-embraced projects, as it was the first jazz album to be certified platinum. For a time, Head Hunters was the best-selling jazz album of all time.

Though jazz purists often look down on the period from mid ’70s to ’80s, Hancock recorded some of the best fusion albums ever during this era, including Secrets (1976) and Mr. Hands (1980). He continued to use synthesizers and pioneered into the area of electronic music. He experienced another career resurgence with Future Shock (1983), which earned him acclaim and awards. The lead single “Rockit” featured hip-hop and electro grooves, as well as a trio of DJs providing scratches. It’s hard to imagine many other classic jazz musicians being bold enough to move in that direction.

Even in the 21st century, Hancock continues to innovate. River: The Joni Letters (2007), his dedication to the music of Joni Mitchell, won the GRAMMY Award for Album of the Year. His follow-up, The Imagine Project (2010), featured collaborations with artists like P!nk, John Legend, Los Lobos, and Dave Matthews.

Recently, Hancock has aligned himself with members of Los Angeles’ vibrant jazz and beat scene. Though he hasn’t released an album in over a decade, there’s still talk of full-length albums produced by Terrace Martin, one of the architects of rapper Kendrick Lamar’s sound. If the project does come to fruition, I imagine it will be as fearless and iconoclastic as anything that Hancock has released before.

Jesse’s 3 Favorite Herbie Hancock Albums of All Time:

1. Secrets (1976)
2. Empyrean Isles (1964)
3. Head Hunters (1973)

VISIT Herbie Hancock’s Official Site

LISTEN & WATCH: