River: The Joni Letters
Released September 25, 2007
Recorded 2006–2007
Genre Jazz
Length 67:49
Label The Verve Music Group
Producer Herbie Hancock, Larry Klein
River: The Joni Letters is a 2007 album by jazz pianist Herbie Hancock. It is a tribute album, featuring covers of songs originally written and performed by singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell. It is Hancock’s 47th studio album. It was released on September 25, 2007 by Verve Records.
Hancock is a longtime friend of Mitchell’s, and both he and saxophonist Wayne Shorter, who plays throughout the album, had previously collaborated with Mitchell on her 1979 album Mingus, and both continued to work with her on occasion ever since.
Guest vocalists on River include Leonard Cohen, Tina Turner, Norah Jones, Corinne Bailey Rae, Luciana Souza and Mitchell herself.
The album won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 2008. It peaked at #5 on the Billboard 200 after enjoying a huge post-Grammy sales boost, at #61 in Switzerland, #70 in France and #83 in the Netherlands.
Track listing
All songs were written by Joni Mitchell, except where noted.
“Court and Spark” (featuring Norah Jones) – 7:35
“Edith and the Kingpin” (featuring Tina Turner) – 6:32
“Both Sides, Now” – 7:38
“River” (featuring Corinne Bailey Rae) – 5:25
“Sweet Bird” – 8:15
“Tea Leaf Prophecy” (featuring Joni Mitchell) (Joni Mitchell, Larry Klein) – 6:34
“Solitude” (Eddie DeLange, Duke Ellington, Irving Mills) – 5:42
“Amelia” (featuring Luciana Souza) – 7:26
“Nefertiti” (Wayne Shorter) – 7:30
“The Jungle Line” (featuring Leonard Cohen) – 5:00
Bonus tracks
The Amazon.com exclusive version of the album features two bonus tracks:
“A Case of You” – 7:36
“All I Want” (with Sonya Kitchell) – 4:15
The iTunes Store digital version features two bonus tracks:
“Harlem in Havana”
“I Had a King”
Personnel
Herbie Hancock – piano
Wayne Shorter – soprano and tenor saxophone
Dave Holland – bass
Lionel Loueke – guitar
Vinnie Colaiuta – drums
Larry Klein – bass on “All I Want”
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