The Herbie Hancock Collection (Artist Transcriptions) [Paperback] Review

It happens that I have bought several transcription books, and the one that I do have for jazz piano ("Poinciana" by Ahmad Jamal) is transcribed in a very different way to the Herbie Hancock book.

Most of the time these other (=not the ones in this book) transcriptions are written such that the piano line is the primary part (1), multiple keyboards are combined to be played by one keyboard (2), the vocal line or any secondary instrument parts appear directly above the piano staffs and are so noted (3). Very easy to follow.

Not so for this collection. There are 7 transcriptions in 68 pages, and they are all arranged something like: Piano Intro, Melody, Trumpet Solo, Sax Solo, Piano Solo. It did have the meatier parts of the piano solos, but none of the piano line that was played underneath the solos of the secondary instruments (and in most of the songs here, the secondary instruments solo first). And for that matter, it would have been useful for the saxophone player so that these songs could be PLAYED as written and the solos for the secondary parts wouldn't have to be improvised or re-transcribed. "Watermelon Man,"for example (a 7 minute song), was castrated down to 4 pages and none of the piano solo was written down after the final statement of the head. There was even a notational error in that piece (the saxophone solo was noted as a piano solo).

This book would have been a million times more useful if the transcribers had just written down the piano line note for note all the way through and then included an extra staff on top to detail the secondary instrument solos. It would have used several more pages, but it would have been worth it at least for clarity.

Metronome marks are also missing for EVERY SINGLE SONG. It is not that much trouble to go back and calculate the metronome marks with a stop watch, but how difficult would it have been to do that as a transcriber?

This book is worth about $5 for a second hand purchase.

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Product Description:
One of American music's most gifted and eclectic artists, Hancock's talent as a pianist and composer is highlighted in these 8 note-for-note solo piano transcriptions of his performances. Includes: Autumn Leaves (Les Feuilles Mortes) * Butterfly * Cantelope Island * Dolphin Dance * Maiden Voyage * 'Round Midnight * Speak like a Child * and Watermelon Man, plus a biography.

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