Herbie Hancock unseals "Letters" to Joni

09/17/2007 1:59 PM, Reuters
Dan Ouellette

Jazz pianist Herbie Hancock dives into the Joni Mitchell songbook on his new album, "River: The Joni Letters," due in stores September 25.

Mitchell herself sings on a new version of "The Tea Leaf Prophecy." Coincidentally, she will release her Starbucks debut, "Shine," on the same day.

Other guests on Hancock's Verve Records set include Tina Turner on "Edith and the Kingpin," Leonard Cohen on "The Jungle Line," Norah Jones on "Court and Spark," Corinne Bailey Rae on "River" and Luciana Souza on "Amelia." Hancock is flanked on the albums by such veteran musicians as Wayne Shorter, Dave Holland, Vinnie Colaiuta and Lionel Loueke.

Hancock and Mitchell previously worked together on the latter's 1979 album, "Mingus," on which Shorter also played. The new project also includes Shorter's "Nefertiti" and the Duke Ellington standard "Solitude."

Reuters/Billboard