The Piano (Herbie Hancock album)

The Piano
Studio album by Herbie Hancock
Released	LP: June 21, 1979 CD: 2004
Recorded	October 25–26, 1978
Studio	CBS Studios, Tokyo
Genre	Jazz
Length	LP: 31:26 CD: 52:04
Label	LP: CBS/Sony CD: Columbia
Producer	David Rubinson Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock chronology
Feets, Don't Fail Me Now (1979) The Piano (1979) Monster (1980)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Tom Hull	B [2]

The Piano is the twenty-first album by Herbie Hancock.

About the Album

As with Directstep (recorded one week previously), this album was recorded, and originally only released, in Japan. It was one of Hancock's most successful albums in Japan, perhaps because it was entirely solo piano. Hancock tackles jazz standards such as "My Funny Valentine", "On Green Dolphin Street" and "Some Day My Prince Will Come" while also performing four original compositions.

This album was initially released exclusively in Japan and first issued there on CD in 1983. In 2004, over 25 years after its recording, the album was released with four additional alternate takes of the same session. It was the first and only (until 2014) of Hancock's Japanese releases available internationally.

Track listing

• CBS/Sony – 30AP 1033 ^[3]

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"My Funny Valentine"	Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart	7:42
2.	"On Green Dolphin Street"	Bronisław Kaper, Ned Washington	3:20
3.	"Some Day My Prince Will Come"	Frank Churchill, Larry Morey	4:36

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Harvest Time"	Herbie Hancock	4:48
2.	"Sonrisa"	Herbie Hancock	3:40
3.	"Manhattan Island"	Herbie Hancock	3:56
4.	"Blue Otani"	Herbie Hancock	3:24
Total length:			31:26

CD Reissue bonus track (Columbia – CK 87083) ^[4]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
8.	"My Funny Valentine" (Take 3)	Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart	6:08
9.	"On Green Dolphin Street" (Take 2)	Bronisław Kaper, Ned Washington	4:04
10.	"Some Day My Prince Will Come" (Take 3)	Frank Churchill, Larry Morey	5:16
11.	"Harvest Time" (Take 3)	Herbie Hancock	5:10
Total length:			52:04

Personnel

• Herbie Hancock – acoustic piano

Production credits

• David Rubinson – producer
• Fred Catero – engineer, mixing
• Mikio Takamatsu – mastering
• Yasohachi "88" Itoh and Keiichi Nakamura – production coordination
• Yusaku Nakanishi – art direction
• Kazumi Kurigami – cover photo
• Akira Aimi – photography

References

1. "Herbie Hancock – The Piano (Review)". AllMusic . Retrieved April 7, 2017.
2. Hull, Tom (May 2005). "Recycled Goods (19)". A Consumer Guide to the Trailing Edge. Tom Hull. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
3. "Herbie Hancock – The Piano (LP)". Discogs . Retrieved April 7, 2017.
4. "Herbie Hancock – The Piano (CD)". Discogs . Retrieved April 7, 2017.