A Grammy First For Herbie Hancock

Piano Legend's Joni Mitchell Tribute A Rare Jazz Nominee For Album Of The Year

(CBS)  The song is beautifully sung by a gentler, jazzier Tina Turner. According to Hancock, Turner was shy about recording jazz for the first time and didn't want him present at the session.

"I mean, she's really one of the originators of rock and roll," he said. "Especially as far as vocals are concerned. She didn't want to have to do whatever work she had to do to find what she needed to find - and have me there through that process. So Larry Klein went over there with the engineer and they recorded her."

The result was so good, that Hancock can't wait to do more.

"I would love to make a jazz album with her," he said. "She's amazing. So many people have mentioned that she's reinvented herself with this rendering of the vocal."

Hancock has enjoyed mainstream success with the 1973 instrumental hit "Chameleon," the Grammy-winning hip-hop track "Rockit" in 1983, and Us3's sampling of his song "Cantaloupe Island" for their hit "Cantaloop." His 2005 album, "Possibilities," featured appearances by a slew of pop stars including Christina Aguilera and John Mayer. He's also written music for television and film, earning a best original soundtrack Oscar for "'Round Midnight."

This year's album of the year nomination is special, though, because jazz albums have only gotten a nod a handful of times through the awards' half-century history - and jazz purists don't even count some of those nominations as being truly of the genre.

The last jazz album to be nominated for album of the year was Diana Krall's "When I Look in Your Eyes." at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards. It's been since 1964 that a jazz album won album of the year, for the bossa nova classic "Getz/Gilberto" featuring Stan Getz, João Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim.

"River: The Joni Letters" is also nominated for best contemporary jazz album of the year and Hancock is nominated for best jazz instrumental solo for the track "Both Sides Now."

With his amazing career, the 67-year-old could have rested on his laurels many times over, but that's the farthest thing from his mind.

Hancock will be performing at the Grammy Awards on Feb. 10, 2008 on CBS. He'll be performing George Gershwin's "Rhapsody In Blue" with classical pianist and fellow nominee Lang Lang. Prefacing that appearance, Hancock will play at the MusiCares Person of the Year Gala honoring Aretha Franklin on February 8th at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

In March, Hancock will set off on a concert tour through May, and then will go on two additional tours through November. He'll be performing music from the album, with singer-songwriter Sonya Kitchell on vocals. Kitchell is featured on a bonus track for the album available on Amazon.com.

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Hancock, Mitchell and Turner -- 3 icons in the
music world. This one I gotta buy!