The Piano (Herbie Hancock album)

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

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