Fingerpainting: The Music of Herbie Hancock

/Nicholas Payton/Mark Whitfield.
Personnel: Christian McBride (bass); Nicholas Payton (trumpet, flugelhorn); Mark Whitfield (acoustic & electric guitars).
Recorded from April 6-8, 1997 at Effanel Sound, New York, New York.
Marking the first time Christian McBride, Nicholas Payton & Mark Whitfield have recorded together as a self-contained trio, FINGERPAINTING: THE MUSIC OF HERBIE HANCOCK is as ambitious a project as anything the three musicians have done to date. The 14 songs on this album present a cross-section of Hancock's compositions, from some of his most popular works to some which are relatively little-known. The tunes are chosen from such widely differing Hancock albums as TAKIN' OFF, HEADHUNTERS, MAIDEN VOYAGE, EMPYREAN ISLES and SPEAK LIKE A CHILD, showing the diversity and depth of the composer's work.
The skill with which the trio covers each groove in this decidedly un-Hancockesque setting (with neither piano nor drums) speaks as much to McBride, Payton & Whitfield's musical virtuosity as it does to Hancock's compositional genius. The ballads are thoughtful and introspective, with guitarist Whitfield moving chord clusters around in a manner reminiscent of the composer, and Payton's beautiful, muted trumpet work exploring the tunes' complex harmonies. Payton's sizzling solos stand out on the hard-bop tunes, and McBride and Whitfield hold down the bottom amazingly well on the funk-tinged numbers.