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The music subscription service Vinyl Me Please is back with another installment of its Anthology series, which seeks to reinvent the box set as an interactive medium.  Volumes so far have shone a light on legendary record labels like Blue Note, Motown, Ghostly International, and Stax.  For the last volume, the company paired up with Now Again Records to take a look at the Zamrock phenomena out of Zambia.

This summer, Vinyl Me Please will switch focus to an individual artist as they highlight the wide-reaching career of Herbie Hancock.  An explorer of genres, forms, and technologies, Hancock has left his mark on all manner of jazz sub-genres.  He made up a fifth of Miles Davis’ classic quintet, and was a formative influence in fusion as well as a pioneer of hip-hop.  But his contributions don’t begin or end there.  With excursions into soundtrack compositions, an orchestral Gershwin tribute, a Grammy-winning ode to Joni Mitchell, not to mention his works as UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Intercultural Dialogue, his music knows no boundaries.

Vinyl Me Please has worked closely with Hancock, UMe, and Sony to create the upcoming exclusive LP box set that promises to “take listeners on a sequential journey told across eight albums.”  These titles were chosen especially by Herbie and will be paired with an exclusive podcast series celebrating Hancock’s 80th year.

“I believe these albums present a broad view of my perspectives,” Hancock said of the project, “and outline a general framework of what my musical life was all about.”

Vinyl Me Please Anthology: The Story of Herbie Hancock was produced by Vinyl Me Please’s Cameron Schaefer and music supervisor Karyn Rachtman.  To get the full experience, Vinyl Me, Please and Hancock encourage listeners to open two albums in sequential order each week and supplement their listening sessions with the corresponding podcast episodes.  But no matter how you enjoy the music, the box will no doubt stun aurally and visually.

Each of the eight albums will be pressed on 180-gram black vinyl and the audio has been sourced from the original analog tapes.  Meanwhile, the heavyweight, tip-on sleeves have been designed to replicate the original art as closely as possible.  The set boasts a design by Clay Conder and liner notes by music curator Marcus J. Moore.  While packshots and contents have yet to be released, we’ll be sure to give you a look inside once photos are posted.  Which albums do you want to see in Vinyl Me Please Anthology: The Story of Herbie Hancock?  Chime in below, and visit Vinyl Me Please here!