BUTTERFLY is an unusual 1979 pairing of Japanese jazz vocalist Kimiko Kasai with jazz legend Herbie Hancock. By unusual I mean that this isn't your typical jazz singer + acoustic jazz combo + pop standards program, as one might expect just because that format is very popular, even to this day. Keep in mind that in 1979 Herbie Hancock's solo albums (e.g., FEETS DON'T FAIL ME NOW) were downplaying his jazz-based keyboard talents in favor of trendy disco-funk grooves. The results were arguably decent attempts to make his mark on the dance floor but mostly forgettable in the long run (although such cuts as "Stars In Your Eyes" have held up surprisingly well). Well, on BUTTERFLY Herbie doesn't exactly duplicate that formula, but he's in the ballpark. Fortunately, Hancock brings along his electric arsensal of instruments plus sidemen mostly from his Headhunters-era recordings. The personnel includes bassist Paul Jackson, percussionist Bill Summers, reedman Bennie Maupin, drummer Alphonse Mouzon, second keyboardist Webster Lewis, and guitarist Ray Obiedo.
