Herbie Hancock tribute precedes US tour

A star-studded group of performers will gather at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles Oct. 28 to honor jazz master Herbie Hancock.

Those scheduled to appear at the tribute concert include Sting, Joni Mitchell, Chris Botti, Terence Blanchard, Al Jarreau, George Benson, Wayne Shorter, Clark Terry, Chaka Khan, Roy Hargrove, Nancy Wilson, George Duke and special guest Quincy Jones.

Tickets, priced from $35 to $150, are available through Ticketmaster.

Hancock, who is currently touring Japan, will play a handful of US shows next month to support his new album, "River: The Joni Letters," which pays tribute to Joni Mitchell. Eighteen-year-old guest vocalist Sonya Kitchell will join Hancock and his band for gigs in California, Arizona and New Mexico. The itinerary is listed below.

Hancock said he was blown away by Kitchell when he met her at one of her performances last year.

"We brought her in to perform Joni's 'All I Want' for 'River,' and I was sold," he said in a statement. "She's definitely one to watch, and I'm thrilled she can join us for the West Coast dates."

"River," which has been the No. 1 album on Billboard's Top Contemporary Jazz chart since it surfaced two weeks ago, features guest vocalists including Tina Turner, Norah Jones, Corinne Bailey Rae, Luciana Souza, Leonard Cohen and Mitchell herself. It also includes appearances by saxman Wayne Shorter, bassist/composer Dave Holland, drummer Vinnie Colaiuta and guitarist Lionel Loueke.

Hancock enlisted the help of Mitchell's longtime producer and creative partner, Larry Klein, in arranging and producing the set, which is described as a blend of jazz, funk and soul. The full album is streaming here at SoundSpike.

"River" follows 2005's "Herbie Hancock: Possibilities," an all-star duets project featuring Sting, Annie Lennox, John Mayer, Christina Aguilera, Paul Simon and Carlos Santana, among others.