Herbie Hancock is Thinking Big on 'The Imagine Project'

“At this point, I think about purpose before I decide to make a record," says Hancock, 70, a 12-time Grammy Award-winner. “The economic crisis pointed out to me that the average American has a sense of globalization right at their back door. It's time for people to create the kind of world we want to live in, and the path toward peace will come through global collaboration."

Using John Lennon's “Imagine" as a thematic springboard, Hancock spent more than a year recording in six countries, using seven languages and involving artists from 11 nations. When possible, he recorded artists in their native lands to capture the culture. Footage shot will be used in an upcoming documentary about the project and in audiovisual backdrops at Hancock's concerts throughout the summer.

Two of those shows Thursday's all-star tribute at Carnegie Hall in New York and another Sept. 1 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles will celebrate the pianist's recent milestone birthday. Bill Cosby, Terence Blanchard, Joe Lovano and Imagine participants Wayne Shorter, India Arie, Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi will be among those in New York. The lineup for L.A. is in the works.

Hancock once again turned to producer/bassist Larry Klein to help him map out “Imagine," the first album on his own Hancock Records, and select its singers. The two collaborated on 2007's “River: The Joni Letters," which in 2008 became the first jazz album in 44 years to win the Grammy for album of the year.

The first stop took him to Mumbai, India, to join vocalist K.S. Chithra and sitarist Anoushka Shankar on “The Song Goes On." For the title track, which features Arie, Hancock traveled to London to record Jeff Beck and Paris to record Congolese band Konono No. 1 and Malian vocalist Oumou Sangare. He worked around logistical and technical problems along the way, and “I learned a lot about persistence and not giving up on my idea or succumbing to obstacles," he says.

He'll offset the carbon footprint of the travel involved in the recording with donations to groups dedicated to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. “The physical record is all biodegradable," Hancock says. “You should be what you believe."