Herbie Hancock
Throughout his career, Herbie Hancock has refused to be confined to one musical category or situation, making a name for himself on both acoustic piano and electric keyboards, and in idioms ranging from hard-bop, soul-jazz and fusion to funk, pop and world music. Born in Chicago in 1940, Hancock began playing piano when he was seven and was considered a bit of a prodigy, performing the first movement of a Mozart piano concerto in public when he was 11. After college, he joined the Donald Byrd-Pepper Adams Quintet in 1961. Signed to Blue Note, Hancock immediately had a hit when he introduced “Watermelon Man.” After recording with Sonny Rollins, in 1963 he became a key member of the Miles Davis Quintet, staying five years as Davis’ music evolved from hard-bop to avant-garde jazz and fusion. In his own Blue Note albums, Hancock introduced “Cantaloupe Island,” “Speak Like a Child” and “Maiden Voyage.”
Very much interested in electronic keyboards, Hancock organized an adventurous and versatile sextet in 1969 that created consistently colorful and predictable music until its breakup in 1973. At that time, Hancock formed the Headhunters, having a bestseller with his funky “Chameleon.” After a few years playing keyboards with the Headhunters, Hancock led the all-star acoustic quintet V.S.O.P. that featured Wayne Shorter and Freddie Hubbard. Hancock would from then on alternate between electric and acoustic music, having a hit with the percussive “Rockit” in 1983, writing film scores, utilizing Wynton and Branford Marsalis on some of his records, performing techno-pop, teaming up with Michael Brecker and Roy Hargrove in his New Directions group, paying tribute to George Gershwin on the recording Gershwin’s World, performing modern funk on Future 2 Future, and recording jazz versions of Joni Mitchell compositions on the Grammy-winning River: The Joni Letters. No matter what idiom or situation Herbie Hancock appears in, he always sounds like himself and finds something fresh to say.
Articles on Herbie Hancock
01/14/13 News By Jeff Tamarkin
Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter Named UCLA Professors
08/24/12 News By Jeff Tamarkin
Hancock, Shorter, Santana and Others to Celebrate Peace at Hollywood Bowl
07/26/12 News By Jeff Tamarkin
Blue Note Releases Six Classics in High Definition Audio
04/18/12 News By Jeff Tamarkin
Concert Lineups Announced for International Jazz Day
03/20/12 News By Jeff Tamarkin
Herbie Hancock Establishes Annual International Jazz Day
03/15/12 Concerts By Evan Haga
Herbie Hancock at the Kennedy Center
12/14/11 News By Jeff Tamarkin
New Orleans Jazz Fest Announces 2012 Lineup
10/12/11 Concerts By Karen Brundage-Johnson
Herbie Hancock: Solo Piano
09/23/11 Concerts By Josef Woodard
Monterey Jazz Festival 2011
08/30/11 Artist's Choice By Gretchen Parlato
Artist's Choice: Gretchen Parlato on Herbie Hancock
08/18/11 News By Jeff Tamarkin
Herbie Hancock To Embark on First-Ever Solo Tour This Fall
08/16/11 News By Jeff Tamarkin
Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Celebrates 25th Anniversary
08/11/11 News By Jeff Tamarkin
Jazz Tribute to Joni Mitchell Coming to Hollywood Bowl
07/31/11 News By Jeff Tamarkin
Herbie Hancock and L.A. Philharmonic to Play Gershwin Program
07/22/11 News By Jeff Tamarkin
Miles Davis Boxed Set from 1967 Shows Due
07/09/11 News By Jeff Tamarkin
Herbie Hancock to Be Named UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador
07/08/11 Education By Ed Hamilton
UCLA and Kenny Burrell: A Merger In Jazz Education
05/23/11 News By Kimberly Huynh
Herbie Hancock Receives Honorary Doctoral Degree from Juilliard
November 2010 Albums By Bill Beuttler
The Latin Side of Herbie Hancock
Conrad Herwig
September 2010 Features By Jeff Tamarkin
Herbie Hancock: Energy in the Environment
08/10/10 Albums By George Varga
The Imagine Project
Herbie Hancock
08/10/10 Albums By George Varga
The Imagine Project
Herbie Hancock
07/15/10 Concerts By Josef Woodard
Review of 2010 Copenhagen Jazz Festival
05/27/10 News By Lee Mergner
Herbie Hancock Celebrates 70th with New Album & Special Concert
05/19/10 Photos By JazzTimes
Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz in China
05/04/10 Franckling's JazzNotes By Ken Franckling
Montreal Jazz Fest Still at Top of its Game
03/24/10 Franckling's JazzNotes By Ken Franckling
Looking at Festivals at Newport & Saratoga
04/24/09 News By Jeff Tamarkin
Herbie Hancock to Tour with Classical Pianist Lang Lang
04/13/09 News By Jeff Tamarkin
New Documentary Explores Contemporary Jazz
April 2009 JT Notes By Jeff Tamarkin
Notes From Underground
03/17/09 News By Jeff Tamarkin
Herbie Hancock Named Creative Chair for Jazz for L.A. Philharmonic
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01/21/09 Concerts By Josef Woodard
Berlin Jazz Festival
January/February 2009 News By Don Heckman
Monk Institute Saxophone Competition
January/February 2009 JT Notes By Evan Haga
Time After Time
January/February 2009 Features By JazzTimes
2008 Year in Review: Highs & Lows
Advertising By JazzTimes
September 2010 Editorial and Advertising Highlights
10/02/08 Concerts By Josef Woodard
Monterey Jazz Festival
September 2008 Photos By
Icons & Innovators
08/05/08 Concerts By Thomas Conrad
Umbria Jazz '08
08/04/08 Concerts By Josef Woodard
Estoril & Allgarve Jazz Festival
07/03/08 Concerts By David R. Adler
Herbie Hancock at JVC - New York
06/27/08 Concerts By Chris Walker
Playboy Jazz Festival
January/February 2008 News By Don Heckman
20th Annual Thelonious Monk Competition: In Walked Brass
December 2007 Albums By Josef Woodard
River: The Joni Letters
Herbie Hancock
December 2007 Features By Geoffrey Himes
Herbie Hancock and Joni Mitchell: Music & Lyrics
11/01/07 Concerts By Don Heckman
Thelonious Monk International Trumpet Competition and Herbie Hancock Tribute
January/February 2007 The Gig By Nate Chinen
The Year in Gigs
November 2006 Features By
Autumn Chill: Smooth Jazzers Reflect on their Hard-Jazz Heroes
October 2006 Albums By Brian Gilmore
The Essential Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock
October 2006 Albums By Brian Gilmore
The Essential Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock
08/11/06 Concerts By Josef Woodard
Hancock, McBride and Redman at the Hollywood Bowl
08/08/06 Concerts By Blaise Lantana
Telluride Jazz Celebration 2006
08/06/06 Concerts By John Schu
Chick Corea's "In the Spirit of Mozart" & the Herbie Hancock Quintet
07/19/06 Concerts By Thomas Conrad
Umbria Jazz 06
July/August 2006 The Gig By Nate Chinen
Everybody Come Home
06/25/06 Concerts By Bill Milkowski
Herbie's World: Herbie Hancock and Friends at JVC
June 2006 Features By Bill Milkowski
Michael Brecker: A Musician's Quilt
05/30/06 Concerts By Andrew Gilbert
Sonoma Jazz Festival 2006
May 2006 News By Tad Hendrickson
In Name Only? Jazz Labels Venture Outside the Genre
May 2006 The Gig By Nate Chinen
Touch That Dial
May 2006 News By Michael Kabran
Granny Grammys: The Old Guard Won Again
January/February 2006 Features By
Year in Review: Highs & Lows
November 2005 Features By
Autumn Chill: 41 of the Season's Best Albums, Part I
09/21/05 Concerts By Larry Appelbaum
Thelonious Monk International Jazz Guitar Competition
09/19/05 By Bill Milkowski
Concerts — November 2005
September 2005 Features By
50 LPs from 35 Years of JazzTimes, Part I
January/February 2005 Albums By Thomas Conrad
The Piano
Herbie Hancock
January/February 2005 Albums By Thomas Conrad
The Piano
Herbie Hancock
09/16/04 Concerts By Larry Appelbaum
25th Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition
April 2004 Features By John Murph
Spin City: Modern DJs Look to 1970s Jazz for Beats and Inspiration
01/20/04 Concerts By Chris Walker
Barbados Jazz Festival 2004
January/February 2004 Features By
Highs and Lows 2003
08/08/03 Concerts By Josef Woodard
Wayne Shorter Live in LA
June 2003 Features By Nate Chinen
George Wein: A Great Day in Washington
05/17/03 Concerts By Christopher Loudon
Massey Hall's 50th Anniversary Concert
05/05/03 Concerts By Josef Woodard
Herbie Hancock's "Gershwin's World" Premiere
September 2002 Features By Christopher Porter
Herbie Hancock: Ancient to the Future
06/30/02 Concerts By Nate Chinen
Directions In Music
June 2002 Albums By Bill Shoemaker
Directions in Music: Live at Massey Hall
Herbie Hancock/Michael Brecker/Roy Hargrove
January/February 2002 Albums By Christopher Porter
Future 2 Future
Herbie Hancock
05/18/01 Concerts By Bill Bennett
Julian Priester Benefit
April 1999 Albums By Owen Cordle
Town Hall Concert
Hancock, Henderson, Hubbard, Hutcherson Carter, Newton & Williams
December 1998 Grooves By Tony Green
Sextant
Herbie Hancock
December 1998 Albums By Bill Milkowski
Gershwin's World
Herbie Hancock
March 1998 Grooves By Tony Green
Manchild
Herbie Hancock
September 1997 Grooves By Tony Green
Headhunters
Herbie Hancock
September 1997 Features By Josef Woodard
Hancock and Shorter: Two Divided by One
Events featuring Herbie Hancock
- North Sea Jazz Cruise
- Thelonious Monk International Trumpet Competition and Herbie Hancock Tribute
- Telluride Jazz Celebration 2006
- Hancock, McBride and Redman at the Hollywood Bowl
- Umbria Jazz 06
- Jazz Fest Wien - Vienna 2006
- Sonoma Jazz Festival 2006
- Thelonious Monk International Jazz Guitar Competition
- 25th Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition
- Julian Priester Benefit
- Herbie Hancock's "Gershwin's World" Premiere
- Massey Hall's 50th Anniversary Concert
- Wayne Shorter Live in LA
- Barbados Jazz Festival 2004
- Playboy Jazz Festival
- JVC Jazz Festival - New York
- Estoril & Allgarve Jazz Festival
- Monterey Jazz Festival
- DC Jazz Festival
- Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition Finals & Gala Concert
- Jacksonville Jazz Festival
- Burlington Discover Jazz Festival
- Montreux Jazz Festival
- Festival de Jazz de Vitoria-Gasteiz
- Herbie Hancock Quartet at NJPAC
- Panama Jazz Festival
- Tribute to Miles: Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Marcus Miller, Vinnie Colaiuta, Sean Jones
- Wayne Shorter 80th Birthday Celebration
Albums
The Complete Blue Note Sixties Sessions
Blue Note Records
Manchild
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
Headhunters
Columbia/Legacy
Sextant
Columbia/Legacy
Gershwin's World
Verve
The Prisoner
Blue Note Records
Future 2 Future
Transparent
Directions in Music: Live at Massey Hall
Verve
The Herbie Hancock Box
Columbia/Legacy
V.S.O.P.: Live Under the Sky
Columbia/Legacy
The Piano
Columbia/Legacy
Jazz Moods: 'Round Midnight
Columbia/Legacy
Town Hall Concert
Blue Note Records
Contours
Blue Note Records
The Essential Herbie Hancock
Columbia/Legacy
River: The Joni Letters
Verve
The Imagine Project
The Latin Side of Herbie Hancock
Half Note Records
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