Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancockis an American pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, composer and actor. Starting his career with Donald Byrd, he shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet where Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the post-bop sound. He was one of the first jazz musicians to embrace synthesizers and funk music. Hancock's music is often melodic and accessible; he has had many songs "cross over" and achieved success...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPianist
Date of Birth12 April 1940
CityChicago, IL
CountryUnited States of America
We are all on the same trip in the band. We all realize that people in the music business, and the audience have an eye on us because collectively our history is extensive.
You don't know what that's going to sound like; you just do it because the urge is there.
When I'm sensitive to the circumstances surrounding me, then I can be inspired by them or use them in whatever I may be creating.
When I do concerts, because I've been in the business for a long time and certain pieces of music have become associated with me, I do some pieces from the past.
When I discovered Buddhism, I realized that Buddhism agrees with that. Buddhism adds something, too, which is that your life also never begins. It's eternal.
The one thing that we should stick to is to figure out how to become better human beings, but in order to do that we have to go to the second level which is to work on defining the palette of what a better human being is made of, and creativity is one of them.
We decided it would be interesting to approach the music as a group solo.
Most people think that classical music is a higher form than jazz only because it is from Europe, and we were taught in schools only about Western European history.
I knew of jazz, but I didn't like it. I always thought only older people liked jazz - you know, you had to be 19 or 20.
People put you on a pedestal when you become famous, in their eyes, or if they really respect your work, they might put you on a pedestal, but I didn't get that as a kid.
Americans are taught that white people did everything, but that is changing. American history and our dealings with other cultures are a constant conflict of understanding.
He just blew me away and what it taught me was that Miles didn't hear it as a mistake.
Jazz is a music that translates the moment into a sense of inspiration for not only the musicians but for the listeners.
I remember my very first recording. It was on a wire recorder, as the tape recording was only just out but too expensive.