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
I was trying to make something truly collaborative,
I try stuff. I synthesize what's of value with some of the other things I have at my disposal.
It's part of my nature. I get excited when trying out new stuff, whether it be an idea or equipment. It stimulates my juices.
I try to practice with my life.
I learned the importance of being nonjudgmental, taking what happens and trying to make it work.That's something you should apply to life.
I'm very conscious of the idea of trying to each time present something that I haven't presented before. It's a challenge to me to find something new, to find something innovative, but it's also very exciting.
Forget about trying to compete with someone else. Create your own pathway. Create your own new vision,
There's Charlie Parker and there's Miles, there's Trane. I'm none of those guys, so why am I beating myself up trying to find the lost chord all the time?
At first I sounded like any stiff classical musician, trying to play that stuff.
I was a jazz purist at the time, I had tunnel vision about jazz and classical music,
I think a lot of young people being brought up in this scene feel a sense of ruthlessness. There's nothing to plant them deeply down in the soil somehow so they can bend and sway from there.
It gets boring when you look out at the audience and you see that 90 percent of the people out there are males.
Jazz is a music that translates the moment into a sense of inspiration for not only the musicians but for the listeners.
I said, 'If Miles is so open, it must be cool to be open to all this other stuff.'