Herbie Hancock

Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is a jazz pianist and composer from Chicago, Illinois, USA. Hancock is one of jazz music's most important and influential pianists and composers. He embraced elements of rock, funk, and soul while adopting freer stylistic elements from jazz.

Miles Davis quintet

Hancock received considerable attention when, in 1963, he joined Miles Davis's "second great quintet". This new band was basically Miles Davis surrounded by fresh, new talent. Davis personally sought out Hancock, who he saw as one of the most promising talents in jazz. The rhythm section Davis organized was young but effective, comprising bassist Ron Carter, seventeen year old drummer Tony Williams, and Hancock on piano. After George Coleman and Sam Rivers each taking turns at the saxophone spot, the quintet would gel with Wayne Shorter on tenor saxophone. This quintet is often regarded as one of the finest jazz ensembles, and the rhythm section has been especially praised for their innovation and flexibility.

Related Topics:
1963 - Miles Davis - Rhythm section - Ron Carter - Tony Williams - George Coleman - Sam Rivers - Wayne Shorter - Tenor saxophone

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The second great quintet is the place where Hancock found his own unique voice as a master of jazz piano. Not only did he find new ways to use common chords, he also popularized chords then-rarely used in jazz. Hancock also developed a unique taste for "orchestral" accompaniment with stark contrasts then unheard of in jazz (listen to one of the famous live versions of "My Funny Valentine" recorded by the quintet).

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With Williams and Carter he would weave a labyrinth of rhythmic intricacy on, around and over existing melodic and chordal schemes. In the later half of the sixties their approach would be so sophisticated and unorthodox that conventional chord changes would hardly be discernable, hence their improvisational concept would somewhat inaccurately be called "Time, No Changes".

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While in the Davis band, Hancock found time to record many sessions for the Blue Note label, both under his own name and with other musicians such as Wayne Shorter and Freddie Hubbard. His albums Empyrean Isles and Maiden Voyage were to be two of the most famous and influential jazz LPs of the sixties, winning praise for both their innovation and accessibility (the latter demonstrated by the subsequent enormous popularity of the Maiden Voyage title track as a jazz standard, and by the jazz rap group US3 having a hit single with "Cantaloupe Island" from Empyrean Isles some twenty five years later). Hancock also recorded the not as well known but still critically acclaimed albums Speak Like A Child and The Prisoner which featured flugelhorn, alto flute and bass trombone, and composed the score to Michelangelo Antonioni's film Blow-Up which was to be the first of many soundtracks he would record in his career.

Related Topics:
Freddie Hubbard - Empyrean Isles - Maiden Voyage - LPs - Sixties - Jazz rap - US3 - Speak Like A Child - The Prisoner - Flugelhorn - Alto flute - Bass trombone - Michelangelo Antonioni - Blow-Up

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By the end of his tenure with Davis, the trumpeter began incorporating elements of rock and popular music into his recordings. Despite some initial reluctance, at Davis's insistence Hancock began doubling on electric keyboards including the Fender Rhodes electric piano. Hancock adapted quickly to the new instruments and they would be instrumental in his artistic endeavors.

Related Topics:
Fender Rhodes - Electric piano

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In the summer of 1968, Hancock left Davis's band to form his own sextet, although he was formally kicked out under the pretext that he was late coming back from a honeymoon in Brazil. Davis would soon disband his quartet to search for a new sound himself. Despite his departure from the working band, Hancock would continue to appear on Miles Davis records for the next few years; noteworthy appearances include In a Silent Way, A Tribute to Jack Johnson and On the Corner.

Related Topics:
1968 - Brazil - In a Silent Way - A Tribute to Jack Johnson - On the Corner

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