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
Music truly is the universal language.
Buddhism has turned me on to my humanness, and is challenging my humanness so that I can become more human.
Oscar Peterson is the greatest living influence on jazz pianists today.
Wisdom is the key to understanding the age, creating the time.
Music isn't about music, it's about life.
I hope to use dialogue and culture as a means of bringing people of various cultures together, and using that as a way to resolve conflict.
I never dreamed I would be a Goodwill Ambassador, and for UNESCO. Perfect organization. It is apolitical and it's about education, science and culture. I mean that is what I live. That is what UNESCO is really about; it's all about bringing human beings together with one common goal, which is to move human kind forward.
There's so much spontaneity involved, what do you practice? How do you practice teamwork? How do you practice sharing? How do you practice daring? How do you practice being nonjudgmental?
Inspiration is constantly in the air. It's up to us to develop the sensitivity to pick up on it.
I like the idea of an eclectic approach, incorporating jazz with other forms and other genres of music.
When a human being is oppressed, the natural tendency is to feel anger. Jazz is a response to oppression that is not bullets and blood. Jazz is the expression of harmony ... and at the same time of hope and freedom.
I'm aware that a lot of what is happening in jazz has not had a very dynamic change in a long time.
So I didn't actually change my name the way some people did.
I don't mind being classified as a jazz artist, but I do mind being restricted to being a jazz artist. My foundation has been in jazz, though I didn't really start out that way. I started in classical music, but my formative years were in jazz, and it makes a great foundation.