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
The mixture of all kinds of things, all kinds of beings - it's just like what we have here in this country.
You never knew, when you came out of there, what you did, or whether it was good. It never sounded good to me. It always sounded interesting but you wondered, what were we doing?
Other highlights? When I started practicing Buddhism 21 years ago. Marrying the woman I married 26 years ago; my wife is quite a woman. The birth of my daughter. Joining Miles Davis' band.
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.
I would be all over the piano, but Miles would play a few notes that would just wipe out all that fancy stuff I was playing.
I don't go back to anything, I just add. Just like when you eat a meal, it you eat one thing all the time it gets kind of boring.
I brought my 40 years of jazz experience to the table, ... but I wanted to make something more ambitious than a little box.
I am still a jazz musician and not a pop star in terms of money and so I have to take care of my family first, then my extended family and my country.
But these days I never turn on radios, I always turn them off.
Buddhism opened me up to seeing things from the standpoint of being a human being - looking at the purpose of action and the effects on life.
Buddhism has helped me toward gaining control over my own destiny, and given me the courage to follow directions I believe in.
My taste is broad, and my interest in exploration is broad,
So, he taught me how to play a simple riff and I somehow found a couple of other notes to play, then I learned how to watch his left hand and I learned where the notes were.
So in other words, we were constantly challenged to grow, and that's what a master does.