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 think I heard the name Muddy Waters first, then John Lee Hooker.
There was a radio station in Chicago, there was a guy named Al Benson, and he pretty much dominated black radio in the '50s.
When I was six, my best friend's parents bought him a piano. My mother noticed that every time I would go to his house, the first thing I would say to him was 'Levester' - His name was Levester - I said, 'Levester, can I go play your piano?' So, on my 7th birthday, my parents bought me a piano.
But I cant name a specific synthesizer that is my favorite.
So I didn't actually change my name the way some people did.
You don't know what that's going to sound like; you just do it because the urge is there.
What I always wonder is, why is it that whenever I make a record they think that whatever that thing is on that record, that's the only thing I do?
What's music supposed to be about anyway? Is it a means for a musician to masturbate, or is it for people to listen to?
The other reason is the concept of attitude. I didn't want to appear angry, but it's okay to appear serious or to not smile.
When you try to define a purity as being something that's closed and limited, you're not talking about the music that I play called jazz.
When you struggle to reach for something you don't know, that's where the most interesting stuff is.
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.