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Herbie Hancock: A Life Of Possibilities
Herbie Hancock
pianob.1940
The Book Review
During more than a half-century in the public eye, Herbie Hancock has been acclaimed as a jazz pianist and composer and an explorer of new musical forms. He rose to fame in the 1960s as a member of trumpeter
Miles Davis
trumpet1926 - 1991
As with most memoirs by famous people, the early parts are the most interesting. Hancock was born in Chicago and, at a young age, discovered the two things that would define his life: the piano and mechanical gadgets. He studied classical music at first, practicing for hours every day, and made his debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra playing a concerto by Mozart. He was 11.
He was a self-described nerd when he went to Grinnell College in Iowa to study engineering, but it wasn't long before his growing interest in jazz pushed everything else aside. He formed a group, began to arrange music, organized campus concerts and, back in Chicago, sat in with more experienced musicians. By the time he was 20, he had left college to join the band of trumpeter
Donald Byrd
trumpet1932 - 2013
Hancock released his first record, which included his popular composition "Watermelon Man," in 1962. A year later, he joined
Miles Davis
trumpet1926 - 1991
Wayne Shorter
saxophone1933 - 2023
Ron Carter
bassb.1937
Tony Williams
drums1945 - 1997
But by 1968, Hancock was getting restless. He left Davis to experiment with his own music and to indulge his growing interest in electronic instruments. It was an aesthetic choice that Davis himself would also follow, but one that remains deeply controversial to this day. Hancock describes the many keyboard instruments, synthesizers and other electronica that came to fascinate him. His bands in the 1970s "didn't play songs as much as we created a sonic environment," he writes. "We were open to any kind of sound from any kind of source"—as if that were a good thing. His music "required a tremendous amount of attention and patience from our listeners," he admits. "No wonder our audience was limited."
Like many other acoustic musicians who turned to electronic music—including his mentors Davis and Byrd—Hancock wanted to claim the credibility of jazz while performing something else. He may have been a jazz musician by training, but the fusion, funk and R&B of his Mwandishi and Headhunters groups of the 1970s and his hit "Rockit" in the 1980s had little in common with the musical vocabulary of
Duke Ellington
piano1899 - 1974
Dizzy Gillespie
trumpet1917 - 1993
In 1986, Hancock won an Academy Award for his score of the jazz film Round Midnight. The rest of his book is, for the most part, a long jaunt through recording studios, the Greek islands and awards ceremonies, where too much of this sort of hobnobbing takes place: "Jimmy Jam turned around and smiled at me, and I just stood there dumbfounded. Taylor Swift grabbed me in a hug." And, before you know it, Hancock is back on stage, accepting the applause when his recording with
Joni Mitchell
vocalsb.1943
Hancock writes extensively of how his Buddhist faith has informed his sensibility and how his occasional self-indulgences have affected his marriage to his East German-born wife, Gigi. He also reveals for the first time his addiction to crack cocaine, which he overcame by entering rehab treatment in 1999.
Hancock is beyond doubt one of the most important musicians of our time, whose model in all things—including this book—remains Davis. In 1989, Davis published an unvarnished autobiography, Miles, written with Quincy Troupe, that has become a classic memoir of jazz, full of musical insights, gossip and the raspy voice of truth.
Possibilities is the perfect title for a man that did so much for jazz, for music.
The Interview
All About Jazz: Writing your own biography or memoir usually takes some time. When did you get the idea to start?
Herbie Hancock: Back in the late 90's
Quincy Jones
arranger1933 - 2024
AAJ: Through the decades, the bands, and the projects, what can you instill in people interested in your music, your creative process, and your passion?
HH: Constantly try new things, you wanted to be cool but you also wanted it to matter in some form. I actually got to a point where I was so out there, I got tired of being untethered, if that makes any sense. You can't just follow the leader or be out there. You really have to find that middle ground. Most importantly though, you have to do the music for you.
AAJ: Miles (Davis) obviously was a major influence on you. What were some things that happened that people may or may not know?
HH: Miles loved music, and it didn't really matter what it was. Well mostly anyway. He taught me to continue to grow in my music, be willing to step outside my comfortable zone. He was also was a big fan of guitar players.
Jimi Hendrix
guitar, electric1942 - 1970
AAJ: You've practiced Nichiren Buddhism for over 25 years. Being a practicing Buddhist as well how do you feel that has helped your music, career and life in general?
HH: Nichiren Buddhism appeared in my life at the perfect time. Something about Buddhism people may not understand, but what really attracted me, is the fact that it happens whether you study it or chant about it or not. Nichiren Buddhism was like putting on glasses and seeing life more responsibly. It's made me a better human, it's opened my eyes and opened my heart. It improves the music process, realizing that music is my gift and I must not forget that.
AAJ:
Marcus Miller
bassb.1959
HH: Marcus was one of the first people to contact me after I won. There was a state of euphoria and shock at winning. Also I realized that I won this for jazz music and that was seriously a big deal. Jazz isn't dead.
Photo Credit: Douglas Kirkland
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