SATURDAY JUNE 22,8 p.m.'.,i,,:i ,.. 1i ,, ,:,' 1.. 1,,,'.i;t i, ,- i.;t:r,l
Herbie HancockLong before the term "early adopter"came into common parlance, pianist/keyboardist and composer HerbieHancock was known for seeking outthe latest innovations. A devotedtechnophile since his childhood inChicago, he was one of the first jazzmusicians to embrace synthesizers (onhis 1973 hit album Head Hunters), andencouraged his colleagues to startchecking out personal computers afteracquiring an Apple ll in 1977. His loveof new technologies isn't confined tothe bandstand and recording studio:He recently bought a Tesla S (amongsports car aficionados Hancock isrenowned as the longest originalowner of an AC Cobra, a car hepurchased from the showroom withthe first royalty check for his 1962 hit"Watermelon Man")."The Telsa's got the speed andperformance, and it's great for theenvironment," Hancock says from hisoffice in Los Angeles. "lt's right on thecutting edge, and that's where I like tobe, pushing toward the future."
For his Stanford Jazz Festival debut,Hancock is going to be introducingsome of his latest experiments.
Though this is ostensibly a solorecital, he'll hardly be alone on stage.ln addition to a Fazioli grand piano,he has been honing new, custom-designed software designed to paredown his electronic aear, which hasgotten unruly with five iPads. He'sbeen working with sound designerEric Persing and programmerAndrew Pask to streamline his gearand "to personalize some software,making it possible for me to accessOmnisphere through my personalinterface," Hancock says, referringto the potent "virtual synthesizer"program by Spectrasonics."For this concert, we are working onsome special things utilizing surroundsound," Hancock says. "Some thingsare still up in the air, but hopefullyit's a precursor to some futuredevelopments."Born and raised in Chicago, Hancockwas something of a prodigy. Heperformed with the ChicagoSymphony at '1 1 (one of Mozart'spiano concertos), and by high school,jazzhad caught his ear. He enteredGrinnell College at '16 as an electricalengineering major, but by his
FESTIVAL
Herbie Hancock, pianoand synthesizers
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sophomore year he had changed hismajor and dedicated himself to music.Hancock made his recording debutat 21 with trumpeter Donald Byrdon the 1961 Blue Note album RoyalFlush, and before long he signed onwith jazz's leading independent label,'recording his hugely successful recordTakin' Off. While Hancock continuedto record prolifically for Blue Note as a
sideman and a leader throughout thedecade, in 1963 Miles Davis recruitedhim for his quintet, which became oneof the most influential small bandsin jazz history with the addition ofWayne Shorter. When Davis startedmaking the transition to {usion the late1960s with Filles de Kilimanjaro andln A Silent Way, Hancock's facility onelectric piano proved crucial for thetrumpeter's evolving sou nd.
He pursued his own sonic experimentsas a bandleader in the early 1970s,recording a series of classic albumswith Mwandishi, a band largely basedin the Bay Area. After assimilating SlyStone's funk, he changed courses withHeadhunters, a band that combinedhis pioneering synth work on the ArpString Ensemble with the East Baygrease of bassist Paul Jackson and
drummer Mike Clark and the worldpercussion of Bill Summers (whowent on to co-{ound Los HombresCa I ientes). Moving effortlesslybetween progressive R&B, fusion, andacoustic post-bop settings, Hancockhas earned numerous GrammyAwards while continuing to pursuehis passion for breaking in newinventions.
Hailing from a family of engineersand artists, he grew up obsessedwith science and technology. Whileencouraged in his investigations, hiscuriosity sometimes got him into hotwater at home when he "took apartclocks and watches or my electrictrains," Hancock recalls. "l couldn'talways put them back and that's whenmy father got mad at me. l'm the firstguy to get whatever the new thing is.
It's part of my DNA. My older brother
LEARN ABOUT I{ER8JE HANCOCKherbiehancock.com
worked for lBM, back in the day whenthey had punch cards, and my sisterwas also in data processing. She andtwo other women helped designthe ATM. Tech is part of what weHancocks do."
As a composer, Hancock has writtennearly a dozen bona fide jazzstandards, including "Butterfly,""Dolphin Dance," "Eye of theHurricane," and the oft-sampled"Cantaloupe lsland." ln recent yearshe's performed mostly in the contextof his band with guitarist LionelLoueke. drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, andbassist James Genus, but he has alsotaken advantage of the opportunitiesprovided by solo recitals to integratenew instruments and software. lnaddition to his piano and synth, hewields a keytar, a a keyboard worn likea guital and an iPad. The techology
doesn't getin the way ofconnecting with anaudience, as Hancock is a masterat contructing a set for maximumdrama.
"There is a general flow that I thinkabout," Hancock says. "Usually I liketo start with something dynamic,and for solo shows it's usually a
piece I recorded as a duo withWayne Shorter that l've had partlyorchestrated with the synth. ThenI play something that's on acousticpianq. Then I move on to somethingmore rhythmic that uses a rhythmtrack I build live in front of theaudience. One or two pieces may betunes I make up right then. And l'llend up with some other pieces thatmy fans would want to hear. l've gotlots of freedom."
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THE COXOis proud to sponsor theStonlsrd Jozz Workshop
COHO JAMJoin us after the show for
coffee, beer, wine, great food,and live jazz during
Jazz Camp and Jazz lnstitute!All ages welcome.
459 LogunitoStonford CA
Dr
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