Hancock, Herbie
(Herbert Jeffrey Hancock), 1940- , American jazz pianist, composer, and
bandleader, b. Chicago, Il., Grinnell College (B.S.E., 1960, Honorary
D.F.A., 1972). Hancock began studying classical piano at age seven, and
appeared with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a young people’s
concert when he was 11. On graduation from college, he began playing locally
with trumpeter Donald Byrd, who recommended he travel to New York to study
composition. His first solo album featured his composition,
“Watermelon Man,” which became a major pop hit for Mongo
Santamaria in 1962. A year later, he joined Miles Davis’s group that became known
as his Second Great Quintet, while continuing to record as a bandleader and
sideman. In the ‘70s, Hancock became interested in electronic music
and switched to playing electric piano and synthesizer, and formed the
fusion group Headhunters in 1973. He scored his biggest fusion success with
“Rockit” (1983), propelled by a popular MTV video. He also
appeared on V.S.O.P. recordings and performances that reunited him with
members of the Davis band of the ‘60s and younger musicians. He has
continued to collaborate with other jazz and pop musicians, notably on
2008’s River: The Joni Letters featuring Joni
Mitchell. His
recordings have won 14 Grammy Awards.
See study by K. Waters (2019).
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