Herbie Hancock on Miles Davis

[mjzee]

Decade-by-decade, as he moved from bebop to cool jazz, free-form experimentalism to jazz-rock fusion, the rest of the jazz world followed. So it's not surprising that Herbie Hancock, 73, who helped shape the sounds of Davis's pathbreaking quintet of the 1960s, would open his 2014 Charles Eliot Norton lectures at Harvard University on Monday (the first in a series of six over a two-month period, entitled "The Ethics of Jazz") with "The Wisdom of Miles Davis."

Full article here:

The Genius of Miles - WSJ

(If the link doesn't work for you, Google "The Genius of Miles")

[GA Russell]

My hunch is that Herbie will always be remembered as Miles' piano player.

[David Ayers]

Thanks for posting.

[king ubu]

Yes, good read, great guy, Herbie!

[Teasing the Korean]

My hunch is that Herbie will always be remembered as Miles' piano player.

Seriously? I've never gotten that impression over the decades, either from print or conversations.

[7/4]

My hunch is that Herbie will always be remembered as Miles' piano player.

Seriously? I've never gotten that impression over the decades, either from print or conversations.

I think his Blue Notes, Mwandishi are influential...people haven't quite forgotten Rockit yet.

[GA Russell]

My hunch is that Herbie will always be remembered as Miles' piano player.

Seriously? I've never gotten that impression over the decades, either from print or conversations.

TTK, I can't recall ever reading something about Herbie that did not mention that he played with Miles.

[Teasing the Korean]

TTK, I can't recall ever reading something about Herbie that did not mention that he played with Miles.

Well of course, but you could also flip that statement and say that you can never read an article about Miles without it mentioning all of major, major artists that got their starts in his combos over the years. That is certainly an essential aspect of Miles' oeuvre that has propelled him to such legendary stature. For what it's worth, I have never thought of Herbie or any of those guys simply as Miles' sidemen, and I really haven't at all gotten that impression over the years. I realize that your experience may be different.

[Guy Berger]

TTK, I can't recall ever reading something about Herbie that did not mention that he played with Miles.

Well of course, but you could also flip that statement and say that you can never read an article about Miles without it mentioning all of major, major artists that got their starts in his combos over the years. That is certainly an essential aspect of Miles' oeuvre that has propelled him to such legendary stature. For what it's worth, I have never thought of Herbie or any of those guys simply as Miles' sidemen, and I really haven't at all gotten that impression over the years. I realize that your experience may be different.

I am guessing that a fairly large percentage of the universe that's familiar with Herbie Hancock does not know that he played with Miles Davis.

[Rooster_Ties]

I am guessing that a fairly large percentage of the universe that's familiar with Herbie Hancock does not know that he played with Miles Davis.

I agree. I would think anyone under 35 or 40 who knows about Herbie, might easily not know of his connection to Miles.

[Robs]

TTK, I can't recall ever reading something about Herbie that did not mention that he played with Miles.

Well of course, but you could also flip that statement and say that you can never read an article about Miles without it mentioning all of major, major artists that got their starts in his combos over the years. That is certainly an essential aspect of Miles' oeuvre that has propelled him to such legendary stature. For what it's worth, I have never thought of Herbie or any of those guys simply as Miles' sidemen, and I really haven't at all gotten that impression over the years. I realize that your experience may be different.

I am guessing that a fairly large percentage of the universe that's familiar with Herbie Hancock does not know that he played with Miles Davis.

Agreed. Herbie Hancock is one of the few jazz musicians whose name is familiar to many people who don't listen to jazz. I can say that he's one of no more than 5-10 who I'd heard of before getting into jazz, and I didn't know at that time that he'd worked with Miles.

When I type Herbie Hancock into the google search bar, it suggests Rockit, Chameleon, Headhunters and Watermelon Man, in that order. I'd throw in maybe Cantaloupe Island and, for better or worse, the keytar. Not a scientific study by any means, but I think that paints a pretty accurate picture of Herbie in the public consciousness

[Chuck Nessa]

What a shame.

[Scott Dolan]

My hunch is that Herbie will always be remembered as Miles' piano player.

Just like John Coltrane will always be known as Miles' tenor saxophonist.

[GA Russell]

LOL! It looks like I've been outvoted!

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

dawg theres no way that herbies gonna best be remembered as miles's sideman, he is way to big as a solo name for that. just listen to his name: Herbie Hancock. everyone knows that, even outside of people who know jazz. but if he -was- gonna be remembered for one of his sideman gigs, it'd probably be CORNBREAD. the 1st time i met herbie i told him how awesome he was on that....

[JSngry]

So, dude, Cornbread, or Charisma? For Lee, that is.

I'll take "Our Man Higgins" for the block.

But consider - Cornbread & Dippin' = orange BN covers FTW, not just of the game but of life.

And hello, as if to realize and/or recognize...

[king ubu]

not sure what the original looked like, the CD I've got is more reddish, but:

[Lazaro Vega]

"Don't play the butter notes." That openness he talks about is as identifiable and influential as Tyner playing 4ths.

[CJ Shearn]

I am guessing that a fairly large percentage of the universe that's familiar with Herbie Hancock does not know that he played with Miles Davis.

I agree. I would think anyone under 35 or 40 who knows about Herbie, might easily not know of his connection to Miles.

OTOH, there's the weirdos like me ;-) But it's true, most of my age bracket or younger doesn't know about the Blue Note recordings, Mwandishi, the funk stuff. The Kennedy Center Honors especially with Snoop's performance, introduced Herbie to an even younger generation or so we could hope.