Chicago-born keyboardist has explored nearly every corner of the musical landscape, while becoming a legend in jazz, funk, _and_ pop. At the age of 11, he performed Mozart's D major piano concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. At Grinnell College, he achieved degrees in both electrical engineering and music composition. Afterwards, he traveled to New York, where he worked with Donald Byrd, Phil Woods and Oliver Nelson, and recorded a stunning bandleader debut album, Takin' Off, which included the hit track "Watermelon Man."
In 1962-3, he worked with Eric Dolph and, in May, Hancock joined the Miles Davis quintet (which then included Ron Carter and Tony Williams, and later Wayne Shorter), with whom he remained for 5 1/2 years (although he returned to play on some record sessions).
After that, he led a musically well-regarded sextet (including trumpeter Eddie Henderson, reedman Benny Maupin, trombonist Julian Priester, drummer Billy Hart, and bassist Buster Williams) that was, nonetheless, a financial failure. In mid-1973, he changed directions, and began experimenting with electronic sounds and funk-based rhythms, apparently because he was discouraged by his popular reception (though his friends owned his albums, they never played them).
"I realized," he said, "that I could never be a genius in the class of Miles, Charlie Parker or Coltrane so I might just as well forget about becoming a legend and just be satisfied to create some music to make people happy. I no longer wanted to write the Great American Masterpiece."
Thereafter, his music became more pop-oriented and more popular -- making him an internatioanl star. At the same time, though, he returned to playing with his old friends and associates, touring with the old Miles Davis band (Freddie Hubbard standing in), mounted an acoustic piano duet tour with Chick Corea, toured Europe with a quartet including Tony Williams, Ron Carter, and Wynton Marsalis, won an 1987 Oscar for his soundtrack to the film Round Midnight, and played in a 1990s supergroup which featured Jack DeJohnette, Dave Holland and Pat Metheny.
Among his best recordings are Maiden Voyage and Empyrean Isles (both in 1964 on Blue Note), Headhunters (1973, CBS -- at that point the all-time best-selling jazz album ever), The Quintet (1977, CBS), An Evening With Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock (1978, Columbia), and Quartet (1982).
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