Born on April 12: Herbie Hancock, the world's most eclectic jazzman

He was born in Chicago in 1940 and, throughout his career, he has never hesitated to venture into uncharted territory.

Like many great jazz pianists, Herbie Hancock first learned the secrets of classical music from the age of 7 with his mother. With patience, he progressed until he was invited, around the age of 11, to perform with the famous Chicago Symphony Orchestra alongside other promising young talents. Although he decided, as an autodidact, to turn to jazz in his teenage years, the pianist still held a place in his heart for what's often referred to as classical music. In 2009, he performed George Gershwin's famous "Rhapsody In Blue" with star pianist Lang Lang, who played at the opening of the Beijing Olympics and also with... Metallica. In terms of eclecticism, Herbie Hancock is not alone!

From the dawn of the 1960s, by joining Miles Davis's quintet and releasing the aptly named "Takin’ Off" under his own name in 1962 (featuring "Watermelon Man", still among his most popular tunes), one might have thought Herbie Hancock's career was launched. However, this underestimated his incredible ability to continuously renew himself and explore new distant shores.

Before shining under his own name, he worked behind the scenes with the greats such as the aforementioned Miles Davis and also Donald Byrd. His Blue Note years, named after the famous jazz label, were marked by enriching encounters such as those with trumpeter Freddie Hubbard or saxophonist Dexter Gordon. Quickly, his address book began to resemble a who’s who of jazz. 

Concurrently, he was one of the first of his generation to take an interest in the advent of synthesizers, and was later demonised by several of his peers for having recorded "Future Shock" (1983), a purely electronic album enriched with deejay DXT's scratches. "Rock It", produced by Bill Laswell and supported by a zany video by Godley & Creme, became his biggest hit alongside his emblematic "Cantaloupe Island" from 1964, which is in a diametrically different style.

Herbie Hancock has also signed an impressive number of notable film scores. One of the first was "Blow-Up" by Michelangelo Antonioni in 1966. Randomly recalling some of them, there’s "Colors" by Dennis Hopper (1988), "Harlem Nights" by Eddie Murphy (1989), and the most beautiful of all: "Round Midnight" by Bertrand Tavernier (1986). This helped the director win the César Award for Best Film of the Year, the Oscar for Best Original Score, and even a first small role alongside François Cluzet and his friend Dexter Gordon. He even took the opportunity to play his first (small) acting role in front of the cameras...

As he celebrates his 85th birthday today, Herbie Hancock is preparing to visit all the major European jazz festivals this summer. Indefatigable Herbie!

Some upcoming dates:

29th June: Parvis La Défense - Paris (France)

4th July: De Bijloke - Gent (Belgium) also featuring, among others, Philip Catherine

11th July: Ahoy - Rotterdam (Netherlands) also featuring Branford Marsalis, Avishai Cohen, etc.

19th July: La Pinède - Juan-les-Pins (France)

24th to 26th July: Barbican - London (England)

29th July: Châpiteau - Marciac (France)

(MH with Stéphane Soupart - Photo: © Etienne Tordoir)

Photo: Herbie Hancock on stage at the Ancienne Belgique in Brussels (Belgium) for the "Future Shock" tour on 20th June 1984