Well, he’s Herbie Hancock. And what have you done with your life, mister? Obviously there’s something to be said for being the first jazz artist to win a Grammy for Album of the Year in nearly half a century (if you’re curious, the last were the legendary Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto, for their self-titled bossa nova masterpiece, way back in 1965).
Most famously, Herbie was hand-picked by God himself, aka Miles Davis, to tickle the ivories for him at the ripe age of 23 — a slot that led to him being the first pianist to incorporate his synth playing with jazz, a huge feat when you think about it –I mean, what would smooth jazz be without it? On the positive side, Herbie and Miles really gave us the embryonic stages of Davis’ Blue Note label, churning out such classics as “Time, No Changes” and others, before he eventually left (of his own accord) and produced a string of hits, including “Watermelon Man”, Maiden Voyage’, and ‘Dolphin Dance’.
If you’ve sat in a Starbucks for any considerable length of time, chances are you’ve heard him. But if you haven’t, there’s still time — head over to Red Bull Music Academy now for a brief memoir of his Miles Davis days and more.
