Herbie Hancock

Personal Info

Known For

Sound

Known Credits

99

Gender

Male

Birthday

1940-04-12 (85 years old)

Place of Birth

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Herbie Hancock

Biography

Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet", Hancock helped redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section, and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound. He was one of the first jazz musicians to embrace synthesizers and funk. Hancock's music is often melodic and accessible; he has had many songs "cross over" and achieved success among pop audiences. His music embraces elements of funk and soul while adopting freer stylistic elements from jazz. In his jazz improvisation, he possesses a unique creative blend of jazz, blues, and modern classical music, with harmonic stylings much like the styles of Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. Hancock's best-known solo works include "Cantaloupe Island", "Watermelon Man" (later performed by dozens of musicians, including bandleader Mongo Santamaría), "Maiden Voyage", "Chameleon", and the singles "I Thought It Was You" and "Rockit". His 2007 tribute album River: The Joni Letters won the 2008 Grammy Award for Album of the Year, only the second jazz album ever to win the award after Getz/Gilberto in 1965. As a member of Soka Gakkai, Hancock is an adherent of the Nichiren school of Mahayana Buddhism.

Known For

  • The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

    The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

  • The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

    The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

  • Saturday Night Live

    Saturday Night Live

  • Great Performances

    Great Performances

  • Girl Meets World

    Girl Meets World

  • The Ellen DeGeneres Show

    The Ellen DeGeneres Show

  • The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

    The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

  • Kulturzeit

    Kulturzeit

  • Ron Carter: Finding the Right Notes

    Ron Carter: Finding the Right Notes

  • Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

    Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

  • We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial

    We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial

  • Indecent Proposal

    Indecent Proposal

  • Classic Albums

    Classic Albums

  • Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest

    Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest

  • ECHO-Verleihung

    ECHO-Verleihung

  • It Must Schwing: The Blue Note Story

    It Must Schwing: The Blue Note Story

  • Jay Leno's Garage

    Jay Leno's Garage

  • 'Round Midnight

    'Round Midnight

  • Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool

    Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool

  • Hitters

    Hitters

  • Experience Montreux

    Experience Montreux

  • Jack DeJohnette, Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock, Dave Holland: Parallel Realities Live... (Live at Mellon Jazz Festival)

    Jack DeJohnette, Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock, Dave Holland: Parallel Realities Live... (Live at Mellon Jazz Festival)

  • That Click

    That Click

  • Hargrove

    Hargrove

  • Rock Concert

    Rock Concert

  • Q85: A Musical Celebration for Quincy Jones

    Q85: A Musical Celebration for Quincy Jones

  • The Neville Brothers: Tell It Like It Is

    The Neville Brothers: Tell It Like It Is

  • Herbie

    Herbie

  • Miles Davis - At La Villette

    Miles Davis - At La Villette

  • StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson

    StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson

  • Miles Ahead

    Miles Ahead

  • A Man's Story

    A Man's Story

  • PBS Soundstage 1974: Chick Corea & Return to Forever + Herbie Hancock & The Headhunters

    PBS Soundstage 1974: Chick Corea & Return to Forever + Herbie Hancock & The Headhunters

  • On the Shoulders of Giants

    On the Shoulders of Giants

  • All-Star Jazz Show: Live from The Ed Sullivan Theater

    All-Star Jazz Show: Live from The Ed Sullivan Theater

  • Music

    Music

  • Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes

    Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes

  • Joni Mitchell: Woman of Heart and Mind

    Joni Mitchell: Woman of Heart and Mind

  • Lang Lang & Herbie Hancock - Live in Berlin

    Lang Lang & Herbie Hancock - Live in Berlin

  • Kareem: Minority of One

    Kareem: Minority of One

  • Celebrity Guide to Wine

    Celebrity Guide to Wine

  • Oscar Peterson: Music in the Key of Oscar

    Oscar Peterson: Music in the Key of Oscar

  • Bobby McFerrin: Spontaneous Inventions

    Bobby McFerrin: Spontaneous Inventions

  • Santana: Hymns for Peace - Live at Montreux

    Santana: Hymns for Peace - Live at Montreux

  • Quincy Jones : 75th Birthday Celebration Live at Montreux

    Quincy Jones : 75th Birthday Celebration Live at Montreux

  • Keep On Keepin' On

    Keep On Keepin' On

  • Miles Davis: Kind of Blue

    Miles Davis: Kind of Blue

  • The Jazz Channel Presents Herbie Hancock

    The Jazz Channel Presents Herbie Hancock

  • International Jazz Day Australia Concert 2019

    International Jazz Day Australia Concert 2019

  • Herbie Hancock - Live at SummerStage 2022

    Herbie Hancock - Live at SummerStage 2022

  • Miles Ahead: The Music of Miles Davis

    Miles Ahead: The Music of Miles Davis

  • A MusiCares Tribute To Barbra Streisand

    A MusiCares Tribute To Barbra Streisand

  • Wayne Shorter: Live at Montreux 1996

    Wayne Shorter: Live at Montreux 1996

  • Miles Davis: Around Midnight

    Miles Davis: Around Midnight

  • River of Gold

    River of Gold

  • Tribute to Miles - Jazz à Vienne

    Tribute to Miles - Jazz à Vienne

  • They All Came Out to Montreux

    They All Came Out to Montreux

  • Herbie Hancock: Possibilities

    Herbie Hancock: Possibilities

  • Quincy Jones: Breaking New Sound

    Quincy Jones: Breaking New Sound

  • Chick Corea: The Musician

    Chick Corea: The Musician

  • The Making of Sun City

    The Making of Sun City

  • Prachtig 80: Volume 2

    Prachtig 80: Volume 2

  • The Girls in the Band

    The Girls in the Band

  • Jazz Under the Skies

    Jazz Under the Skies

  • Jacob Collier: In the Room Where It Happens

    Jacob Collier: In the Room Where It Happens

  • World of Rhythm: Live in Lugano

    World of Rhythm: Live in Lugano

  • Marcus Miller - Master Of All Trades

    Marcus Miller - Master Of All Trades

  • Branford Marsalis: Steep

    Branford Marsalis: Steep

  • I Love Quincy

    I Love Quincy

  • Herbie Hancock Future2future Live

    Herbie Hancock Future2future Live

  • Herbie Hancock At The Munich Summer Piano Festival

    Herbie Hancock At The Munich Summer Piano Festival

  • Miles Electric: A Different Kind of Blue

    Miles Electric: A Different Kind of Blue

  • One Night with Blue Note

    One Night with Blue Note

  • DeJohnette, Metheny, Holland, Hancock - Parallel Realities Live

    DeJohnette, Metheny, Holland, Hancock - Parallel Realities Live

  • Dejohnette, Hancock, Holland and Metheny in Concert

    Dejohnette, Hancock, Holland and Metheny in Concert

  • Charles Lloyd - Arrows Into Infinity

    Charles Lloyd - Arrows Into Infinity

  • Herbie Hancock Trio - Full Concert - 08/14/88 - Newport Jazz Festival

    Herbie Hancock Trio - Full Concert - 08/14/88 - Newport Jazz Festival

  • Buster Williams Bass to Infinity

    Buster Williams Bass to Infinity

  • Live at Munich Summer Piano Festiva

    Live at Munich Summer Piano Festiva

  • More Than Jazz

    More Than Jazz

  • Don Lewis and The Live Electronic Orchestra

    Don Lewis and The Live Electronic Orchestra

  • Herbie Hancock And The Rockit Band Live in London

    Herbie Hancock And The Rockit Band Live in London

  • Herbie Hancock: Jazz Channel

    Herbie Hancock: Jazz Channel

  • By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem

    By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem

  • Blue Note - A Story of Modern Jazz

    Blue Note - A Story of Modern Jazz

  • The Grammys

    The Grammys

  • Larry presents: Best of The 80s

    Larry presents: Best of The 80s

  • Jazz at the White House

    Jazz at the White House

  • Herbie Hancock Special

    Herbie Hancock Special

  • Before Midnight

    Before Midnight

  • Marcus

    Marcus

  • Herbie Hancock - The River Of Possibilities Tour - Jazz a Vienne

    Herbie Hancock - The River Of Possibilities Tour - Jazz a Vienne

  • Miles Davis Quintet: Milan 1964

    Miles Davis Quintet: Milan 1964

  • Dennis Hopper: The Decisive Moments

    Dennis Hopper: The Decisive Moments

  • Joni Mitchell - The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize For Popular Song

    Joni Mitchell - The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize For Popular Song

  • Antonio Carlos Jobim: An All-Star Tribute

    Antonio Carlos Jobim: An All-Star Tribute

  • Gustavo Dudamel and Herbie Hancock Celebrate Gershwin

    Gustavo Dudamel and Herbie Hancock Celebrate Gershwin

  • Herbie Hancock Trio: Hurricane!

    Herbie Hancock Trio: Hurricane!

  • Herbie Hancock And The Rockit Band

    Herbie Hancock And The Rockit Band