The jazz world pays tribute to a true legend today (April 12). US pianist and composer Herbie Hancock has turned 80, so how better to celebrate than to delve into some of the key albums from his multifaceted career that spans six decades.
From the funk odyssey of Head Hunters to the intimacy of Gershwin's World, Hancock's style has taken him far and wide.
Speaking to The National in 2014, he reflected on his career, saying his embrace of the unknown has been responsible for his success.
"I believe that change is a very important colour for life,” he said. “It allows for continual evolution, continual development, continual surprises and growth. I welcome change. I love change. It is one of my most important inspirations."
Here are five classic albums showcasing the various changes of Hancock’s storied career.
'Maiden Voyage' (1956)
This is the album on which Hancock comes into his own as both composer and band leader. After being under the tutelage of Miles Davis for two years, Hancock took on some of the master's penchant for understated yet quietly challenging pieces that expanded the outer reaches of jazz. The arrangements here are adventurous without sacrificing any of the inherent melody central to his work. This is best exemplified in the yearning title song, which has become a jazz standard, as well the shimmering Dolphin Dance.
'Crossings' (1972)
One of the most "out there" albums recorded by Hancock with his experimental group Mwandishi. That said, despite its spaced-out Moog synthesisers, African percussion and off-kilter saxophones, the album remains a remarkably cogent piece of work. This is primarily because of Hancock's strident playing on the Fender Rhodes electric piano – some of his groovy riffs hint at the funk-centric approach of his future works.
'Head Hunters' (1973)
After having his head in the clouds on a string of esoteric albums with previous band Mwandishi, Hancock returns to earth with this stone-cold funk classic. Gone is the avant-garde approach of Mwandishi as Hancock embraces groove. The album is taut, gritty and chock-full of chunky bass or keyboard riffs; it remains a goldmine for hip-hop producers to sample.
'Future Shock' (1983)
Another example of Hancock's restless muse. After becoming a pop star courtesy of his big-selling Head Hunters, Hancock ditched the funk stylings to embrace technology in this forward-thinking release. Future Shock remains influential in both the jazz and hip-hop worlds, as it melds funk with drum machines, sequences and DJ scratching. It also spawned the hit Rock It.
'Gershwin’s World' (1998)
One of the most underrated works in Hancock's oeuvre. This is a loving tribute to composer George Gershwin and shows a deeper and soulful side of Hancock’s playing. With a star-studded guest line-up that includes folk hero Joni Mitchell and legendary saxophonist Wayne Shorter, this is a wonderful journey into the work of one of the 20th century's greatest composers.
_________________
Read more:
Herbie Hancock on life, Jazz and technology
'Birth of the Cool': 9 ways Miles Davis changed the music scene forever
Remembering Manu Dibango: what I learned from watching the African jazz legend soundcheck
_________________
NYBL PROFILE
Company name: Nybl
Date started: November 2018
Founder: Noor Alnahhas, Michael LeTan, Hafsa Yazdni, Sufyaan Abdul Haseeb, Waleed Rifaat, Mohammed Shono
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Software Technology / Artificial Intelligence
Initial investment: $500,000
Funding round: Series B (raising $5m)
Partners/Incubators: Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 4, Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 6, AI Venture Labs Cohort 1, Microsoft Scale-up
Match info
Uefa Nations League A Group 4
England 2 (Lingard 78', Kane 85')
Croatia 1 (Kramaric 57')
Man of the match: Harry Kane (England)
Newcastle United 0 Tottenham Hotspur 2
Tottenham (Alli 61'), Davies (70')
Red card Jonjo Shelvey (Newcastle)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 268hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: CVT auto
Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km
On sale: now
Price: from Dh195,000
ILT20%20UAE%20stars
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ELEADING%20RUN%20SCORERS%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E1%20Nicholas%20Pooran%2C%20261%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E2%20Muhammad%20Waseem%20(UAE)%2C%20248%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E3%20Chris%20Lynn%2C%20244%3Cbr%3E4%20Johnson%20Charles%2C%20232%3Cbr%3E5%20Kusal%20Perera%2C%20230%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBEST%20BOWLING%20AVERAGE%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E(minimum%2010%20overs%20bowled)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E1%20Zuhaib%20Zubair%20(UAE)%2C%209%20wickets%20at%2012.44%3Cbr%3E2%20Mohammed%20Rohid%20(UAE)%2C%207%20at%2013.00%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E3%20Fazalhaq%20Farooqi%2C%2017%20at%2013.05%3Cbr%3E4%20Waqar%20Salamkheil%2C%2010%20at%2014.08%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E5%20Aayan%20Khan%20(UAE)%2C%204%20at%2015.50%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E6%20Wanindu%20Hasaranga%2C%2012%20at%2016.25%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E7%20Mohammed%20Jawadullah%20(UAE)%2C%2010%20at%2017.00%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The fake news generation
288,000 – the number of posts reported as hate speech that were deleted by Facebook globally each month in May and June this year
11% – the number of Americans who said they trusted the news they read on Snapchat as of June 2017, according to Statista. Over a quarter stated that they ‘rarely trusted’ the news they read on social media in general
31% - the number of young people in the US aged between 10 and 18 who said they had shared a news story online in the last six months that they later found out was wrong or inaccurate
63% - percentage of Arab nationals who said they get their news from social media every single day.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Cinco in numbers
Dh3.7 million
The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown
46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
1,000
The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
3,000
The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
1.1 million
The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
