Herbie Hancock Quick Bio

He can get you into a jazz groove so deep you'll think you're Miles Davis. Then, suddenly from his fingers springs the most startling funk licks and you'll know it's Herbie Hancock. Jazz, classical, blues, gospel, funk, Herbie is steeped in them. What makes him so special is his talent and his times.

Born in 1940, a child prodigy who took up piano at age 7, and by 11 was performing Mozart piano concertos with the Chicago Symphony, Hancock flew through school at Grinnell College in Iowa before hard bop trumpeter Donald Byrd asked him to join his group in 1961.

A composer from the beginning, Blue Note signed him to a recording contract and his first session, at age 22, produced Takin' Off which became a jazz hit when Mongo Santamaria covered Herbie's piece "Watermelon Man." In 1963, Hancock was hired by Miles Davis for Miles' quintet and thus began five years of defining jazz for an era, with compatriots Tony Williams on drums, bassist Ron Carter, saxophonist Wayne Shorter and, of course, trumpeter Miles Davis.

Always searching, ambitious and a self-proclaimed gadget lover, in the late 60's Hancock left Davis to start his own band, expanding to keyboards, and synthesizers. This period peaked in the funk jazz classic Headhunters album in 1973, which became the biggest selling jazz LP up to that time.

Hancock's search has included changing religions to Buddhism, using an African name (Mwandishi), composing disco music, an MTV hit entitled "Rockit," and composing for film (he won an Academy Award for the soundtrack of 'Round Midnight), and then back into an 80's revival of his Miles Davis roots in a important reunion band, VSOP, with trumpeter Freddie Hubbard. But it has always been with a purpose. Converting to Buddhism in late 70's wasn't a passing fancy. Hancock has now been practicing for 26 years and has written intros for many of the Buddhist self-help books.

"Without wisdom, the future has no meaning, no valuable purpose," says Hancock. "What establishes value is something that is going to move humanity forward. If humanity is not in the equation, it's like the planet without any human beings on it."

NEA Jazz Masters 2004 Fellowships Recipients