Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, composer and actor. Starting his career with Donald Byrd, he shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet where Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the post-bop sound. In the 1970s, Hancock experimented with jazz fusion, funk, and electro styles.
Hancock's best-known compositions 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.
Takin' Off is the debut album of jazz pianist Herbie Hancock originally released in 1962 for the Blue Note label as BST 84109. The recording session included Freddie Hubbard on trumpet and veteran Dexter Gordon on tenor saxophone. The album was a typical hard bop LP, with its characteristic two horns and a rhythm section. The bluesy single "Watermelon Man" made it to the Top 100 of the pop charts, and went on to become a jazz standard. The album has been called "one of the most accomplished and stunning debuts in the annals of jazz." It was released on CD in 1996 with three alternate takes and then remastered in 2007 by Van Gelder.
Empyrean Isles is the fourth album by American jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, recorded on June 17, 1964 for Blue Note Records. It features the debut of two of his most popular compositions, "One Finger Snap" and "Cantaloupe Island".
Inventions & Dimensions is the third album by Herbie Hancock, recorded on August 30, 1963 for Blue Note Records. The album was also re-released in the mid-1970s as Succotash credited to Hancock and Willie Bobo. Inventions & Dimensions is unusual in prominently featuring Latin percussion without being a Latin jazz album, rather being Hancock's exploration of modal jazz and post-bop.
Blow-Up is a soundtrack album by Herbie Hancock featuring music composed for Michelangelo Antonioni's film Blow-Up released in 1966 on MGM Records. The album features performances by Hancock, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Newman, Phil Woods, Joe Henderson, Jim Hall, Ron Carter, and Jack DeJohnette. Although Jimmy Smith is credited with playing organ on the album some sources claim it was Paul Griffin that was present at the recording sessions.
Fat Albert Rotunda is the eighth album by jazz keyboardist Herbie Hancock, released in 1970. It also was the first album that Hancock had on the Warner Bros. Records label, since leaving Blue Note Records. The music was originally done for the TV special Hey, Hey, Hey, It's Fat Albert, which later inspired Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids TV show. Fat Albert Rotunda, along with Mwandishi and Crossings was reissued in one set as Mwandishi: The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings in 1994. On this album Hancock changes his style radically and takes instrumental soul music rather than jazz as the basis of his compositions. Many songs also hint at his forthcoming jazz-funk style that he fully approached a few years later. Quincy Jones recorded "Tell Me a Bedtime Story" for his 1978 album, Sounds...and Stuff Like That!!, while Hancock revisited "Jessica" on the 1977 Hancock album VSOP: The Quintet.
