Kendra Bryant
Special to AFRO
Jazz legend Herbie Hancock will perform with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra during SummerFest at Meyerhoff Symphony Hall on July 28.
With a career spanning more than six decades and celebrated works including “Cantaloupe Island” and “Rockit,” Hancock hopes to give audiences a one-of-a-kind performance.
“They can expect the unexpected,” Hancock told the AFRO. “It’s never the same and I don’t like to try to repeat myself or play something I’ve already played before. I don’t want to play things the exact same way it’s on the record. I always like to make it a new experience.”
“They can expect the unexpected.” – Herbie Hancock, Jazz Musician
VIP ticket holders will have access to a question-and-answer session with Hancock, a preshow soundcheck and an exclusive merchandise gift.
The 14-time Grammy Award winner said touring remains one of the most rewarding parts of his career.
“I do it almost once every year, sometimes twice or three times,” said Hancock. “Through the United States, Europe and Asia. I enjoy being in different countries, hearing the different languages and asking questions about their culture and things I see and learn. It’s exciting for me. The food too.”
Recognized as a piano prodigy at age 11, Hancock has always had an interest in music, taking inspiration from jazz pianist Oscar Peterson and George Shearing.
Although he began his training in classical music, Hancock turned towards jazz after watching a classmate perform during his sophomore year of high school.
“I was always fascinated with music,” said Hancock. “I wanted to know what were these arrangements that artists were making on their records. I would purchase records to try to figure out what the trumpets, saxophones and trombones played. That eagerness to be able to hear and figure out what they were playing was a real challenge, but I learned a lot from that and carry that forward into later work that I did.”
After organizing his first student-led orchestra performance at Grinnell College, Hancock changed his major from electrical engineering to music.
“I was actually failing all of the classes that I had in school and I almost didn’t pass final exams,” said Hancock. “I was spending so much time trying to learn more about jazz, how to write songs and orchestrate. I put together a band with the students, which was hard, finding musicians at a school in Iowa. I’d teach them about phrasing and things I’d learn about music. The night after the concert, I went back to my room and looked in the mirror. I said to myself, ‘Who are you trying to fool?’ and changed my major the next day.”
As he continues to create and teach the art of music, Hancock’s inspiration comes from everyday life.
“Being around other people, practicing Buddhism with my community, being with my family,” said Hancock. “Inspiration comes from living.”
