Herbie Hancock
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Herbert Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American composer and musician working in the jazz idiom as a keyboardist. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd’s group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he 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, utilizing a wide array of synthesizers and electronics. It was during this period that he released perhaps his best-known and most influential album, Head Hunters.
Hancock's best-known compositions include "Cantaloupe Island", "Watermelon Man", "Maiden Voyage" and "Chameleon", all of which are jazz standards. During the 1980s, he enjoyed a hit single with the electronic instrumental "Rockit", a collaboration with bassist/producer Bill Laswell.