Herbie Hancock: Possibilities

I found Herbie's story to be absolutely riveting. He's one of my favorite artists and I loved reading this book. As a musician, I was thrilled to tap into personal insights into his work with all the stellar musicians/producers/engineers and I was right there with them on their respective tours. Herbie was truthful, transparent and vulnerable as he shared with us some of the painful sides of his journey in life. Learning how his profound spirituality and deep personal connection to source is both inspirational and joyful. #Respect.

Even as a fan of Herbie Hancock's, you learn just how great and creative as a musician he is. This biography moves easily through his life stages and changes. A good deal of time is spent on his time with Miles and the influence throughout his career of that quintet. He deals with all aspects of his life and career including his Buddhist practice, his close relationships both in and out of music, as well as a candid view of his drug addiction. Overall, this is an open honest autobiography. Easy to read and full of history from one of the jazz greats.

This memoir by Hancock (with Lisa Dickey) covers roughly seven decades up to the present in Hancock's life, both in and out of music. There's 16 pages of b&w photos from across Hancock's life. There's no contents page, but the book is broken into twenty-four chapters which explore his life and the changes in his music over the years. Included is an Index. Beginning as a child prodigy, to his classic Blues Note Records work, to his change from acoustic jazz to electronic jazz/funk/r&b, to his collaborations with many different artists, to winning many Grammy awards, Hancock has played with many of the very best (mostly) jazz musicians of the Twentieth Century. For me that, and his musical influences, are what I wanted to read about and Hancock doesn't disappoint. Also included is his long time marriage which influenced his life greatly, and how the Buddhist religion inspired him on all levels of life and music. Beginning with his childhood, Hancock talks in some detail about his early life and the people around him. He says his neighborhood wasn't a "bad" place but it was a rough area. The first time he "met a white kid was in high school." His mother was bipolar and his father "was a sweet, easygoing man", who wanted to be a doctor. And once his family got a piano all Hancock wanted to do was play music, teaching himself the rudiments of the instrument. At eleven years of age he played with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and as Hancock says, "Then I turned my attention to the piano, and from the moment I played the first few notes, the rest of the world might as well have not existed." His earliest jazz exposure was on WGES radio, with the first jazz tune he really noticed was "Moonlight In Vermont" by guitarist Johnny Smith and tenor sax player Stan Getz. Heading off to college Hancock was torn between receiving an education in science or music. It's interesting that Hancock never practices more than an hour a day, but spends many hours analyzing music. He listened to Oscar Peterson and tried to emulate some of his style during this time. He left college one credit shy of graduating because he wanted to play jazz seriously. In 1966 he got the chance to play with Coleman Hawkins and from that point never really looked back. He next played with Pepper Adams and Donald Byrd before moving to New York, where he again played with Byrd at the Five Spot. It's from Byrd that Hancock approached Blue Note Records, which began a string of some of the best jazz albums of the period, beginning with"Takin' Off". And after that period of acoustic music, including playing with Miles Davis, he began exploring more electronic ways of playing music. "Miles, am I in the band?" "You makin' a record m###a#####r!". Hancock to Davis. "I never understood how he could play so brilliantly while being stone drunk." Hancock on Wayne Shorter in Miles Davis' band. "Herbie, that post office job is interfering with the music. You've got to quit." Drummer Louis Taylor to Hancock. Hancock talks about his many and different gigs, songs he's written, and recording sessions over the first years as a serious musician. Playing with Miles Davis in his mid-twenties, Hancock was living the good life, and around this time he met his future wife Gigi. It's also during this period that Hancock tried LSD. Plus, he reveals he was addicted to crack cocaine fora number of years. From this point Hancock delves into his life in music with some great details about his music (both acoustic and electronic) and recording with different musicians. Hancock is a storehouse of information about that whole era of jazz and his stories and observations are laid out in an easy to read, you-are-there style of writing. At times because of his conversational style of writing, you have the feeling that he's catching you up on different parts of his career in music--like the gig after his surgery--and finally getting use of all ten fingers ("I could hardly believe the irony--that my own cancer scare would find it's ultimate resolution in playing for a friend who was fighting cancer.") the night before his concert. Hancock talks briefly about the V.S.O.P. band that recorded albums in the 70's to good acclaim, and his duo with Chick Corea playing acoustic music--in addition to his work with the Headhunters during the same period. "I knew I needed to quit, but I still didn't realize quite how bad it had gotten." Herbie Hancock on his crack cocaine addiction. "Soon the walls started moving, and creatures started appearing on the ceiling. And then the apartment somehow became a train...." Hancock describing his first LSD trip. "At some point I bought a van from the saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, and all of us would cram into it for out-of-town gigs." Herbie Hancock. "For me, Miles never went away." Herbie Hancock. "Tony Williams burned through life like the brightest flame." Herbie Hancock. He also talks about his Buddhist religion and how that has been a continuing foundation in his life, along with his long, happy marriage. And while those areas are certainly important to really have a fuller picture of Hancock, and his life would certainly have turned out differently without his wife and Buddhism, it's when he talks with some detail about music that the book (for me) really becomes interesting and informative. Hancock has played with and/or witnessed some of the greatest jazz musicians in the history of the music. And this book sheds light on the inner workings of both Hancock and other musicians like Miles Davis ("When asked by a journalist about reuniting the quintet with Ron, Tony, Wayne, and myself, he said, 'No. That would be like making love to the first woman over again.'"), and jazz in general during perhaps the greatest era for the music. "But what few people realize is that Miles was actually influenced by Tony's band, Tony Williams Lifetime," Herbie Hancock. "When Miles heard what Tony was doing he said,"This is the s##t, and he followed in Tony's footsteps with Bitches Brew." Herbie Hancock. "Lifetime was the cornerstone band of jazz-rock fusion--and it's also the reason I wear a hearing aid now." Herbie Hancock. "Back in 1965, when I turned that Yardley cologne jingle into the song "Maiden Voyage", I discovered something about writing music." Herbie Hancock. "With each new record I wanted to jump off the cliff in a different spot." Herbie Hancock. If you're either a Hancock fan or a jazz fan in general, this book will give you some insight into that whole era of music-making. This book is worth adding to your shelf of jazz/music books.

I've waited my entire adult life for the opportunity to take in the wealth of information Mr. Hancock shares about himself and his experiences. I could not put this book down. His gift to me is this book. His sense of humility in the face of achieving unthinkable goals while navigating life's ups and downs serve to remind me that truly anything is possible. Naturally, the musician in me wants to further explore Herbie's mindset in creating music however, I'm thankful for his comprehensive narrative found within this excellent book. Nam Myoho Renge Kyo...

great book by a great musician. Long live the music

Herbie Hancock is an absolute legend, I highly recommend this book to anybody who is looking to develop what will feel like a personal relationship with this man. Well written, insightful, hilarious, full of stories and musical conquests. This book inspired me to do something new and different every day ( not only within my own music, but my every day life ), the perspective he developed through-out his career brought life changing revelations. What I am trying to say is if you are on the fence about reading this book, pull the trigger.... Herbie would. I have passed this on to multiple friends, they read it so fast I have it back within a week!

"Possibilities" is a great read into the life and challenges of a great person. Although I have known Herbie personally for 40 years, you never know the whole story. This book helped me understand his true greatness as a human being and an extremely talented musician. Herbie has opened up and shared his life of successes and failures. The good news is there are more successes than failures and he has achieved something that most human beings have the potential inside to accomplish, but have not tapped into it yet. He sets an example for us all to follow. Herbie..... thank you for allowing us into your world and seeing the possibilities that life has to offer. This is a must read for all who seek limitless potential and opportunities in life!

I enjoyed reading this book and I felt as if Herbie was talking to me. It was great learning about his introduction to jazz and how he was in on the changes not only in jazz but with the latest technology and how it was impacting what he was doing and the music industry.

Herbert Jeffrey Hancock - one of my absolute life long heros - has written a VERY readable and very incisive book about his life story. Clearly, Herbie has an ego (!!!) but he is also a very open minded musician, who draws his inspiration from his religious beliefs. A large amount of background information is in the book, with all kinds of insights of some of my favourite other musicians. I think that the problem is that with Herbie having had such a long and varied career, it would have been almost impossible to fill the book with ALL of the background without it being some 1,000 pages longer. I heartily recommend this wonderful book.

This book is a must-read for all music lovers that appreciate the artistry of Herbie Hancock. Its beauty though lies in the fact that the focal point is LIFE, rather than music. This leads Herbie to open up fully to the reader, exposing his highs as well as his lows, and making a strong point on how Nichiren Buddhism played (and still plays) a central role in his life.

Fantastic book. A real page turner. Written well so it’s a pleasure to read. What an amazing, inspiring life! Thanks Herbie!

9歳でオーケストラと共演したとか、大学は工学部だったとか、郵便局員だったとか、ドナルド・バードに見出されたとか、マイルスに引き抜かれたとか、ウォーターメロンマンのヒットだとか、暗黒時代と呼ばれているワーナー時代の活動とか、ヘッドハンターズのヒットとか、VSOPでのアコースティック回帰とか、チック・コリアとのデュットとか、ロックイットのヒットとかから、最新作のことまで、ハンコック自身によって語られています。 ワーナー時代はヒットには恵まれませんでしたが、ハンコック自身の活動としては充実したものだったことは意外でした。 ハンコックが創価学会員であることに眉をひそめる人もいますが、災いを災いととらえない、という日蓮宗の教えが、マイルスの間違ったコードを間違いとはせずに新たな展開として演奏を継続するという態度と一致していることは認めざるをえません。 ロックイットで接触したブルックリンの連中の影響でドラッグ中毒であった事が告白されています。こんな話は知りませんでした。 ハンコックファンだったら、全作のライナーノーツを時代順に読んでいるような気がするでしょう。 ハンコックマニアだったら、シンセサイザーの師匠・グリーソン、プロデューサーでヒットの仕掛け人デビッド・ルービンソン、エンジニアのブライアン・ベル等の話は貴重です。 ITマニアだったら、パソコンの黎明期のパロアルト研究所の預言者アラン・ケイがハンコックと接点を持っていたというのはITの歴史の貴重な1ページです。欄外の書き込みぐらいかもしれない。 20有余年前地方コンサートの時にハンコックと握手をして、ハンコックが乗り込んだタクシーを車で追いかけてパッシングしていたのは私です。これは歴史ではなく思い出ですね。

Written in collaboration with Lisa Dickey, this book presents a fine balance between Herbie Hancock, the man and Herbie Hancock the musician. It takes us through the musical changes in his life - from Miles Davis to the Head Hunters and beyond - but also describes the changes which came about when he discovered the Buddhist faith and the influence it had on his view of life in general Herbie Hancock's early success with "Watermelon Man" and his membership of Miles Davis' second great quintet provided him with a solid basis both financially and artistically but he wasn't prepared to rest on his laurels. His growing interest in new musical technology and his willingness to take chances took him on a path which resulted in him making not only one of the fastest-selling jazz records of all time with the album "Head Hunters" but also a hit single "Rockit". Herbie Hancock continued making ground-breaking records which won him many awards. He was especially surprised and pleased with the Grammy Award he received for "River: The Joni Letters". This is a very honest book which is refreshing as so many books of this type gloss over the negative aspects of the subject's character. Highly recommended.