Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 256
•
Trim: 6¼ x 9½
978-1-4422-5837-2 • Hardback • August 2018 • $38.00 • (£24.95)
978-1-4422-5838-9 • eBook • August 2018 • $36.00 • (£24.95)
Eric Wendell is a New York–based musician, writer, and historian. He is the author of Patti Smith: America’s Punk Rock Rhapsodist (R&L 2014) and was a contributor to the encyclopedia Music in American Life: An Encyclopedia of the Songs, Styles, Stars, and Stories That Shaped Our Culture.
Introduction
Chapter 1: Brave Beginnings: Chicago, Mozart & Blue Note
Chapter 2: Next Steps: Miles, (Re)Inventions & New Mediums
Chapter 3: The Gil Evans Influence: Speak Like A Child
Chapter 4: Mwandishi to Head Hunters: A Study in Subtlety
Chapter 5: What’s Next?: Hancock Hurdles Towards the Majors
Chapter 6: The Pop Promise of Herbie Hancock: The Disco/Synth Stew of Monster
Chapter 7: A Video Star Is Born: The (Re) Introduction of Hancock for the MTV Generation
Chapter 8: One For Their Mentor: A Tribute to Miles
Chapter 9: Brothers in Arms: The Musical Tête-à-Tête of 1+1
Chapter 10: Hancock Courts to the Masses: The Hope of Possibilities
Epilogue
Selected Reading
Selected Listening
Jazz pianist Herbie Hancock gets a respectful analysis from musician and writer Wendell (Patti Smith), who dissects the illustrious career of the constantly evolving contemporary legend.... This is an excellent overview of a successful musical maverick who made a career out of finding new ways of breaking the rules.— Publishers Weekly
If anyone can be called a Renaissance man, it surely is the musical virtuoso Herbie Hancock. In this finely detailed account of his illustrious and wide-ranging career, Wendell first considers Hancock’s musical roots on the South Side of Chicago.... An absolute must for Hancock fans and everyone interested in jazz and fusion.— Booklist
Resolutely straightforward and linear, Wendell outlines a brief biography that brings the reader to Hancock’s launch with Donald Byrd and his Blue Note debut, Takin’ Off. Once there, the book steps from album to album, discussing individual tracks and adding not only Wendell’s critical analysis but also that of critics contemporary to the music’s release. After working through The Imagine Project from 2009, the book closes with a brief look at Hancock’s performing career over the last decade. — New York City Jazz Record
This is the first book to focus exclusively on Hancock's career from start to finish, and it is an eminently-readable, engaging resource for any fan or musician seeking to understand his deep legacy. Wendell hosts an excellent listening party disguised as an accessible, entertaining book that richly complements Hancock's own autobiography and the jazz-rock literature. — John Howland, author of Ellington Uptown: Duke Ellington, James P. Johnson, and the Birth of Concert Jazz, Norwegian University of Science and Technology