Experiencing Herbie Hancock

A Listener's Companion

Eric Wendell

The musical output of jazz pianist and composer Herbie Hancock has toppled genre boundaries and influenced generations of musicians. A child prodigy who worked his way up through classical tradition, found a home for his insatiable creativity in jazz, and went on to influence musicians across numerous genres, Hancock’s work continues to be a staple in mainstream music.

In addition to his classical training and innovative jazz work, Hancock has explored many forms of music such as rock, funk and world music, always looking ahead rather than rehashing what has already been accomplished. In Experiencing Herbie Hancock, Eric Wendell looks beyond the successes and failures of Hancock’s career in an effort to explore Hancock’s musical design within the jazz community and within the popular mainstream. Wendell also explores Hancock’s dramatic impact on the jazz community and how his efforts have fostered a cross-genre continuity among modern jazz practitioners.

Hancock’s chameleon attitude towards contemporary music styles has been met with excitement from both peers and fans alike. Experiencing Herbie Hancock is an ideal work for jazz aficionados, music, and anyone who appreciates the efforts of an artist who would rather look ahead to the great unknown then tread backwards on past endeavors. « less more »

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 256 • Trim: 6 1/4 x 9 1/2

978-1-4422-5837-2 • Hardback • August 2018 • $38.00 • (£24.95)

978-1-4422-5838-9 • eBook • August 2018 • $36.00 • (£24.95)

Series: Listener's Companion

Subjects: Music / Genres & Styles / Jazz, Music / General, Music / History & Criticism, Music / Individual Composer & Musician, Social Science / Popular Culture

Experiencing Herbie Hancock

A Listener's Companion

Hardback

eBook

Summary

The musical output of jazz pianist and composer Herbie Hancock has toppled genre boundaries and influenced generations of musicians. A child prodigy who worked his way up through classical tradition, found a home for his insatiable creativity in jazz, and went on to influence musicians across numerous genres, Hancock’s work continues to be a staple in mainstream music.

In addition to his classical training and innovative jazz work, Hancock has explored many forms of music such as rock, funk and world music, always looking ahead rather than rehashing what has already been accomplished. In Experiencing Herbie Hancock, Eric Wendell looks beyond the successes and failures of Hancock’s career in an effort to explore Hancock’s musical design within the jazz community and within the popular mainstream. Wendell also explores Hancock’s dramatic impact on the jazz community and how his efforts have fostered a cross-genre continuity among modern jazz practitioners.

Hancock’s chameleon attitude towards contemporary music styles has been met with excitement from both peers and fans alike. Experiencing Herbie Hancock is an ideal work for jazz aficionados, music, and anyone who appreciates the efforts of an artist who would rather look ahead to the great unknown then tread backwards on past endeavors.

Book Details

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 256 • Trim: 6 1/4 x 9 1/2

978-1-4422-5837-2 • Hardback • August 2018 • $38.00 • (£24.95)

978-1-4422-5838-9 • eBook • August 2018 • $36.00 • (£24.95)

Series: Listener's Companion

Subjects: Music / Genres & Styles / Jazz, Music / General, Music / History & Criticism, Music / Individual Composer & Musician, Social Science / Popular Culture

Author

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.

Table of Contents

Chapter 2: Next Steps: Miles, (Re)Inventions & New Mediums
Chapter 6: The Pop Promise of Herbie Hancock: The Disco/Synth Stew of Monster
A Tribute to Miles
1+1
Possibilities
Epilogue
Selected Reading
Selected Listening

Reviews

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

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

Experiencing Herbie Hancock

A Listener's Companion

Eric Wendell

Experiencing Herbie Hancock

A Listener's Companion

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