Herbie Hancock
Known for: Sound
Born: April 12, 1940
Place of birth: Chicago, Illinois, USA
Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet", Hancock helped redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section, and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound. He was one of the first jazz musicians to embrace synthesizers and funk. Hancock's music is often melodic and accessible; he has had many songs "cross over" and achieved success among pop audiences. His music embraces elements of funk and soul while adopting freer stylistic elements from jazz. In his jazz improvisation, he possesses a unique creative blend of jazz, blues, and modern classical music, with harmonic stylings much like the styles of Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. Hancock's best-known solo works include "Cantaloupe Island", "Watermelon Man" (later performed by dozens of musicians, including bandleader Mongo Santamaría), "Maiden Voyage", "Chameleon", and the singles "I Thought It Was You" and "Rockit". His 2007 tribute album River: The Joni Letters won the 2008 Grammy Award for Album of the Year, only the second jazz album ever to win the award after Getz/Gilberto in 1965. As a member of Soka Gakkai, Hancock is an adherent of the Nichiren school of Mahayana Buddhism.
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Filmography
101 movies · 15 TV shows, newest first
7.6
Tuner
2026
8.0
Herbie
2025
NR
Henry Mancini: 100 at the Hollywood Bowl
2024
NR
Don Lewis and The Live Electronic Orchestra
20247.0
They All Came Out to Montreux
2023
9.0
Joni Mitchell - The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize For Popular Song
2023
7.0
Ron Carter: Finding the Right Notes
2022NR
Herbie Hancock - Live at SummerStage 2022
2022
7.0
Hargrove
2022
5.0
Jacob Collier: In the Room Where It Happens
2022
3.3
By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem
2020
8.8
That Click
2019
NR
Buster Williams Bass to Infinity
2019
7.1
Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool
2019
6.7
Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes
2019
8.0
International Jazz Day Australia Concert 2019
2019
7.0
Q85: A Musical Celebration for Quincy Jones
2018
8.1
It Must Schwing: The Blue Note Story
2018
6.7
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
2017
NR
Chick Corea: The Musician
2017
NR
More Than Jazz
2016
NR
Jazz at the White House
2016
NR
River of Gold
2016
6.4
Miles Ahead
2016
7.2
Kareem: Minority of One
2015
7.3
Jay Leno's Garage
2015
6.7
StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson
2015
6.0
Marcus
2015NR
Herbie Hancock Trio - Full Concert - 08/14/88 - Newport Jazz Festival
2014
6.0
Charles Lloyd - Arrows Into Infinity
2014
8.3
Girl Meets World
2014
7.1
Keep on Keepin' On
2014
5.8
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
2014
NR
Experience Montreux
2013
7.5
Lang Lang & Herbie Hancock - Live in Berlin
2012
NR
Gustavo Dudamel and Herbie Hancock Celebrate Gershwin
2011
6.2
The Girls in the Band
2011
6.9
A Man's Story
2011NR
All-Star Jazz Show: Live from The Ed Sullivan Theater
2011
NR
Miles Davis: Around Midnight
2011
6.0
Tribute to Miles - Jazz à Vienne
2011
5.6
A MusiCares Tribute To Barbra Streisand
2011
6.3
On the Shoulders of Giants
2011
NR
Music
20108.0
DeJohnette, Metheny, Holland, Hancock - Parallel Realities Live
2010
4.6
We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial
2009
3.8
Miles Davis: Kind of Blue
2008
6.2
Quincy Jones : 75th Birthday Celebration Live at Montreux
2008
NR
Herbie Hancock - The River Of Possibilities Tour - Jazz a Vienne
2008
NR
Quincy Jones: Breaking New Sound
2008
4.2
Marcus Miller - Master Of All Trades
2006
5.9
Herbie Hancock: Possibilities
2006
7.0
Miles Electric - A Different Kind of Blue
2004
7.5
Janet Jackson: From Janet. To Damita Jo: The Videos
2004NR
Herbie Hancock Special
2004
8.3
Dennis Hopper: The Decisive Moments
2004
7.1
One Night with Blue Note
2004
7.0
Santana: Hymns for Peace - Live at Montreux
2004
NR
Larry presents: Best of The 80s
2004
NR
Prachtig 80: Volume 2
2003
5.6
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
2003
5.9
Joni Mitchell: Woman of Heart and Mind
2003
3.3
Hitters
2002
8.0
World of Rhythm - Live in Lugano
2002
NR
The Jazz Channel Presents Herbie Hancock
2002
5.5
Herbie Hancock Future2future Live
2002
4.5
Herbie Hancock: Jazz Channel
2001
7.1
Traffic
2000
7.2
Blue Note - A Story of Modern Jazz
1997
7.7
Classic Albums
1997
10.0
Wayne Shorter: Live at Montreux 1996
1996
10.0
Antonio Carlos Jobim: An All-Star Tribute
1995
8.0
Oscar Peterson: Music in the Key of Oscar
1995
6.4
Indecent Proposal
1993
5.4
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1992NR
ECHO-Verleihung
1992
7.7
The Neville Brothers: Tell It Like It Is
1991
5.8
Livin' Large!
1991
NR
Rabbit Ears - Koi and the Kola Nuts
1991
4.2
Miles Davis - At La Villette
1991
NR
Branford Marsalis: Steep
1991
NR
Dejohnette, Hancock, Holland and Metheny in Concert
1990
NR
Jazz Under the Skies
1990
NR
Jack DeJohnette, Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock, Dave Holland: Parallel Realities Live... (Live at Mellon Jazz Festival)
1990
8.5
Celebrity Guide to Wine
1990
6.1
Harlem Nights
1989
6.3
The George McKenna Story
1988
6.5
Colors
1988
5.5
Action Jackson
1988
NR
Live at Munich Summer Piano Festiva
1988NR
Bobby McFerrin: Spontaneous Inventions
19876.0
Herbie Hancock At The Munich Summer Piano Festival
1987NR
Miles Ahead: The Music of Miles Davis
1986
7.1
'Round Midnight
1986
6.5
Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling
1986
4.0
Before Midnight
1986
9.5
The Making of Sun City
1985
6.8
A Soldier's Story
1984
NR
I Love Quincy
1984
NR
Herbie Hancock Trio: Hurricane!
1984
6.9
Saturday Night Live
1975
6.9
Death Wish
1974
NR
PBS Soundstage 1974: Chick Corea & Return to Forever + Herbie Hancock & The Headhunters
1974
8.3
Rock Concert
1973
6.4
The Spook Who Sat by the Door
1973
6.5
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest
1972
6.1
Great Performances
1971
8.0
Hey, Hey, Hey, It's Fat Albert
1969
7.3
Blow-Up
1966
6.9
Herbie
1966
NR
Miles Davis Quintet: Milan 1964
1964
7.5
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962
8.6
The Grammys
1959NR
Herbie Hancock And The Rockit Band Live in London
—
NR
Herbie Hancock And The Rockit Band
—
NR
Herbie Hancock - Live at Montreux Jazz Festival 2010
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