History Music / HerbieHancock

* AndNowForSomethingCompletelyDifferent: His 1977 to 1982-era material. The music he put out during that period was filled with generic Disco (1977 to 1980) and even more generic R&B/Post-Disco (1981 to 1982) Some of them even featured vocals, which did not even exist previously. His 1983 album ''Future Shock'' also did this, with a more Hip-Hoppy electro feel, and ''Dis Is Da Drum'' in 1994 featured Acid Jazz and a Jazz-Hop song with a rap in it. ''Future 2 Future'' (2001) incorporates bits and pieces of styles from the previous 20+ years.

Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is a famous {{Jazz}} pianist from UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}}, known for being one of the genre's most important musicians and for his NeoclassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly style.

* AndNowForSomethingCompletelyDifferent: His 1977 to 1982-era material. The music he put out during that period was filled with generic Disco (1977 to 1980) and even more generic R&B/Post-Disco (1981 to 1982) Some of them even featured vocals, which did not even exist previously. His 1983 album Future Shock also did this, with a more Hip-Hoppy electro feel, and Dis Is Da Drum in 1994 featured Acid Jazz and a Jazz-Hop song with a rap in it.

* EpicRocking: In his jazz-fusion era especially. The full version of "Chameleon" is over 15 minutes long, and that's not all.

!!Discography:

Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is a famous {{Jazz}} pianist from UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}}, known for being one of the genre's most important musicians and for his NeoclassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly style.

Albums:

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hh_1778.jpg]]

After being kicked out of the quintet[[note]]officially for staying too long in Brazil on his honeymoon; the real reasons we can't really guess[[/note]], Hancock restarted his solo career. He proved to be just as experimental and wide-ranging as his mentor Davis, incorporating {{Funk}}, rock and {{Soul}} into his music and becoming the first jazz musician to fully embrace synthesizers and electric keyboards. With his 1974 album ''Music/HeadHunters'', he helped pioneer jazz fusion and obtained another SignatureSong, "Chameleon". He continued to mine that particular deposite through ''Thrust'', ''Man-Child'', ''Secrets'' and ''Mr. Hands'' until the 80's, in the meantime still producing acoustic works alongside such giants as Chick Corea.

* BlackSheepHit: The hip-hop-electro-industrial hit "Rockit".
* CoolShades

'''Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock''' (born April 12, 1940) is a famous {{Jazz}} pianist from UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}}, known for being one of the genre's most important musicians and for his NeoclassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly style.

* ShoutOut: The ''WesternAnimation/CowboyBebop'' episode "Speak Like a Child" takes its name from one of Hancock's songs.

A classically-trained pianist, Hancock began his career with the solo album ''Takin' Off'' in 1962, the source of his SignatureSong "Watermelon Man". However, his career really took off once he joined MilesDavis' "second great quintet" a year later, where he stayed until 1968. In the quintet, he developed his signature style and started incorporating elements of rock music (especially towards the end).

* AndNowForSomethingCompletelyDifferent: His 1977 to 1982-era material. The music he put out during that period was filled with generic Disco (1977 to 1980) and even more generic R&B/Post-Funk (1981 to 1982) Some of them even featured vocals, which did not even exist previously. His 1983 album Future Shock also did this, with a more Hip-Hoppy electro feel, and Dis Is Da Drum in 1994 featured Acid Jazz and a Jazz-Hop song with a rap in it.

* AndNowForSomethingCompletelyDifferent: His 1977 to 1982-era material. The music he put out during that period was filled with generic Disco (1977 to 1980) and even more generic R&B/Post-Funk (1981 to 1982) Some of them even featured vocals, which did not even exist previously. His 1983 album Future Shock also did this, with a more Hip-Hoppy electro feel, and Dis Is The Drum in 1994 featured Acid Jazz and a Jazz-Hop song with a rap in it.

He moved in a more pop-oriented direction in the late seventies (which is frequently regarded as a SeasonalRot by fans and critics) first with the not quite commercial but very much vocalized ''Sunlight'' (five songs, the three sung ones being respectively 9, 8 and 7 minutes long). He definitely started dabbling the commercial stuff first with ''Feets Don't Fail Me Now'', followed by the Roy Tempterton-autored ''Lite Me Up'' surfing the ill-fated disco-pop wave far too late.

After being kicked out of the quintet[[note]]officially for staying too long in Brazil on his honeymoon; the real reasons we can't really guess[[/note]], Hancock restarted his solo career. He proved to be just as experimental and wide-ranging as his mentor Davis, incorporating {{Funk}}, rock and {{Soul}} into his music and becoming the first jazz musician to fully embrace synthesizers and electric keyboards. With his 1974 album ''Music/HeadHunters'', he helped pioneer jazz fusion and obtained another SignatureSong, "Chameleon". He moved in a more pop-oriented direction in the late seventies (which is frequently regarded as a SeasonalRot by fans and critics), then in an electronic-industrial style alongside Bill Laswell in TheEighties, when he relased ''Music/FutureShock'' (1983), which gave him another big hit, "Rockit", before returning to fusion and experimentalism in TheNineties, where he's stayed since. He won a Grammy in 2007 for his album of {{Cover Version}}s ''River: The [[Music/JoniMitchell Joni]] Letters''.

Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is a famous {{Jazz}} pianist from UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}}, known for being one of the genre's most important musicians and for his NeoclassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly style.

* EpicRocking: In his jazz-fusion era especially. The full version of "Chameleon" is over 15 minutes long.

After being kicked out of the quintet[[note]]officially for staying too long in Brazil on his honeymoon; the real reasons we can't really guess[[/note]], Hancock restarted his solo career. He proved to be just as experimental and wide-ranging as his mentor Davis, incorporating {{Funk}}, rock and {{Soul}} into his music and becoming the first jazz musician to fully embrace synthesizers and electric keyboards. With his 1974 album ''Head Hunters'', he helped pioneer jazz fusion and obtained another SignatureSong, "Chameleon". He moved in a more pop-oriented direction in the late seventies (which is frequently regarded as a SeasonalRot by fans and critics), then in an electronic-industrial style alongside Bill Laswell in TheEighties (which gave him another big hit, "Rockit"), before returning to fusion and experimentalism in TheNineties, where he's stayed since. He won a Grammy in 2007 for his album of {{Cover Version}}s ''River: The [[Music/JoniMitchell Joni]] Letters''.

Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is a famous {{Jazz}} pianist from [[TheWindyCity Chicago]], known for being one of the genre's most important musicians and for his NeoclassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly style.

Herbie Hancock (born 1940) is a famous {{Jazz}} pianist from [[TheWindyCity Chicago]], known for being one of the genre's most important musicians and for his NeoclassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly style.

* EarWorm: "Chameleon." Listen to the whole thing and you will not be able to get that bass line out of your head for a week.

* ShoutOut: The ''CowboyBebop'' episode "Speak Like a Child" takes its name from one of Hancock's songs.
* SignatureSong: "Cantaloupe Island", "Watermelon Man", "Chameleon" and "Rockit".

After being kicked out of the quintet[[note]]officially for staying too long in Brazil on his honeymoon; the real reasons we can't really guess[[/note]], Hancock restarted his solo career. He proved to be just as experimental and wide-ranging as his mentor Davis, incorporating {{Funk}}, rock and {{Soul}} into his music and becoming the first jazz musician to fully embrace synthesizers and electric keyboards. With his 1974 album ''Head Hunters'', he helped pioneer jazz fusion and obtained another SignatureSong, "Chameleon". He moved in a more pop-oriented direction in the late seventies (which is frequently regarded as a SeasonalRot by fans and critics), then in an electronic-industrial style alongside Bill Laswell in TheEighties (which gave him another big hit, "Rockit"), before returning to fusion and experimentalism in TheNineties, where he's stayed since. He won a Grammy in 2007 for his album of {{Cover Version}}s ''River: The {{Joni|Mitchell}} Letters''.

* SampledUp: It's happened a few times - "Bring Down the Birds" (for "Groove Is in the Heart" by Deee-Lite), "Hang Up Your Hang Ups" (for "All Nite (Don't Stop)" by Janet Jackson), the ''Head Hunters'' version of "Watermelon Man" (Sanctuary" by Madonna) and "Cantaloupe Island" (for US3's "Cantaloop").

After being kicked out of the quintet [[hottip:*:officially for staying too long in Brazil on his honeymoon; the real reasons we can't really guess]], Hancock restarted his solo career. He proved to be just as experimental and wide-ranging as his mentor Davis, incorporating {{Funk}}, rock and {{Soul}} into his music and becoming the first jazz musician to fully embrace synthesizers and electric keyboards. With his 1974 album ''Head Hunters'', he helped pioneer jazz fusion and obtained another SignatureSong, "Chameleon". He moved in a more pop-oriented direction in the late seventies (which is frequently regarded as a SeasonalRot by fans and critics), then in an electronic-industrial style alongside Bill Laswell in TheEighties (which gave him another big hit, "Rockit"), before returning to fusion and experimentalism in TheNineties, where he's stayed since. He won a Grammy in 2007 for his album of {{Cover Version}}s ''River: The [[JoniMitchell Joni]] Letters''.

!Tropes:

* EpicRocking: In his jazz-fusion era especially.

* SurrealMusicVideo: "Rockit".