Herbie Hancock

Herbert Jeffrey (Herbie) Hancock was born in April 1940 in Chicago, Illinois. He already gave his first classical piano concert of Mozart with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra when he was eleven years old! He moved to New York for his classic piano studies, but later switched to jazz. Trumpeter Donald Byrd saw his potential and took Herbie under his wing when the pianist was twenty years old. In 1962 Hancock released his debut solo album Takin’ Off, which included the classic standard Watermelon Man. It is still acknowledged as one of the best debuts in jazz history.From 1964 Hancock were part of the second famous Miles Davis Quintet with base player Ron Carter, drummer Tony Williams and his friend and soulmate for life, Wayne Shorter. It was Miles Davis who taught him to have an open mind for music and life in general. Hancock: “Miles said that there is more than traditional jazz and if you don't look beyond what you already know, you'll come to a standstill.”