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Herbie Hancock.
 The term 'legend' is often overused, but in the case of jazz pianist Herbie Hancock it is an appropriate tag. From his earliest days as an integral member of Miles Davis' second great quintet with the likes of Tony Williams and Wayne Shorter, through his classic solo Blue Note to the funk of 'Headhunters' and his various fusion projects Hancock has, like his mentor, remained ahead of trends. His new Warner disc 'Possibilities' is no mere series of duets but rather a collection of true collaborations with an eclectic group of musicians that includes the likes of Carlos Santana, Christina Aguilera, Paul Simon and Sting.
I suggest that Hancock's spiritual beliefs as a Buddhist had coloured his wish to collaborate with artists not normally associated with jazz. I asked him about the inclusive qualities offered by Buddhism, where it is possible to be both Buddhist and Christian in a philosophical way, and if this has also informed his approach to 'Possibilities' so that a musical cross-fertilisation of sorts can occur which breaks down the artificial borders that exist between various forms of music - jazz, rock, blues and rap.
"Yes, exactly!" Hancock opines. "Especially if you're referring to the fact that Buddhism is inclusive rather than exclusive. That's certainly something that I try to do. The idea of mustering up the courage to trust yourself and trust others and explore material beyond the comfort zone relates to that and my own particular approach to the new record.
"I knew from my own experience that artists are kind of pigeonholed into the first area in which they are presented to the public. The music business tends to work that way - hoping that the artist will continue to work inside an area that they are known for. But, you know, I've found jazz to be a lot less restrictive in that way than pop music. However even so, the funny thing is that those who know me for the 'Headhunters' stuff generally don't know the stuff that I did with Miles. They think that the 'Headhunters' thing is the real Herbie Hancock you know and people who know the Miles stuff say that's the real Hancock! Yet it's all me because I've played with Miles and he really encouraged his musicians to always work on new things and to discover new territories in music, so when I did 'Headhunters' I was able to learn from this and do funk and combine it with jazz."
Even though 'Headhunters' has influenced and been sampled by so many contemporary musicians, with 'Possibilities' Hancock has tended to opt for the more traditional acoustic piano - to great effect. There is a great funky sound to it and the hybridisation of musical styles that occurs is both ingenious and groundbreaking. To name just one example: U2's When Love Comes to Town, performed here with Jonny Lang and Joss Stone, successfully brings together Delta blues and country and even touches of Stevie Wonder in Herbie's meandering yet funky clavinet-like solo.
"Well that's what the word 'possibilities' is about." says Hancock. "You know, the things that you don't expect and it just shows new musical possibilities. The particular piece has several layers to it. You're right; it is like Delta blues, Delta blues and country. It's in that margin there and then Jonny Lang comes in with a more blues/rock feel and when the clavinet sound comes in, that's a funky sound. And they all work together so well. And then later on I come in with the acoustic piano and add a jazz layer and it still seems to work; so the spirit of that song creates its own kind of environment."
I also ask Hancock about the contemporary perception of jazz, since the music we currently hear via radio and television seems to be a much safer option than those presented by him and his colleagues throughout their careers. "Unfortunately there is a side to jazz that you don't hear on the radio at all; like how often do you hear Wayne Shorter and the music he's doing now? Not that often. A lot of things aren't 'radio friendly' because they're too long, but he does have a great cult following.
"Sometimes artists think 'Well, I'm not going to get airplay so I've got to do 'smooth' jazz in order to get heard,' so it's sort of the tail wagging the dog as far as I'm concerned. Wayne is not trying to be exclusive. He's just as comfortable working with other people like Joni [Mitchell] and the Stones as well as with his own breaking edge quartet. It's that kind of inclusive musician that I admire and that's why his music grows from so many facets. Whatever he does has a new element to it and I try to model myself after people like that. With 'Possibilities' I've put jazz on the palette and made it important but not more so than the other influences, both my own and the others from people involved in this project. This is the first record where I've really approached it from throwing out the labels but what's there is the result of these shared collaborations, shared creation and the design of each of the tracks I wanted every track to show something new that I haven't done before."
Brett Allen-Bayes
 | 'Possibilities' is out now through Warner. |
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