Herbie Hancock
Sound
1940-04-12 · 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.
Filmography
Tuner
2026 · Movie
Herbie
2025 · Movie
Henry Mancini: 100 at the Hollywood Bowl
2024 · Movie
Don Lewis and The Live Electronic Orchestra
2024 · Movie
They All Came Out to Montreux
2023 · Movie
Joni Mitchell - The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize For Popular Song
2023 · Movie
Ron Carter: Finding the Right Notes
2022 · Movie
Herbie Hancock - Live at SummerStage 2022
2022 · Movie
Hargrove
2022 · Movie
Jacob Collier: In the Room Where It Happens
2022 · Movie
By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem
2020 · Series
That Click
2019 · Movie
Buster Williams Bass to Infinity
2019 · Movie
Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool
2019 · Movie
Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes
2019 · Movie
International Jazz Day Australia Concert 2019
2019 · Movie
Q85: A Musical Celebration for Quincy Jones
2018 · Movie
It Must Schwing: The Blue Note Story
2018 · Movie
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
2017 · Movie
Chick Corea: The Musician
2017 · Movie
More Than Jazz
2016 · Movie
Jazz at the White House
2016 · Movie
River of Gold
2016 · Movie
Miles Ahead
2016 · Movie
Kareem: Minority of One
2015 · Movie
Jay Leno's Garage
2015 · Series
StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson
2015 · Series
Marcus
2015 · Movie
Herbie Hancock Trio - Full Concert - 08/14/88 - Newport Jazz Festival
2014 · Movie
Charles Lloyd - Arrows Into Infinity
2014 · Movie
Girl Meets World
2014 · Series
Keep on Keepin' On
2014 · Movie
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
2014 · Series
Experience Montreux
2013 · Movie
Lang Lang & Herbie Hancock - Live in Berlin
2012 · Movie
Gustavo Dudamel and Herbie Hancock Celebrate Gershwin
2011 · Movie
The Girls in the Band
2011 · Movie
A Man's Story
2011 · Movie
All-Star Jazz Show: Live from The Ed Sullivan Theater
2011 · Movie
Miles Davis: Around Midnight
2011 · Movie
Tribute to Miles - Jazz à Vienne
2011 · Movie
On the Shoulders of Giants
2011 · Movie
A MusiCares Tribute To Barbra Streisand
2011 · Movie
Music
2010 · Movie
DeJohnette, Metheny, Holland, Hancock - Parallel Realities Live
2010 · Movie
We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial
2009 · Movie
Miles Davis: Kind of Blue
2008 · Movie
Quincy Jones : 75th Birthday Celebration Live at Montreux
2008 · Movie
Herbie Hancock - The River Of Possibilities Tour - Jazz a Vienne
2008 · Movie
Quincy Jones: Breaking New Sound
2008 · Movie
Marcus Miller - Master Of All Trades
2006 · Movie
Herbie Hancock: Possibilities
2006 · Movie
Miles Electric - A Different Kind of Blue
2004 · Movie
Janet Jackson: From Janet. To Damita Jo: The Videos
2004 · Movie
Herbie Hancock Special
2004 · Movie
Dennis Hopper: The Decisive Moments
2004 · Movie
One Night with Blue Note
2004 · Movie
Santana: Hymns for Peace - Live at Montreux
2004 · Movie
Larry presents: Best of The 80s
2004 · Movie
Prachtig 80: Volume 2
2003 · Movie
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
2003 · Series
Joni Mitchell: Woman of Heart and Mind
2003 · Movie
Hitters
2002 · Movie
World of Rhythm - Live in Lugano
2002 · Movie
The Jazz Channel Presents Herbie Hancock
2002 · Movie
Herbie Hancock Future2future Live
2002 · Movie
Herbie Hancock: Jazz Channel
2001 · Movie
Traffic
2000 · Movie
Blue Note - A Story of Modern Jazz
1997 · Movie
Classic Albums
1997 · Series
Wayne Shorter: Live at Montreux 1996
1996 · Movie
Oscar Peterson: Music in the Key of Oscar
1995 · Movie
Antonio Carlos Jobim: An All-Star Tribute
1995 · Movie
Indecent Proposal
1993 · Movie
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1992 · Series
ECHO-Verleihung
1992 · Series
The Neville Brothers: Tell It Like It Is
1991 · Movie
Livin' Large!
1991 · Movie
Rabbit Ears - Koi and the Kola Nuts
1991 · Movie
Miles Davis - At La Villette
1991 · Movie
Branford Marsalis: Steep
1991 · Movie
Dejohnette, Hancock, Holland and Metheny in Concert
1990 · Movie
Jazz Under the Skies
1990 · Movie
Jack DeJohnette, Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock, Dave Holland: Parallel Realities Live... (Live at Mellon Jazz Festival)
1990 · Movie
Celebrity Guide to Wine
1990 · Movie
Harlem Nights
1989 · Movie
The George McKenna Story
1988 · Movie
Colors
1988 · Movie
Action Jackson
1988 · Movie
Live at Munich Summer Piano Festiva
1988 · Movie
Bobby McFerrin: Spontaneous Inventions
1987 · Movie
Herbie Hancock At The Munich Summer Piano Festival
1987 · Movie
Miles Ahead: The Music of Miles Davis
1986 · Movie
'Round Midnight
1986 · Movie
Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling
1986 · Movie
Before Midnight
1986 · Movie
The Making of Sun City
1985 · Movie
A Soldier's Story
1984 · Movie
I Love Quincy
1984 · Movie
Herbie Hancock Trio: Hurricane!
1984 · Movie
Saturday Night Live
1975 · Series
Death Wish
1974 · Movie
PBS Soundstage 1974: Chick Corea & Return to Forever + Herbie Hancock & The Headhunters
1974 · Movie
Rock Concert
1973 · Series
The Spook Who Sat by the Door
1973 · Movie
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest
1972 · Series
Great Performances
1971 · Series
Hey, Hey, Hey, It's Fat Albert
1969 · Movie
Blow-Up
1966 · Movie
Herbie
1966 · Movie
Miles Davis Quintet: Milan 1964
1964 · Movie
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962 · Series
The Grammys
1959 · Series
Herbie Hancock - Live at Montreux Jazz Festival 2010
Movie
Herbie Hancock And The Rockit Band Live in London
Movie
Herbie Hancock And The Rockit Band
Movie