Four 80s Concerts with Herbie Hancock
To celebrate Herbie Hancock, who turns 83 today - Happy Birthday BTW - we have put together four of his Eighties (and acoustic) concerts (Tokyo, Lugano, Munich and Hambourg).
Herbie Hancock releases ‘Sextant,’ the last album of the Mwandishi period (1973)
Herbie Hancock‘s ‘Sextant’ is his eleventh album (and the last with his Mwandishi Band) released on March 30, 1973 by Columbia.
Herbie Hancock records ‘Crossings,’ the second album of his Mwandishi period in February (1972)
Herbie Hancock‘s ‘Crossings’ is his tenth (and second in his Mwandishi period) album recorded in February 1972 and released in May 1972 By Warner Bros.
This week In Jazz Legends 03/52
Gerry Mulligan’s breezy “Out Back of the Barn” pairs his warm baritone sax with Ben Webster’s swinging tenor for a relaxed cool jazz charm. Herbie Hancock’s “Air Dancing” thrives on live spontaneity with Buster Williams and Al Foster, while Miles Davis’s funk-tinged “Jean-Pierre” captures his 1981 comeback’s raw tension. Ornette Coleman’s “Turnaround” bends blues traditions, inspiring fresh takes like Dave Liebman’s funkier spin. Jean-Luc Ponty’s “Final Truth” blends ‘80s jazz fusion with polished synth textures, and Billy Cobham’s gritty “Brick Chicken” bridges fusion and funk with outright precision. “Sorceress” from Return to Forever storms through jazz-rock-funk elements, and Jason Moran reimagines “Fire Waltz” with sharp rhythmic twists. Eliane Elias infuses “Waltz for Debby” with Brazilian flair, Luka Loueke fuses jazz with African grooves on “Jumps The Blues,” and Charlie Hunter’s playful “St. Louis Blues” merges tradition with technical reinvention. Finally, Nels Cline and Fred Frith’s experimental guitar sessions ignite chaos and texture beyond convention.
This week In Jazz Legends 51/52
Miles Davis, Kenny Garrett, Grover Washington Jr, Milton Nascimento, Wagner Tiso, Tony Bennett, Ahmad Jamal, Yusef Lateef, Arturo O'Farrill, The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, Oscar Peterson, Joe Pass, Pat Metheny, Brad Mehldau, Cyrus Chestnut, Buster Williams, Lenny White, Michael Brecker, David Liebman, Joe Lovano, Wadada Leo Smith, Ornette Coleman Sextet
Four Jazz Messengers Euro Gigs
On October 9, 1989, two days before his 70th birthday, Art Blakey took his Jazz Messengers to the Leverkusen Jazz festival in Germany.
Shirley Horn records ‘You Won’t Forget Me’ with Miles Davis, Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Toots Thielemans et al (1990)
Shirley Horn‘s ‘You Won’t Forget Me’ is a studio album recorded on June 12 & August 13, 1990 and featuring Miles Davis‘ last appearance as a sideman and released in 1991 by Verve.
Herbie Hancock records ‘V.S.O.P.’ at Newport Jazz Festival (1976)
Herbie Hancock‘s ‘V.S.O.P.’ is a live album recorded at Newport Jazz Festival, New York on June 29, 1976 and released in April 1977 by Columbia..
Herbie Hancock records ‘Fat Albert Rotunda’ with Joe Henderson, Joe Farrell et al (1969)