Which really is the heart of what he wanted. Or something that he saw on the street.īut when we were working on a record, if there was some idea that he wanted to transfer to us, he wouldn’t tell us what to play he would find some metaphor. He would tell us stories about him and Bird, or about his relationship with Dizzy Or the scene back in those days. He didn’t seem like a very talkative kind of guy– Herbie Hancock with The Miles Davis Quintet, featuring Tony Williams on drums, Ron Carter on bass, Wayne Shorter on saxophone, Herbie on piano, and Miles on trumpet. How did Miles achieve that? Would he talk to you about the music and give you any guidance?
There’s so much freedom and yet also precision. And being a generous and patient soul, and one who radiated a joyous calm he attributed to daily Buddhist chanting, Herbie answered with candor and much laughter.ĪMERICAN SONGWRITER: Seeing films of you in the Miles Davis Quintet is amazing. So given the chance to interview Herbie about his own music and history afforded us the opportunity to ask about Miles. As was trying to ascribe any usual motivations for their actions, as they were never usual in any way.īut on the inside, it’s a different story.
John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Cannonball Adderly, Chick Corea, John McLaughlin, Wayne Shorter, Tony Williams, Jack DeJohnette, and, of course, Herbie Hancock, all started with Miles.īut getting to know the real Miles from the outside, like getting to know the real Dylan, was nearly impossible. (Even to the extent of recording the best “Enigma” ever, included below.)īoth expanded the shape of the music, expanding the form while inspiring and even employing the brightest stars in their respective musical galaxies. With the possible exception of that guy named Dylan, few figures in modern music have been both as impactful and enigmatic as Miles.
He also shared key wisdom he learned by being in Miles’s band about the delicate art of communicating musical ideas to musicians. Miles was both Herbie’s mentor and boss, teaching him, mostly by example, the meaning of space and silence in music, and the unlimited potential inherent within the limitations of music. That is Herbie Hancock, a gentle genius of music, a living link to the revolutionary jazz of Miles Davis. Rare is the chance to talk to a genius, and even rarer when that genius is not the troubled kind but one with great focus and inner peace. The Jazz Legend on his Mentor, Boss & “Master Teacher”