27 April 2007
Herbie Hancock - add your comments below
I'm out of town and I've bagged the quinella. Herbie H is the second international gig to hit Canberra this month, and I've missed them both. Herbie Hancock played with Vinnie Colauita (drums), Nathan East (bass) and Lionel Loueke (guitar). Again, I invite your comments. Over to you. Add your comments below this CJ Blog post.
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3 comments:
Hi Eric
You missed a ripper. Pretty amazing show. Herbie Hancock has this aura of supreme skill and gracious confidence. But he also comes across as such a nice guy - such a wonderful sense of humor. As for his playing - it's so hard to believe he is 67! He was burning it up like nothing else on the Steinway grand. Nothing has diminished since the days of `Hang up your Hang ups' and `Chameleon'. Holy crap this guy can solo...amazing to watch. The band supporting him was funky as. And it was a night heavily focused on the funk/rock side of things. The rhythm combination of Nathan East (bass) and Vini Colauita (drums) was really, really good. Laying down that awesome groove that you expect in Herbie Hancock music (they played `Actual Proof', `Watermelon Man' for example), with Herbie soaring over the top. The real suprise of the evening for me was Lionel Loueke on guitars - he provided an interesting and very clever counterpoint to the maestro on piano, whilst fulfilling a really busy rhythm guitar role throughout. He did a solo traditional African piece that created the illusion of about 5 guys performing together - instead of just himself. This guy is a wonderful talent. He wasn't trying to compete with Herbie - rather just stake out his ground in the whole thing. He did this really well.
Great gig. Other songs included `When love comes to town', and `Maiden Voyage'. And at this point I have to admit being really bad with names. But the others came from his recent album and an original from Lionel Loueke. Many thanks and respect to the legendary maestro and his fantastic band.
Take care
Ross
I agree with the above. The night was jazz in evolution - supurb use of technology to create a mixture of experimental/world music and high-class funk. Each musician is indivuadually gifted but at the same blends well with the others to make a unique sound. Best concert ever! LT
His reinterpretation of Maiden Voyage was subtle and Debussy-esque. A lot could be gleaned about his idiosyncratic tastes and development from this improvisation, which was mostly solo. Floating chords and a great deal of restraint gave an indication that Herbie was seeking new ways to play this seminal piece.
We were fortunate to be sitting right in front of Nathan East. His exuburant, effortless playing was delightful. It was educational to watch the interaction between Hancock and East as they gave each other facial indications of reassurance while Herbie went ballistic on the Steinway.
For a bit of fun, Hancock goaded Lionel Loueke into playing a composition by the guitarist that was seventeen / four. The audience counted out the seventeen beats and found that, truly the piece was true to its time signature.
The opening of the concert had an air of mystery as Herbie fiddled with his laptop and synths, creating an expectant ambience, a space for the hot rhythms to come.
He has a good sense of fun, as when he traded fours on the "guitar piano" with Loueke.
As said in the above post ... Herbie Hancock is great guy, laid back, witty, compassionate. Looks pretty fit for his age ... only a hint of a pot belly squeezing the fabric of his t-shirt. He looked dressed for the local fast food joint but that was cool and an indication that it was the music that was speaking.
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