DJ Rahdu – Some Jazz 23: Herbie Hancock Remakes & Covers
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My first encounter with Herbie Hancock was in 1983, as a 6 year old, watching his Rockit video on MTV. Completely unaware of his 21 year history, I would either dance around the room or stand, mouth agape in awe of the mannequins/robots, DST’s scratching and that catchy synth line. It would be almost 20 years before I reconciled that the guy with the headphone mic in the video was the same guy who wrote Dolphin Dance, which was covered by Ahmad Jamal and sampled by No ID for one of my favorite Common songs, Resurrection. Hip Hop’s sample culture allowed me to discover more of his compositions, but when I grabbed his book, Possibilities in 2015, I developed a more complete picture of the man from the Rockit video.

Miles gets a lot of credit for electrifying Jazz but Herbie did a lot as well, embracing and even seeking out technology and incorporating it into his performances and recordings. I recently read Herbie is working on an album which will feature Kendrick Lamar, Thundercat, Snoop and Flying Lotus who has already received a Hancock composition, Tesla. Herbie Hancock’s ability to thrive in an often uncompromising music genre, and enhance its sound by continuing to look forward without restraint has influenced many musicians. I’ve included many here, but there are so many others. I’m loving the new Jazz scene right now. Enjoy Some Jazz 23 and seek the new blood…

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