In my mind, Herbie Hancock is one of the most exceptional piano players of his time. As a child, he was a brilliant musician in the making and his talent was recognized early. His music was something special, something new, while at the same time giving you a sense of nostalgia toward the music that came before it. With pieces of old and pieces of new, Herbie Hancock’s music is something for everyone to enjoy.
Herbie Hancock was born in Chicago, Illinois on April 12th, 1940. He began learning to play classical music at the age of seven and was discovered to be a child prodigy. Despite never having a jazz teacher during his teenage years, he was attracted to the genre and learned to play it. After graduating from college, Hancock recorded his debut album Takin’ Off, featuring hit songs such as “Watermelon Man”. Soon after, just like the name of his first album, his career took off and began to soar.
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The song begins with vocals and another distinct sound, something like someone blowing into a glass bottle for the intro. As the song continues, a guitar is introduced and eventually, a set of drums are brought in as well. An electric piano begins to play and with a smooth transition, there is a piano solo. Then, with the same ease, there is a saxophone solo right after. Afterward, both the piano and saxophone play together, playing different melodies but both tunes still go together beautifully. There is another saxophone solo and the piano jumps in. Shortly after there is a short piano solo then the drums, saxophone, and piano play together and then the piano fades out, leaving the drums and guitar. The outro is the same bottle blowing tune from the intro, and the vocals, drums, and guitar fade