Herbie Hancock: Possibilities

This memoir by Hancock (with Lisa Dickey) covers roughly seven decades up to the present in Hancock's life, both in and out of music. There's 16 pages of b&w photos from across Hancock's life. There's no contents page, but the book is broken into twenty-four chapters which explore his life and the changes in his music over the years. Included is an Index.Beginning as a child prodigy, to his classic Blues Note Records work, to his change from acoustic jazz to electronic jazz/funk/r&b, to his collaborations with many different artists, to winning many Grammy awards, Hancock has played with many of the very best (mostly) jazz musicians of the Twentieth Century. For me that, and his musical influences, are what I wanted to read about and Hancock doesn't disappoint. Also included is his long time marriage which influenced his life greatly, and how the Buddhist religion inspired him on all levels of life and music.Beginning with his childhood, Hancock talks in some detail about his early life and the people around him. He says his neighborhood wasn't a "bad" place but it was a rough area. The first time he "met a white kid was in high school." His mother was bipolar and his father "was a sweet, easygoing man", who wanted to be a doctor. And once his family got a piano all Hancock wanted to do was play music, teaching himself the rudiments of the instrument. At eleven years of age he played with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and as Hancock says, "Then I turned my attention to the piano, and from the moment I played the first few notes, the rest of the world might as well have not existed."His earliest jazz exposure was on WGES radio, with the first jazz tune he really noticed was "Moonlight In Vermont" by guitarist Johnny Smith and tenor sax player Stan Getz. Heading off to college Hancock was torn between receiving an education in science or music. It's interesting that Hancock never practices more than an hour a day, but spends many hours analyzing music.He listened to Oscar Peterson and tried to emulate some of his style during this time. He left college one credit shy of graduating because he wanted to play jazz seriously. In 1966 he got the chance to play with Coleman Hawkins and from that point never really looked back. He next played with Pepper Adams and Donald Byrd before moving to New York, where he again played with Byrd at the Five Spot. It's from Byrd that Hancock approached Blue Note Records, which began a string of some of the best jazz albums of the period, beginning with"Takin' Off". And after that period of acoustic music, including playing with Miles Davis, he began exploring more electronic ways of playing music."Miles, am I in the band?""You makin' a record m###a#####r!". Hancock to Davis."I never understood how he could play so brilliantly while being stone drunk." Hancock on Wayne Shorter in Miles Davis' band."Herbie, that post office job is interfering with the music. You've got to quit." Drummer Louis Taylor to Hancock.Hancock talks about his many and different gigs, songs he's written, and recording sessions over the first years as a serious musician. Playing with Miles Davis in his mid-twenties, Hancock was living the good life, and around this time he met his future wife Gigi. It's also during this period that Hancock tried LSD. Plus, he reveals he was addicted to crack cocaine fora number of years. From this point Hancock delves into his life in music with some great details about his music (both acoustic and electronic) and recording with different musicians. Hancock is a storehouse of information about that whole era of jazz and his stories and observations are laid out in an easy to read, you-are-there style of writing. At times because of his conversational style of writing, you have the feeling that he's catching you up on different parts of his career in music--like the gig after his surgery--and finally getting use of all ten fingers ("I could hardly believe the irony--that my own cancer scare would find it's ultimate resolution in playing for a friend who was fighting cancer.") the night before his concert. Hancock talks briefly about the V.S.O.P. band that recorded albums in the 70's to good acclaim, and his duo with Chick Corea playing acoustic music--in addition to his work with the Headhunters during the same period."I knew I needed to quit, but I still didn't realize quite how bad it had gotten." Herbie Hancock on his crack cocaine addiction."Soon the walls started moving, and creatures started appearing on the ceiling. And then the apartment somehow became a train...." Hancock describing his first LSD trip."At some point I bought a van from the saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, and all of us would cram into it for out-of-town gigs." Herbie Hancock."For me, Miles never went away." Herbie Hancock."Tony Williams burned through life like the brightest flame." Herbie Hancock.He also talks about his Buddhist religion and how that has been a continuing foundation in his life, along with his long, happy marriage. And while those areas are certainly important to really have a fuller picture of Hancock, and his life would certainly have turned out differently without his wife and Buddhism, it's when he talks with some detail about music that the book (for me) really becomes interesting and informative. Hancock has played with and/or witnessed some of the greatest jazz musicians in the history of the music. And this book sheds light on the inner workings of both Hancock and other musicians like Miles Davis ("When asked by a journalist about reuniting the quintet with Ron, Tony, Wayne, and myself, he said, 'No. That would be like making love to the first woman over again.'"), and jazz in general during perhaps the greatest era for the music."But what few people realize is that Miles was actually influenced by Tony's band, Tony Williams Lifetime," Herbie Hancock."When Miles heard what Tony was doing he said,"This is the s##t, and he followed in Tony's footsteps with Bitches Brew." Herbie Hancock."Lifetime was the cornerstone band of jazz-rock fusion--and it's also the reason I wear a hearing aid now." Herbie Hancock."Back in 1965, when I turned that Yardley cologne jingle into the song "Maiden Voyage", I discovered something about writing music." Herbie Hancock."With each new record I wanted to jump off the cliff in a different spot." Herbie Hancock.If you're either a Hancock fan or a jazz fan in general, this book will give you some insight into that whole era of music-making. This book is worth adding to your shelf of jazz/music books.

Outside of the technical talks of gears and what not, it’s great to get a glimpse on the life of one of the greats of their time. A lot to learn from his personal challenges and approaches to them, wether it was musical, personal, or spiritual.

There are many interesting jazz stories in the book. About Miles, Chet, Wynton. Easy reading. But its not as personal as it could be. Even tghouh Herbie reveals his drug abuse he keeps a lot of mystrery around himself. People dont become drug addicts at 50-s just because they tried something at a party. As a human being Herbie seems to be master in ingnoring contradictions: loveing his wife and having "freedom" from her, being Buddhist and doing drugs, loving and respecting Donald Byrd and never mentioning his death, not connecting his all-relience on logic and mothers bipolar disporder, etc. Herbie is a master of positive thinking and that seems to keep him fresh and young and wonderful as musician in his 70-s but makes learing lessons in life as human harder.

"Possibilities" is a great read into the life and challenges of a great person. Although I have known Herbie personally for 40 years, you never know the whole story. This book helped me understand his true greatness as a human being and an extremely talented musician. Herbie has opened up and shared his life of successes and failures. The good news is there are more successes than failures and he has achieved something that most human beings have the potential inside to accomplish, but have not tapped into it yet. He sets an example for us all to follow. Herbie..... thank you for allowing us into your world and seeing the possibilities that life has to offer. This is a must read for all who seek limitless potential and opportunities in life!

I have been a Hancock fan since 1969 when I first heard The Prisoner and I have felt since that time that he was the most inventive pianist/keyboardist of this time. I haven't always liked some of his compositions but few have his command of the keyboard or are as comfortable in many different types of music. I think his earlier compositions are better than his current output but no one can ever accuse Herbie of not being open-minded when it comes to music.The book was a good, easy read but then Herbie has given tons of interviews over the years and this book elaborates on many of those subjects. I'm really glad Herbie took the time to produce this book and I highly recommend it.

I finished reading Herbie Hancock inspiring memoir possibilities while on vacation in St. Lucia . I was amazed to follow his evolution from the classical trained pianist to a world renowned master of music . He taught me so much about the intricacies of composing, arranging, and producing some of the greatest music about generation . It had been my honor to know him in the early days when I had the pleasure of being the pediatrician to his daughter Jessica before he and Gigi move to Los Angeles . I was appreciative of the insights he gave me about Miles Davis and Wayne shorter. It was an intricate and real reflective read. Thank you , Herbie .

Herbie Hancock is an absolute legend, I highly recommend this book to anybody who is looking to develop what will feel like a personal relationship with this man. Well written, insightful, hilarious, full of stories and musical conquests. This book inspired me to do something new and different every day ( not only within my own music, but my every day life ), the perspective he developed through-out his career brought life changing revelations. What I am trying to say is if you are on the fence about reading this book, pull the trigger.... Herbie would. I have passed this on to multiple friends, they read it so fast I have it back within a week!

Great reading!

This is a great read about his life and career and pretty much follows a straight timeline from his childhood through to now without jumping around too much. Highlights of the things covered are as follows:- His conversion from playing classical music to jazz- Friendships made during his career particularly with Donald Byrd, Wayne Shorter and Tony Williams- Reasons behind his musical changes of direction including his thoughts on the criticism he received- He describes many of his albums (but not all) with regards how they came about and what influenced each one- His time with Miles Davis and how the experience influenced him throughout his career- His first encounter with drugs and how he became addicted to crack cocaine- Discovering Buddhism and how it became a major part of his life- His interest in electronics (and electronic instruments) and the use of new technology in music and how he embraced it- Relationships with his family as he was growing up and during his career- How he met his wife and how their relationship has stayed strong (including his relationship with his children)- How he has been affected by racism- The awards he has received and how they came about- The film scores he created and how they came about- Tours that he has done and some of the problems and scrapes he got into during themIt is a great mixture describing his personal life and his musical career and how the two have affected each other. If there are any negatives (which are very minor) I would have to say that I would have liked to have had his thoughts on more of the musicians he has played with. Some are covered extensively but there are some notable exceptions that aren't even mentioned. His discovery and conversion to Buddhism and his use of "chanting" also get a little bit too much coverage for my liking but there is one very funny story where he is trying to persuade Miles Davis (who is seriously ill in hospital at the time) to try "chanting".

Written in collaboration with Lisa Dickey, this book presents a fine balance between Herbie Hancock, the man and Herbie Hancock the musician. It takes us through the musical changes in his life - from Miles Davis to the Head Hunters and beyond - but also describes the changes which came about when he discovered the Buddhist faith and the influence it had on his view of life in generalHerbie Hancock's early success with "Watermelon Man" and his membership of Miles Davis' second great quintet provided him with a solid basis both financially and artistically but he wasn't prepared to rest on his laurels. His growing interest in new musical technology and his willingness to take chances took him on a path which resulted in him making not only one of the fastest-selling jazz records of all time with the album "Head Hunters" but also a hit single "Rockit".Herbie Hancock continued making ground-breaking records which won him many awards. He was especially surprised and pleased with the Grammy Award he received for "River: The Joni Letters".This is a very honest book which is refreshing as so many books of this type gloss over the negative aspects of the subject's character.Highly recommended.

Lot's of five star reviews given for this autobiography, is it really? It's a good book, nicely (ghost) written, never particularly boring but it's a little light weight and glossy at times and I just came away with the feeling that Herbie might be a very nice chap but even he must have some demons he's hiding! His sister dies in a plane crash after they'd fallen out, his mother lives in LA whilst the father is back in Chicago, drug use pretty much glossed over, management/band splits all seem highly amicable etc etc all dealt with in believeable, but lightly spun fashion and almost certainly lacking in 'something' (ie: the full truth). As a buddhist you are expecting a deep personality and all you really get is 'some chap taught me to chant in the 70's and my lives never been the same again' - as if all that buddhism is about is chanting and the philosophical side doesn't even seem to have been thought about. Overall I felt it was a disappointing read, it reads like a book written to tell an interesting story about a fantastic musician but always ensures that the veil never gets fully pulled back. A missed opportunity overall, a couple of hundred more pages to add serious depth to the 60's & early 70's era would greatly improve the book as would a ghost writer who maybe had a little more understanding of her subject and is prepared to dig a bit more for the real truth.

Bien que connaissant personnellement c engin unique et extraordinaire, j'ai appris énormément sur lui et safaçon de travailler, et de vivre. Je n'ai jamais lu de livre d musicien aussi complet, riche, émouvant et enrichissant.Difficile de poser le livre car au fil des années de sa vie les découvertes et explications sont époustouflantes.Certain il est plus explicite quand on est du milieu musical, mais il est tout autant sur la vie, sa façon de la vivre.Le bouddhisme et le jazz ont tant en commun, sans doute pourquoi la majorité des musiciens Américains pratiquent.