Herbie Hancock, Jazz and Inspiration

When I was growing up, you could still hear Watermelon Man right next to Al Green, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, The Walter Hawkins Singers, The Meters, and Johnnie Taylor on the radio.  In that sense, I knew Herbie Hancock's music  long before I knew who he was.  

But in 1973 that all changed when I heard Herbie Hancock's album, Head Hunters.  Prior to Head Hunters I just listened to jazz along with everything else on the radio.  But the first time I heard "Chamelon" on  Brother Bill Slaughter's show on "Super Soul K-99," something happened to me.  Suddenly I became engaged in an Afro-pick, 8-Track kind of way.  The Head Hunters were talking to my spirit, and after hearing their deep funk rooted funked arrangement of Watermelon Man, I just knew they were talking specifically to me.

Ten years later in 1983, it happened again with the release of "Rockit" from Herbie Hancock's "Future Shock" album.  It was a preview of the shape of things to come, a look forward. With the use of Hip hop scratching, the vocoder, and a ground breaking MTV video,  "Rockit" proclaimed a digital and virtual future. 

Herbie Hancock with Take 6 in Rome, Italy

I've had the privilege of seeing Herbie Hancock perform in Chicago, Washington, DC, and New York City.  In 2004 when I was working for XM Satellite Radio, I was fortunate to witness another Herbie Hancock performance at Quincy Jones' "We Are the Future Concert at Circus Maximus in Rome, Italy, an event that brought celebrities and artitsts of all genres, from all over the world, performing together one one stage. Since that time I've had a chance to  meet, hang, and interview Herbie Hancock, and I always came away feeling inspired by his presence, clairity of thought, ability to be in the moment, and his insistence on always moving forward.

Now in 2011 it has happened once again, I've been inspired by the music of Herbie Hancock.  Like many people, I watched with anticipation the trailer for The Imagine Project CD on YouTube, and when it was released I went to iTunes and downloaded it.  I listened to it in the car, on my mp3 player, on my computer and occasionally on my iPad.  But even though I watched the video's, listened to the music, and made mental notes about how brilliant the project was, I really didn't hear it until recently, when I driving around Nashville, listening to 88.1 WFSK, the listener supported college radio station located at Fisk University.

I heard the following lyrics over an open and moving melody.


In this proud land we grew up strong, 
We were wanted all along
I was taught to fight, taught to win
I never thought I could fail


No fight left or so it seems
I am a man whose dreams have all deserted
I've changed my face, I've changed my name
But no one wants you when you lose


Don't give up
'cos you have friends
Don't give up
You're not beaten yet
Don't give up 
I know you can make it good

Millions of people have heard the lyrics to Peter Gabriel song "Don't Give Up," there have been  countless remakes, but on this particular day,  when P!nk, and John Legend sang "Don't Give Up," they were speaking directly to me.  Imagine that! 


The Imagine That Project at: http://souljazzandbluesshop.com