SFist: Interview: Herbie Hancock

Jeremy_ofSF

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 17:13:11 -0800

"i would be surprised if any Herbie Hancock record sold more than 10,000 copies." Herbie's "Headhunters" is one of the best selling jazz albums of all time. It was the record that made fusion accessible to the masses. I remember Rockit blowing people's minds when I was a kid. Jazz purists gave him shit for both Headhunters and Rockit, but they were both ground breaking. And then there was the huge part he played in Miles Davis' bands in the 60s. I can't say how his Joni Mitchell covers stack up to Winehouse, but give the man his due. He's one of the true legends of jazz who wasn't afraid to try new things. (Even if one of those things was that awful Bose infomercial.)

lazthedog

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 16:26:22 -0800

right, "Rockit." tip of the hat to Herbie. as far as MTV is concerned, Michael Jackson made it his bitch.

Public Relations

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 13:50:52 -0800

Remember his hit and video ROCKIT - it was revealed he ordered that no blacks appear in it- because MTV might not play it. If this is true, will never forgive him for this considering all the effort those before him made to equalize the music industy and civil rights in general

lazthedog

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 12:40:55 -0800

other than "Cantaloupe Island" and this Joni Mitchell tribute (which i'd actually cross a room to listen to), i would be surprised if any Herbie Hancock record sold more than 10,000 copies -- about the baseline for the biggest jazz artists.

allanh

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 12:16:11 -0800

I got a question: How THE FUCK did Amy Winehouse not get the Album of the Year Grammy over this boring old dude's Joni Mitchell covers?