Music isn't about music, it's about life.
Herbie HancockRead
Clare Fischer was a major influence on my harmonic concept. He and Bill Evans, and Ravel and Gil Evans, finally. You know, that's where it really came from. Almost all of the harmony that I play can be traced to one of those four people and whoever their influences were.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote attributes the foundation of Herbie Hancock's harmonic style to influential musicians.
Herbie Hancock reflects on the significant impact that certain musicians had on his development as an artist. He acknowledges Clare Fischer, Bill Evans, Ravel, and Gil Evans as key figures whose harmonic concepts shaped his own musical expression, illustrating the intertwined nature of creativity and collaboration within the music community.
Themes
HarmonicInfluenceMusicDevelopmentCreativity
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech at a music conference discussing the evolution of jazz.
More from Herbie Hancock
All quotes βI don't mind being classified as a jazz artist, but I do mind being restricted to being a jazz artist. My foundation has been in jazz, though I didn't really start out that way. I started in classical music, but my formative years were in jazz, and it makes a great foundation.
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In World War II, jazz absolutely was the music of freedom, and then in the Cold War, behind the Iron Curtain, same thing. It was all underground, but they needed the food of freedom that jazz offered.
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I think people have learned that Herbie Hancock can be defined as someone that you won't be able to figure out what he's going to do next. The sky is the limit as far as I'm concerned.
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One thing that sticks in my mind is that jazz means freedom and openness. It's a music that, although it developed out of the African American experience, speaks more about the human experience than the experience of a particular people.
Herbie HancockRead
I started off with classical music, and I got into jazz when I was about 14 years old. And I've been playing jazz ever since.
Herbie HancockRead
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