Music isn't about music, it's about life.
Herbie HancockRead
It pulled me like a magnet, jazz did, because it was a way that I could express myself.
Interpretation
The quote expresses how jazz music deeply resonated with Hancock, allowing him to find a unique form of self-expression.
In this quote, Herbie Hancock shares his profound connection to jazz music, describing it as an irresistible force that draws him in. Jazz, with its spontaneous and improvisational nature, provides Hancock a canvas for personal expression, enabling him to communicate emotions and thoughts that go beyond words. This reflects the broader theme of how art can serve as a powerful outlet for individuality and creativity.
In practice
During a speech at a music festival, one could use this quote to highlight the power of music in personal growth.
Music isn't about music, it's about life.
I 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Official Bulletin declared that the Poles should be as proud of me as the Germans are of Mozart; obvious nonsense.
If you want to play something that you hear, you need to listen with your mind's eye. You've heard of the mind's eye, right? Your mind has an ear too. It's a kind of listening, but it's not using your ears to listen. It's listening with your inner ear, and that's what you want to translate onto the guitar.
I spent one year being very poor at home with my piano, and nobody was calling me, but I had space to think about things on my own and find out exactly what I wanted to do.
I only knew classical music, which to me was the only true music. The only way I could survive at the bar was to mix the classical music with popular songs, and that meant I had to sing. What happened was that I discovered I had a voice plus the talent to mix classical music together with more popular songs, which at the time I detested.
They gave their money, and they gave their screams. But the Beatles kind of gave their nervous systems. They used us as an excuse to go mad, the world did, and then blamed it on us.
Jimi Hendrix came from the blues, like me. We understood each other right away because of that. He was a great blues guitarist.
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