Herbie on TED

OK, so today someone on a website brought up it was International Jazz Day.  I did some looking into this claim and found out that I am a month late on this international day to celebrate the wonderful world of jazz. Nonetheless, that didn't stop me from cruising the net today in search of some cool music and possibly some video to go with it.

Enter TED Talks.  Now I know I have posted about this YouTube channel a couple times.  I think it falls back on the fact that TED Talks gives inspired minds of all industries their time and attention to show the world what they have learned, accomplished and developed.  My guilty pleasure of the day came in the form of a 27 minute (woah!) performance by none other than legendary jazz musician Herbie Hancock.  In the video below, you will see a stunning ensemble of Herbie, alongside drummer Harvey Mason (The Headhunters) and bassist Marcus Miller, performing a standard classic "Watermelon Man" (via YouTube):



Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American pianist, keyboardist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's Second Great Quintet, Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound. He was one of the first jazz musicians to embrace music synthesizers and funk music (characterized by syncopated drum beats).

Hancock's music is often melodic and accessible; he has had many songs "cross over" and achieved success among pop audiences. His music embraces elements of funk and soul while adopting freer stylistic elements from jazz. In his jazz improvisation, he possesses a unique creative blend of jazz, blues, and modern classical music, with harmonic stylings much like the styles of Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel.

Hancock's best-known solo works include "Cantaloupe Island", "Watermelon Man" (later performed by dozens of musicians, including bandleader Mongo Santamaría), "Maiden Voyage", "Chameleon", and the singles "I Thought It Was You" and "Rockit". His 2007 tribute album River: The Joni Letters won the 2008 Grammy Award for Album of the Year, only the second jazz album ever to win the award after Getz/Gilberto in 1965.  Hancock is a member of Sōka Gakkai International.

On July 22, 2011 at a ceremony in Paris, Hancock was named UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for the promotion of Intercultural Dialogue. (via Wiki, sourced by Britannica Encyclopedia)