Herbie Hancock

Lyrical Post Modernist

By: Charles Giuliano - Apr 11, 2016

Herbie Hancock

Looking for a new groove
Miles pushed Herbie
Made him play electric
Initially resisted
Even resented
Eventually embraced change
Transitioning fluidly
Exploring genres
From straight up jazz
To out there
Commercials to funk
Sound track for
Antonioni's Blow Up
Lyrical early albums
Empyrean Isles
Maiden Voyage
Standards like
Watermelon Man
Mega hit Headhunters
Duets with Chick
In for a week
Jazz Workshop
Walked up the street
Half Shell
On my tab
Herbie ordered
Two dozen oysters
We talked about Miles
Orchestral accompaniment
Quartal harmony
Innovative chords
Second Great Quintet
1963-68
Recruited by
Boston's teenage drummer
Tony Williams
Miles liked
Emerging artists
Took them to school
Fleshed them out
Herbie thrived
Ron Carter on bass
Horns shifted
George Coleman then
Boston's Sam Rivers
Too strung out
For the road
Couldn't leave
The Man
Great player
Times I saw him
Wasted talent
Settled on
Wayne Shorter
Later formed
Weather Report
Miles fired Herbie
Flimsy pretext
Replaced by Chick
Still recorded
Now and then
That classic quintet
Reformed as
V. S. O. P.
Freddie Hubbard
On horn
Herbie still out there
Zig and zag
More changes
Than a chameleon
Struts around
Keyboard
Strapped on
Like a guitar
Moving on out
From what
Miles started