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I never signed in my own blood that the only records I'd make were jazz records. I can make any kind of records I want to make. I like making music. It doesn't have to be jazz. It doesn't have to have a label. -Herbie Hancock |
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On Possibilities you worked with artists such as John Mayer and Christina Aguilera, all the way to folks like Sting and Trey Anastasio. How did that project come about?
 Herbie Hancock |
Since ten or eleven years ago I've wanted to have each record that I do not only be different from the last record but different from anything I've ever done before. [I want it] to have its own motivations and its own function. So, I look for different kinds of challenges. Not only different from anything I've done before but I want it to be different from anything anyone else has done before. That's what I look for. I try to find different ways to find a direction to express myself, and my feelings, ideas and beliefs. I believe in humanity and the creativity of the human spirit, not just the artist. It's part of being a human being to be creative, and one of the issues people have is that they're generally afraid to work outside their comfort zone. So, I like to work outside of my own comfort zone.
When I made Possibilities I was looking to do that. The theme, if you will, was for me to work with different artists in the pop field, artists outside of the scene that would be considered my comfort zone, which is the jazz field. This way we're both working outside of our comfort zone. It was fun and it was challenging, but everyone really enjoyed the process. We all felt so free, which was another thing. We were free to explore. Fortunately, a lot of great things happened. I was able to own the project myself rather than giving it to a label, and I made a separate deal with Starbucks. This is also connected to the first question you asked me about other means of distributing records. Starbucks is one. Here is a facility that sells coffee, but they also sell records now. They're selling books, DVD's and all kinds of stuff. These are exciting times because the music business, per se, is in transition. If you keep your eyes open and look forward to carving out new territory - it takes a new and greater way of looking at things – [you] find what the real gems are in this new situation that's being designed as we speak. We are now all the designers of the new music business.
As a jazz-oriented artist, what would you say to a critic who felt that by working with pop acts you were expanding your audience at the expense of your existing fan base?
 Herbie Hancock by Eamonn McCabe1 |
First of all, how does the record sound? Does it sound good or not? The next thing is I never signed in my own blood that the only records I'd make were jazz records. I can make any kind of records I want to make. I like making music [laughs]. It doesn't have to be jazz. It doesn't have to have a label. As a mater of fact, I like the idea of using my jazz roots, which are crucial for me to express myself, in many different ways. If I hadn't worked with Miles Davis, I wouldn't have been able to make a record like Possibilities. The spirit of Miles is in the production of that album. That's what this is all about - carving out new territory.
Something I found interesting about the criticisms aimed at Possibilities has been that a lot of people had very similar qualms with the Head Hunters. Back then, folks suggested you were selling out your audience by making a sound that's more marketable. Interestingly enough, Head Hunters has grown to be one of your more popular albums. Do you think that this pattern of criticism suggests that listeners and critics are either scared or intimidated by new approaches to making music?
 Herbie Hancock |
Actually, for me, criticism is an indication that I'm doing something right. If I'm not being challenged then maybe I'm working in an area where I'm too comfortable. People aren't always able to rise to the occasion themselves and end up working inside their comfort zone. That can also be true for critics. They may be so used to working within a certain framework that if one of the records they're reviewing is outside of that framework they may have a hard time making the proper adjustment to really review that new viewpoint of music. They might be using their old standards to judge something that's outside of those standards. And in that case, this [criticism] doesn't really apply.
You can't argue with that. To take things in a different direction, if you were talking to someone who was only exposed to your older material how would you explain the changes you've gone through? How would you articulate the progression your sound has gone through since you started?
I've been in the music business for over 40 years. When you say "older material" which material do you consider to be older?
Continue reading for more with Herbie Hancock...
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