As you’d look forward to finding on the web site of a musical legend, 83-year-old jazz maestro Herbie Hancock’s web page lists his intensive discography (41 studio albums ranging from 1962), his quite a few awards (14 Grammys, 34 nominations) and his punishing tour schedule (which finds him in India this fortnight on his third tour right here).
Hancock’s web site additionally, considerably unusually, features a glossary of digital devices, describing the capabilities of the gear that he’s used over the many years, starting from analog synthesizers to WLM organs.
That’s in line with Hancock’s unrelenting quest for the subsequent new factor.
The keyboard participant and composer – who has a level in electrical engineering – has been within the highlight ever since his debut album spawned the hit Watermelon Man. It was impressed by Hancock’s childhood recollections of a fruit vendor using his wagon over the cobblestones of a Chicago alleyway. Though it was an instrumental tune, recorded with out lyrics, the joyous melody prompts listeners nearly instinctively to sing out the strains, “Hey, Watermelon man.”
Proof of Hancock’s intuition for innovation is obvious on the model of the identical tune that he recorded a decade afterward his twelfth album, Head Hunters. By now, Hancock had traded his acoustic piano for a Fender Rhodes electrical piano, Hohner D6 Clavinet, ARP Odyssey and ARP Professional Soloist synthesizers and he radically reimagined Watermelon Man as a sweaty piece of jazz-funk.
After six many years of constructing artistic music, Hancock is now pondering the musical prospects of Synthetic Intelligence, a technological innovation that “leverages computer systems and machines to imitate the problem-solving and decision-making capabilities of the human thoughts”.
“By the top of 2024, the whole lot goes to be very totally different,” he instructed Scroll in an e mail interview, forward of a live performance with the vocalist Dianne Reeves in Mumbai on Saturday. “Issues are transferring very quick.”
Right here is the textual content of the interview.
Jazz is a music that’s continually reinventing itself – and you’ve got been main that metamorphosis for six many years. What are the weather which have allowed you to be so immensely artistic?
I had some actually good lecturers through the years. Once I was first on the jazz scene and once I first went to New York and even in my hometown of Chicago, the older musicians have been at all times encouraging me. They have been at all times serving to me study the tunes appropriately they usually didn’t simply throw me off the bandstand. That was the start and all through my profession I’ve had loads of encouragement.
That’s what actually helps folks. When they’re discouraged, it makes the problem so much tougher and a few individuals who might be discouraged would go into another discipline. Jazz isn’t actually like that, although. Historically, the older musicians assist the youthful musicians. And now I’m one of many older musicians and I sit up for passing the baton.
How has your background in engineering influenced your strategy to your music?
When synthesizers first got here out, they have been on the pop scene. With the group that I had – the Mwandishi band [formed in 1970] – we have been at all times in search of methods to create a pathway so that individuals might hear what was taking place with the music. So with the concept of synthesizers, which have been new to rock and roll and since I used to be an engineering main in faculty, I gravitated in direction of it.
I knew loads of the terminology having a bit of little bit of an engineering background. So I instantly noticed that I might create issues that I couldn’t create on my piano. In order that simply acquired me extra excited so as to add these components to the issues I had been doing up to now.
There’s an incredible video clip of you from 1984 exhibiting Quicy Jones your Fairlight keyboard and pc setup. When did you get your first pc and what have been the challenges you confronted making an attempt to make music with it?
I acquired my first pc in 1979 and it principally wasn’t recognized by the music group. And I used to be one of many people who was encouraging musicians to make use of computer systems. I used to be really demanding that they get computer systems as a result of I knew they’d be necessary they usually have been asking, “How is that going to occur?” Over time I used to be in a position to speak loads of musicians into it.
My first pc was an Apple 2 plus pc and I nonetheless have it. As a matter of truth, I noticed the early expertise that was utilized by Apple at Xerox Park after they have been creating a pc that might assist you to make music and work. And the man that was engaged on it mentioned, “At some point kids will go to highschool with a pocket book and it’ll have a pc display and a keyboard.” And I mentioned, “No manner!” And that’s what it grew to become.
However I wasn’t in a position to do this a lot with that first pc. My first exhausting drive was 25 megabytes and it was enormous!
Jazz purists have typically declared that they like your acoustic performances, with out tech. How have you ever reacted to responses like this?
Thanks!
What affect do you suppose Synthetic Intelligence may have on jazz – and music on the whole? What prospects does it open for human creativity?
I can’t even think about the extent of the chances however I do know that we’ll be capable to use that expertise in ways in which have been inconceivable earlier than. Everybody in some unspecified time in the future may have their very own digital assistant on their cellphone. And will probably be so clever that will probably be in a position to understand how finest to show you one thing in a manner that’s designed on your explicit character. This may be inconceivable for a instructor to do with a complete group of scholars.
By the top of 2024, the whole lot goes to very totally different. Issues are transferring very quick. One discovery that I made is that AI is one thing that humanity gave start to. It’s like a humanoid in a manner. And the very best factor to do shouldn’t be attempt to trick it. The perfect factor to do is to deal with it prefer it’s an individual. Deal with it the way in which it’s best to deal with one other humanity. In any other case, that might trigger the downfall of humanity.
And if greed steps in the way in which – that’s when now we have to fret about AI. As a result of meaning we care extra concerning the cash than about creating the expertise to show it and create tips. However I sit up for what AI might imply. We’ll be capable to work together with AI musically the place the AI is taking part in and responding to you.
There may be going to be an interim interval – this is without doubt one of the fears now we have – of individuals having their jobs changed by these entities. However if you’re one of many first responders to getting your individual digital system then you definitely received’t have to fret. It’s the folks which are saying, “I don’t need to know something about it” – they’re those which are going to be in hassle.
Herbie Hancock and vocalist Dianne Reeves are in India to present masterclasses and performances in New Delhi and Mumbai, accompanied by the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Efficiency at UCLA Ensemble. Their performances and masterclasses are devoted to celebrating the life and legacy of the civil rights chief Dr Martin Luther King Jr.