Last night, I had the amazing opportunity to see Herbie Hancock perform at the beautiful Red Butte Gardens in Salt Lake City. One of my favourite musicians of all time, Hancock transformed the face of multiple genres over his decades-long career, and is still just as energetic on stage at 86 as he was 50 years ago.
Seated at his grand piano, Hancock beautifully began the show with “Maiden Voyage,” though the band had to start later than expected due to heavy rain in the area. Bassist James Genus and drummer Jaylen Petinaud immediately displayed why they’re a part of the Hancock band – lightning-fast execution of the jazz pieces and incredible, inventive soloing.
“Watermelon Man” and “Actual Proof” continued the set, guitarist Lionel Loueke shining on some very smooth play as he toyed with both effects and interplay with Hancock’s piano. Trumpeter Terence Blanchard utilized a cool chorus sound on his instrument to simulate a full horn section, ripping a solo of his own before adding some keyboard comping as Hancock took to his keytar.
After some lengthy band intros where Hancock really just emphasized his continued excitement at being on stage with such talented musicians, the band moved into an amazing cover of Wayne Shorter’s “Footsteps.”
Loueke and Hancock shared vocal duties on “Phoelix,” a mix of vocoder and harmonizing alongside guitar melodies making for a very interesting and very unique sound for the only track of the night to contain words.
“Secret Sauce” then let Genus step to the front, the bassist taking a solo section for several minutes on his own that was full of hypnotic loops, quick streams of notes, and a general vibe that had me absolutely locked in.
Hancock introduced the final segment of the show with a medley of three songs – “Hang Up Your Hang Ups,” “Rockit,” and “Spider,” arranged by Loueke. The way that these three fusion odysseys blended together was amazing, sandwiched by the iconic opening and closing riffs of “Hang Up Your Hang Ups” as well as some quotes of “Doin’ It” by Loueke.
Of course, no Hancock show would be complete without “Chameleon,” and he wrapped the set with a ripping version as he soared through a final keytar solo. Defying his age, he and Loueke bounced back and forth to each other toward the end, their grins and joy evident no matter where you were in the venue.
Hancock continues tour this weekend in California, and I just feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude to have the opportunity to witness one of the most legendary musicians of all time continue to perform such incredible music so well. If you have any chance to see one of these shows – do it.
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