Herbie Hancock on Tour: DO. NOT. MISS. THIS.

[We will post a great gallery of photos as soon as they are available. Until then, here are four audience shots

pilfered from the posts of Trace Caley (image above), Lonni Hopkins, Dave Coash, and Fil Pate. Thank you!]

Serious talk. If you are a jazz fan, a fusion fan, a fan of stunning performances, then RUN DON’T WALK to your nearest computer and order yourself some ducats to see AND HEAR our most important jazz titan, the incomparable Herbie Hancock. He and his band have ten more shows on this North American tour, with Auburn next up Tuesday, then up through the Northeast and finishing in Toronto.

If you’ve got friends in Australia or New Zealand, holler at them as well about their ten-date run there. Or China. Or Japan.

The show Sunday at The Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg, Florida, was nothing short of electrifying. Their 90-minute set was simply stunning. The people calling out for “one more song” apparently missed the 84-year-old Hancock jumping up and down with his keytar on final tune “Chameleon.”

To be honest, we had all gotten our money’s worth after the first “song.” Hancock had explained that there was no way to touch on all aspects of his career, offering up an “Overture” including bits and pieces of his work through the seven decades of his career. He said it would begin “weird,” and he was true to his word, with rain sounds and synths that segued into music of almost every description, teasing a variety of tunes including “Chameleon” and “Butterfly” and featuring our first look at the astonishing guitar work and vocalizing of Lionel Loueke.

Thirty minutes later, we were breathless!

This tour was a TWO-FER, featuring not one but TWO of the titans of jazz. On trumpet and keyboards was Terence Blanchard, the man with seven Grammys; he is a composer whose output includes magical jazz, two operas, and more than 80 film and television scores! He was brilliant. The band’s rhythm section featured James Genus on bass and 25-year-old Jaylen Petinaud on drums, both stepping up to play music with these titans.

And then there is Loueke. There were times when his guitar sounded like a synthesizer; his technique was awesome, and his accompanying vocalese was pure magic. He truly knows how to color outside the lines.

After band introductions, Hancock then dedicated the next tune to his long-time friend and band mate Wayne Shorter, who left us last year. What followed was a superb wide-ranging arrangement of “Footprints” by Blanchard (14 minutes) with another blast from Loueke.

Despite the fact that much of the setlist was “electric,” Hancock spent the majority of time on that glorious grand piano, situated in such a way that most of the audience could see his hands, or, rather, a blur where his hands would be. “Actual Proof” (17 minutes) ranged from acoustic to electric and all in between, with another fine guitar solo and one from Genus on bass.

Hancock then looked at his watch, trying to figure out what they had time to squeeze in. He said, “Have we done ‘Hang Up Your Hang Ups’?” What emerged was “Hang Up Your Rockit,” a fine mashup between those two electronic gems. Blanchard played trumpet and then went to his keyboard setup on the right of the stage. I think this is also where everybody moved aside as Petinaud had a smashing drum solo.

Acknowledging they were on the final tune, Hancock grabbed his keytar and hit those unmistakable bass notes signifying “Chameleon,” this time a great ten-minute romp through the fusion classic. Everybody was deep in the groove, and then Hancock walked from the left side to center to engage first with Genus before turning around to get into a jump-off with Loueke that blew up the room.

Not bad for the 84-year-old, who ran across stage after they were done to shake some hand and greet the fans in front.

Our admonition/encouragement: DO. NOT. MISS. THIS. if he’s anywhere near you.

Band: Herbie Hancock, piano, keyboards; Terence Blanchard, trumpet, keyboards; James Genus, bass; Lionel Loueke, guitar, vocals; Jaylen Petinaud, drums.

[HH: welcome, Overture, Footprints, Actual Proof, Hang Up Your Hang Ups/Rockit, Chameleon]

FALL TOUR

AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND TOUR

10/08 Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre | Auckland NZL

10/09 Michael Fowler Centre | Wellington NZL

10/11 Sydney Opera House | Sydney NSW AUS SOLD OUT

10/12 Sydney Opera House | Sydney NSW AUS SOLD OUT

10/14 Canberra Theatre | Canberra ACT AUS

10/16 City Recital Hall | Sydney NSW AUS

10/17 QPAC Concert Hall | Brisbane QLD AUS

10/19 Melbourne Jazz Festival – Sidney Myer Music Bowl | Melbourne VIC AUS

10/20 Festival Theatre | Adelaide SA AUS

10/22 Concert Hall | Perth WA AUS

CHINA

10/27 WestK Performing Arts | Hong Kong CHN

10/29 Shanghai Oriental Art Center Concert Hall | Shanghai CHN

11/02 Xinghai Concert Hall | Guangzhou CHN

11/03 Macao International Festival | Macao CHN

JAPAN

12/06 Pia Arena | Yokohama JPN

12/08 Pia Arena | Yokohama JPN

Herbie Hancock on Tour: DO. NOT. MISS. THIS.