Herbie Hancock launches International Jazz Day

I've heard worse ideas...

A legendary musician and a great humanitarian.

Jazz musicians make every gig Jazz Day...

Ask me how I know.

Herbie Hancock is still going?? Unbelievable! I remember so many years ago smoking the first really strong stuff I had ever experienced and being so blown away by HH (and continued to be blown away in less excited state is days to follow).

So 30th April is Jazz day. Fine. But before all the good days get taken I'd like to declare Jan 9th Jim Thompson Appreciation Day. Everyone OK with that?

My ONLY complaint about Herbie is that recently he has been releasing stuff that leans towards pop and away from straight-ahead jazz. For example, his most recent album "The Imagine Project" had songs featuring Pink, Dave Mathews (blech), The Chieftans and a lot of other big names. Before that it was "River: The Joni Letters" which had songs featuring Tina Turner, Nora Jones, etc. And before that it was "Possibilities" with John Mayer, Christina Aguilera, and other big names. I have seen this guy live and believe me, his best stuff is jazz in the full blown, balls to the wall, good old JAZZ with real jazz musicians doing their thing. Hopefully he will release something like that again. It has been over 10 years since his last mostly jazz instrumental album.

I've heard Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter often come to Japan to meet the leader of Soka Gakkai. I think his name is Ikeda?

Herbie Hancock made the biggest selling "jazz" album of all time, Watermelon Man, on Columbia Records. It is kind of a stretch to even call it jazz--since most of the album rocks out like early '70s contemporaries Carlos Santana or Gilberto Gil--but because it was instrumental and Hancock had previously been known as a "jazz" pianist then that is what it was called.

I'm curious how Pamelot knows what these musicians are going to do every gig, since looking at the roster in the article shows me that many of those names are not known as jazz musicians--Derek Trucks and wife Susan Tedeschi are two that stand out as being outside simplistic marketing genres.

have seen him play 3 times. All modern jazz. Though I do enjoy his more 'pop' oriented albums as well; it is in Jazz where he shines brightest for me. Last time I saw him play was in London with Wayne Shorter. Front row, middle seats - LEGEND!

Correction: That best selling album was called Headhunters.