Time’s fun when you’re having flies. I started seeing Herbie in the early nineties, after becoming acquainted with several of the early seventies Headhunter albums. I’ve seen him in all kinds of ensembles since then, from more jazzy groups to straight up funk ensembles. I think my favorite shows were with the original Headhunters (Bennie Maupin, Bill Summers, Mike Clark, Paul Jackson); however, the few times that Matthew Garrison (bass) and Terri-Lynn Carrington (drums) completed the line-up certainly rank up there as well. And then I blinked for a second–how long had it been since I last saw Herbie? Was it really that long ago? When did one of my favorite jazz musicians of all time reach 82 years of age?

Hard to believe that, although I never really noticed his age much when he was back in his fifties, he is now officially “getting up there”. I still can’t believe this guy is 82! Even more impressive was his ability to continue to play and perform at a high level. Most musicians in their eighties (if they make it that long) don’t even leave the house and here’s this guy Herbie Hancock still touring the world. All I can say is “Wow!”

So a quick side note before I begin the details–I’m finding myself to be more hyper-critical of shows these days than I was in the past. Maybe it’s just me, but it feels like even some of my favorite groups have lost a step post-Covid. Maybe it’s the fact that I haven’t seen that many shows during the last year and a half. Maybe it’s because the shows are ridiculously expensive already before TicketNazi adds like 50% more in F.U. fees. I don’t know the answer, but my apologies if my reality is getting in the way of what was otherwise a great show. I will say in everyone’s defense that I experienced the same thing after taking a year off of live performances–those reps are hard to get back, and it took me a good 3-6 months to find my footing again. So moral of the story here: Fuck Covid and the horse it road in on. On to the review…

The line up was completely different than some of the past performances I’ve seen. To start with, the group was a quartet featuring Terrance Blanchard on trumpet, James Genus on bass and Trevor Lawrence Jr. on Drums. I felt a little robbed here in that all the tour reviews touted multiple horns and a larger band arrangement. In fact, it seems that the band will augment its lineup shortly as they get ready for the summer leg in Europe, so I guess it’s just bad timing. I did hope that there would be more than one horn and perhaps some other instruments on stage, especially if they were going to reach back into the real jazzy Herbie years. Ultimately though, the four-piece really gave a lot of space for Herbie to just do his thing, and he did!

James Genus played an electric bass all night, so the sound was definitely more on the funky side. I would have liked to see the upright here and there, but those things are definitely a bitch to travel with. The fact that Terrance Blanchard was in the line-up was a major plus for me–he is a legend in his own right. I have to comment on his use of the detuner (or heavy flange) sound effect on his trumpet. When he started to play the first song I thought, OK, this is interesting. Much to my dismay, he left the effect on all night and (IMO) this detracted from some of the musicality and phrasing that he is known for. It really didn’t add that much to the overall sound (it really muddied up the horn), so I’m left wondering why use it for the entire show? Of the three sidemen, the guy that really caught my ear was drummer Trevor Lawrence Jr. This guy is a legit monster. I guess he also performed in Snoop’s band at the half-time show for this year’s Superbowl. He definitely added some chops to the rhythm section that was otherwise pretty even-keeled and controlled. However, bro–take off your mask when you’re at an outdoor venue with less than 500 people. There’s just no excuse for this kind of goofiness anymore.

And then there was Herbie. Age is bitch and you can definitely hear it in his playing. I mean really–at 82 it’s hard to expect the young, spaceship flying, afro wearing, jazz alien that is Herbie Hancock to come in and save the day. Getting old leaves a mark! Having said that, he still brought the music and came correct. Yeah, he doesn’t have the dexterity to do some of the amazing chops he did perhaps even up to twenty years ago, but he is still SO GOOD that even at 82 he makes most pianists look like fairy boys. His ears were working just as well and he is always super cool and composed when he sits down to tickle the ivories.

The show felt very nostalgic. It was like a “Goodbye Herbie” tour if I’m honest. With so many directions to choose from in terms of material I wasn’t sure what to expect, although I had my premonitions. The show wasn’t very long so there was a bunch of stuff crammed in here and there. The initial overture sounded like a medley, featuring a very recognizable tempo modulation section in Chameleon. I was psyched to hear them go into Actual Proof (one of my predictions) right after that. That form is so cool and yet so syncopated and different that it really sounds much harder than it is. It all comes down to the turnaround over the 5/4, 4/4, 3/4 section–count it out next time you see him. It’s a Herbie staple these days.

The next tune, R.I.P., I was totally unfamiliar with. Apparently it is an Elena Pinderhughes cover, but that’s all I know. It was a strange tune anyway, more on the jazzy side but seemingly an odd outlier for this kind of show. On the other hand, hearing Come Running To Me right after that was a welcome sound. In all the years that I’ve seen Herbie, I had yet to hear any of the Sunlight album performed live, so this was a personal highlight for me. I have to say that the live version, although cool, does not do the studio version justice. As an extra-credit project, I would encourage peeps to take an hour to listen to the entire Sunlight album on its own and make note of how incredibly cool this album sounds within the backdrop of everything else going on in 1978. It has some of Herbie’s best playing of that time period (imo).

The band went into a couple more obscure tunes from there. Secret Sauce is a more recent joint from Herbie that continues to showcase his creativity as a composer and player. Phoenix is a Lionel Loueke cover that I am not familiar with. For the fans out there, Lionel Loueke is that wild sounding avante-garde guitarist that Herbie has been using exclusively for the last decade or so. He is quite the player, although his style and phrasing is certainly off the beaten path. I think this is what makes him so interesting and unique, and a great fit with Herbie’s spaced out jazz mind. If you have a minute, check out some of his work with or without Herbie’s band.

Of course there was a fruit song. Anytime you hear Herbie, you are bound to hear at least one song about fruit–in this case Cantaloupe Island, probably one of his most recognizable joints ever. Even though this song is commonplace, it was a great addition to the set list. It gave Herbie room to really showcase (what is still) amazing phrasing and harmony over what is a pretty simple chord progression. It may have taken all night, but you could definitely hear some of the old Herbie coming out during the solo section. He really brought the performance level up a few notches here.

The end of the show was a little strange. When they stopped playing, said their goodbyes and walked off stage it was only about seventy minutes into the show. I had thought they would at least play the full ninety minutes slated on the play bill before doing an encore, but I guess this is what being old does to you. Interestingly though, they walked back on stage about ten seconds after walking off and then did a non-encore, encore. It just felt weird, but whatever. Herbie promptly picked up the Keytar and from this point they were just having fun. As soon as he hit the bass line from Chameleon the crowd started to dance and then the band just plain jammed out for the rest of the show.

All in all, the show was fun. The venue was cool–it was a smaller outdoor area with a nice hill and stage (at the NC Museum of Art) that had a decent vibe. The night was a little humid but the temperature and the acoustics were great. Hats off to the sound guys, who in addition to providing an accurate and clear sound stage, did a really nice job of micing Herbie’s grand piano. It was clear as a bell all night and let Herbie’s piano playing shine through. The sound of the rest of the band was equally fantastic as well.

It’s sad to say that this might be one of my last Herbie shows. Not because I’ll never want to see him perform again, but because at 82 years of age, his performance days are numbered. I can’t help but think of seeing George Duke right before he passed and thinking he played so well he had to have years and years left ahead of him–I was mistaken and he died about three months later! I guess the lesson here is to cherish the times you get to see live music, especially when the performers are your hall of fame peeps. You never know when, if ever, you might see them again. Like each of us, they certainly don’t live forever. Keep that in mind the next time you are enjoying one of your favorite live shows. Until next time, enjoy life while you can!