Editing Herbie Hancock (section)

==Career==
=== Miles Davis Quintet (1963–1968) and Blue Note Records (1962–1969) ===
Hancock received considerable attention when, in May 1963,<ref name="grove" /> he joined Davis's [[Miles Davis Quintet#Second Great Quintet (1964–68)|Second Great Quintet]]. Davis personally sought out Hancock, whom he saw as one of the most promising talents in jazz. The [[rhythm section]] that Davis organized was young but effective, comprising bassist [[Ron Carter]], 17-year-old drummer Williams, and Hancock on piano. After [[George Coleman]] and [[Sam Rivers (jazz musician)|Sam Rivers]] each took a turn at the saxophone spot, the quintet gelled with [[Wayne Shorter]] on tenor saxophone. This quintet is often regarded as one of the finest jazz ensembles yet.<ref>[[John Fordham (jazz critic)|Fordham, John]] (October 13, 2010), [https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2010/oct/13/miles-davis-second-great-quintet "50 great moments in jazz: How Miles Davis's second quintet changed jazz"], ''The Guardian''. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116192054/https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2010/oct/13/miles-davis-second-great-quintet |date=November 16, 2020 }}.</ref>

While in Davis's band, Hancock also found time to record dozens of sessions for the Blue Note label, both under his own name and as a [[sideman]] with other musicians such as [[Wayne Shorter]], Williams, [[Grant Green]], [[Bobby Hutcherson]], Rivers, Byrd, [[Kenny Dorham]], [[Hank Mobley]], [[Lee Morgan]], [[Freddie Hubbard]], and [[Eric Dolphy]]. Hancock also recorded several lesser known but still critically acclaimed albums with larger ensembles – ''[[My Point of View]]'' (1963), ''[[Speak Like a Child (album)|Speak Like a Child]]'' (1968) and ''[[The Prisoner (album)|The Prisoner]]'' (1969), albums that featured [[flugelhorn]], [[alto flute]] and [[bass trombone]] in addition to the traditional jazz instrumentation. 1963's ''[[Inventions and Dimensions]]'' was an album of almost entirely improvised music, teaming Hancock with bassist [[Paul Chambers]] and two Latin percussionists, [[Willie Bobo]] and Osvaldo "Chihuahua" Martinez.

During that period, Hancock also composed the [[Film scores|score]] to [[Michelangelo Antonioni]]'s film ''[[Blowup]]'' (1966), the first of many film [[soundtrack]]s he recorded in his career. As well as feature film soundtracks, Hancock recorded a number of musical themes used on American television commercials for such well-known products as [[Pillsbury Company|Pillsbury]]'s [[Space Food Sticks]], [[Standard Oil]], [[Tab (soft drink)|Tab]] diet cola, and [[Virginia Slims]] cigarettes. Hancock also wrote, arranged and conducted a spy type theme for a series of [[F. William Free]] commercials for Silva Thins cigarettes. Hancock liked it so much he wished to record it as a song but the ad agency would not let him. He rewrote the harmony, tempo and tone and recorded the piece as the track "He Who Lives in Fear" from his ''The Prisoner'' album of 1969.<ref>Hancock, Herbie & Dickey, Lisa  ''Herbie Hancock: Possibilities'' Penguin, October 23, 2014</ref>

Davis had begun incorporating elements of rock and popular music into his recordings by the end of Hancock's tenure with the band. Despite some initial reluctance, Hancock began doubling on electric [[Keyboard instruments|keyboards]], including the [[Fender Rhodes]] [[electric piano]] at Davis's insistence. Hancock adapted quickly to the new instruments, which proved to be important in his future artistic endeavors. 

In the summer of 1968, after being dismissed from Davis' band under the pretext that he had returned late from a honeymoon in [[Brazil]], Hancock formed his own sextet.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Byrnes |first=Sholto |date=October 23, 2011 |title=Herbie Hancock: Too good to be true |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/herbie-hancock-too-good-to-be-true-422113.html |website=The Independent}}</ref> Despite his departure from the band—which was disbanded soon after—Hancock continued to appear on Davis’ records for the next few years. His appearances included ''[[In a Silent Way]]'', ''[[A Tribute to Jack Johnson]],'' and ''[[On the Corner]]''.

=== ''Fat Albert'' (1969) and Mwandishi era (1971–1973) ===
[[File:Herbie hancock 1970.png|thumb|Hancock {{circa}} 1970]]
Hancock left Blue Note in 1969, signing with [[Warner Bros. Records]]. In 1969, Hancock composed the soundtrack for [[Bill Cosby]]'s animated prime-time television special ''[[Hey, Hey, Hey, It's Fat Albert]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0497624/fullcredits|title=Hey, Hey, Hey, It's Fat Albert (TV Movie 1969)|website=IMDb.com|access-date=July 1, 2018|archive-date=November 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116192107/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0497624/fullcredits|url-status=live}}</ref> Music from the soundtrack was later included on ''[[Fat Albert Rotunda]]'' (1969), an [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]]-inspired album with strong jazz overtones. One of the jazzier songs on the record, the moody ballad "Tell Me a Bedtime Story", was later re-worked as a more electronic sounding song for the [[Quincy Jones]] album ''[[Sounds...and Stuff Like That!!]]'' (1978).

Hancock became fascinated with electronic musical instruments. Together with the profound influence of Davis's ''[[Bitches Brew]]'' (1970), this fascination culminated in a series of albums in which electronic instruments were coupled with acoustic instruments. Hancock's first ventures into [[electronic music]] started with a sextet comprising Hancock, bassist [[Buster Williams]] and drummer [[Billy Hart]], and a trio of horn players: [[Eddie Henderson (musician)|Eddie Henderson]] (trumpet), [[Julian Priester]] ([[trombone]]), and [[multireedist]] [[Bennie Maupin]]. [[Patrick Gleeson]] was eventually added to the mix to play and program the synthesizers.

The sextet, later a septet with the addition of Gleeson, made three albums under Hancock's name: ''[[Mwandishi]]'' (1971), ''[[Crossings (Herbie Hancock album)|Crossings]]'' (1972) (both on Warner Bros. Records), and ''[[Sextant (album)|Sextant]]'' (1973) (released on [[Columbia Records]]); two more, ''[[Realization (Eddie Henderson album)|Realization]]'' and ''[[Inside Out (Eddie Henderson album)|Inside Out]]'', were recorded under Henderson's name with essentially the same personnel. The music exhibited strong improvisational aspect beyond the confines of jazz mainstream and showed influence from the electronic music of [[contemporary classical music|contemporary classical]] composers. Hancock's three records released in 1971–73 later became known as the "Mwandishi" albums, so-called after a [[Swahili language|Swahili]] name Hancock sometimes used during this era ("''Mwandishi''" is [[Swahili language|Swahili]] for "writer"). The first two, including ''[[Fat Albert Rotunda]]'', were made available on the two-CD set ''Mwandishi: the Complete Warner Bros. Recordings'', released in 1994. "Hornets" was later revised on the 2001 album ''[[Future2Future]]'' as "Virtual Hornets".

Among the instruments Hancock and Gleeson used were [[Fender Rhodes]] piano, [[ARP Odyssey]], [[ARP 2600]], [[ARP Pro Soloist]] Synthesizer, a [[Mellotron]] and the [[Moog synthesizer]] III.

=== From ''Head Hunters'' (1973) to ''Secrets'' (1976) ===
{{See also|Head Hunters}}
[[File:Herbie Hancock and The Headhunters 1975.JPG|thumb|left|upright|Hancock (left) with the Headhunters, 1975]]

Hancock formed [[the Headhunters]], keeping only Maupin from the sextet and adding bassist [[Paul Jackson (bassist)|Paul Jackson]], percussionist [[Bill Summers (musician)|Bill Summers]], and drummer [[Harvey Mason]]. The album ''[[Head Hunters (album)|Head Hunters]]'' (1973) was a hit, crossing over to pop audiences but criticized within his jazz audience.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thevinylfactory.com/features/electric-herbie-15-essential-funk-era-herbie-hancock-records/|work=thevinylfactory.com|title=Electric Herbie: 15 essential funk-era Herbie Hancock records|author=Anton Spice|date=September 25, 2014|access-date=January 25, 2019|archive-date=November 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116192058/https://thevinylfactory.com/features/electric-herbie-15-essential-funk-era-herbie-hancock-records/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Stephen Erlewine]], in a retrospective summary for [[AllMusic]], said, "''Head Hunters'' still sounds fresh and vital three decades after its initial release, and its genre-bending proved vastly influential on not only jazz, but funk, soul, and hip-hop."<ref name="Headhunters ''Allmusic'' review">{{cite web |url={{AllMusic |class=album |id=r140166/review|pure_url=yes}}|title=Headhunters Herbie Hancock|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|year=2010|work=Allmusic review of Headhunters|access-date=July 1, 2010}}</ref>

Drummer Mason was replaced by [[Mike Clark (jazz musician)|Mike Clark]], and the band released a second album, ''[[Thrust (album)|Thrust]]'', in 1974. (A live album from a Japan performance, consisting of compositions from those first two ''Head Hunters'' releases was released in 1975 as ''[[Flood (Herbie Hancock album)|Flood]]''). This was almost as well received as its predecessor, if not attaining the same level of commercial success. The Headhunters made another successful album called ''[[Survival of the Fittest (The Headhunters album)|Survival of the Fittest]]'' in 1975 without Hancock, while Hancock himself started to make even more commercial albums, often featuring members of the band, but no longer billed as the Headhunters. The Headhunters reunited with Hancock in 1998 for ''Return of the Headhunters'', and a version of the band (featuring Jackson and Clark) continues to play and record.

In 1973, Hancock was commissioned to compose the soundtrack for the controversial film ''[[The Spook Who Sat by the Door (film)|The Spook Who Sat by the Door]]'', based on the [[The Spook Who Sat by the Door (novel)|novel of the same name]] by [[Sam Greenlee]], who had grown up in the same neighborhood of Chicago as Hancock.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/features/battle-chicago-spook-who-sat-door|title=The battle of Chicago: The Spook Who Sat by the Door|first=David|last=Somerset|website=Sight and Sound|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|date=June 3, 2020|access-date=March 11, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.uchicago.edu/story/i-wont-have-anything-do-amoral-dudes|title='I won't have anything to do with amoral dudes'|work=UChicago News|first=Andrew|last=Peart|date=February 27, 2023|access-date=March 11, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/Herbie-Hancock-The-Spook-Who-Sat-By-The-Door/release/635602|title=Herbie Hancock – The Spook Who Sat By The Door|website=discogs|date=February 21, 2017 |access-date=September 22, 2020|archive-date=November 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116192035/https://www.discogs.com/Herbie-Hancock-The-Spook-Who-Sat-By-The-Door/release/635602|url-status=live}}</ref> In the following year, Hancock composed the soundtrack to the first ''[[Death Wish (1974 film)|Death Wish]]'' film. One of his songs, "Joanna's Theme", was re-recorded in 1997 on his duet album with Shorter, ''[[1+1 (Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter album)|1+1]]''. Hancock's next jazz-funk albums of the 1970s were ''[[Man-Child]]'' (1975) and ''[[Secrets (Herbie Hancock album)|Secrets]]'' (1976), which point toward the more commercial direction Hancock would take over the next decade. These albums feature the members of the Headhunters band, but also a variety of other musicians in important roles.

=== From ''V.S.O.P.'' (1976) to ''Future Shock'' (1983) ===
[[File:Herbie Hancock 1976.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Hancock in 1976]]
In 1978, Hancock recorded a duet with [[Chick Corea]], who replaced him in the Davis band a decade earlier. Hancock also released a solo acoustic piano album, ''[[The Piano (Herbie Hancock album)|The Piano]]'' (1979), which was released only in Japan. (It was released in the US in 2004). Other Japan-only albums include ''[[Dedication (Herbie Hancock album)|Dedication]]'' (1974), ''[[VSOP: Tempest in the Colosseum|V.S.O.P.'s Tempest in the Colosseum]]'' (1977), and ''[[Direct Step]]'' (1978). ''[[VSOP: Live Under the Sky]]'' was a VSOP album remastered for the US in 2004 and included a second concert from the tour in July 1979.

From 1978 to 1982, Hancock recorded many albums of jazz-inflected [[disco]] and pop music, beginning with ''[[Sunlight (jazz album)|Sunlight]]'' (featuring guest musicians including Williams and Pastorius on the last track) (1978). Singing through a [[vocoder]], he earned a British hit,<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book |first=David |last=Roberts |year=2006 |title=British Hit Singles & Albums |edition=19th |publisher=Guinness World Records Limited |location=London |isbn=1-904994-10-5 |page=242}}</ref> "I Thought It Was You", although critics were unimpressed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.warr.org/hancock.html |title=Herbie Hancock |website=Warr.org |access-date=October 22, 2011 |archive-date=November 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116192130/http://www.warr.org/hancock.html |url-status=live }}</ref> This led to more vocoder on his next album, ''[[Feets, Don't Fail Me Now]]'' (1979), which gave him another UK hit in "You Bet Your Love".<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums" />

Hancock toured with Williams and Carter in 1981, recording ''[[Herbie Hancock Trio (1982 album)|Herbie Hancock Trio]]'', a five-track album released only in Japan. A month later, he recorded ''[[Quartet (Herbie Hancock album)|Quartet]]'' with trumpeter [[Wynton Marsalis]], released in the US the following year. Hancock, Williams, and Carter toured internationally with Wynton Marsalis and his brother, saxophonist [[Branford Marsalis]], in what was known as "VSOP II". This quintet can be heard on Wynton Marsalis's debut album on Columbia (1981). In 1984 VSOP II performed at the Playboy Jazz Festival as a sextet with Hancock, Williams, Carter, the Marsalis Brothers, and [[Bobby McFerrin]]. In 1982, Hancock contributed to the album ''[[New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84)]]'' by [[Simple Minds]], playing a synthesizer solo on the track "Hunter and the Hunted".

In 1983, Hancock had a pop hit with the Grammy Award-winning single "[[Rockit (song)|Rockit]]" from the album ''[[Future Shock (Herbie Hancock album)|Future Shock]]''. It was the first [[Jazz rap|jazz hip-hop]] song<ref name="Koskoff2005">{{cite book|last=Koskoff|first=Ellen|title=Music Cultures in the United States: An Introduction|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JfrG1IKZ9f8C&pg=PA364|access-date=July 28, 2012|year=2005|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-0-415-96588-0| pages=364–}}</ref><ref name="Price2006">{{cite book|last=Price|first=Emmett George|title=Hip Hop Culture| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Q84TiHcqDqcC&pg=PA114|access-date=July 28, 2012|year=2006|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn= 978-1-85109-867-5|pages=114–}}</ref><ref name="Keyes2002">{{cite book|last=Keyes|first=Cheryl Lynette|title=Rap Music and Street Consciousness|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HRmRqtD6oPgC&pg=PA109|access-date=July 28, 2012|year=2002| publisher=University of Illinois Press|isbn=978-0-252-07201-7|pages=109–}}</ref> and became a worldwide anthem for [[breakdancer]]s and for hip-hop in the 1980s.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandjazzmusic/3616743/Culture-quake-Rockit.html |title=Culture quake: Rockit |first=Will |last=Hodgkinson |newspaper=Telegraph |date=May 10, 2004 |access-date=July 28, 2012 |archive-date=November 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116192112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandjazzmusic/3616743/Culture-quake-Rockit.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.monkinstitute.org/meet/herbiehancock.php |title=Meet – Herbie Hancock |publisher=Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz |access-date=July 28, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120730160342/http://www.monkinstitute.org/meet/herbiehancock.php |archive-date=July 30, 2012  }}</ref> It was the first mainstream single to feature [[scratching]], and also featured an innovative animated music video, which was directed by [[Godley and Creme]] and showed several robot-like artworks by [[Jim Whiting]]. The video was a hit on [[MTV]] and reached No.&nbsp;8 in the UK.<ref name="complete">{{cite book|last1=Brown|first1=Tony|last2=Kutner|first2=Jon| last3=Warwick|first3=Neil|title=The Complete Book of the British Charts|date=2002|publisher=Omnibus| location=London| isbn=0711990751|page=447|edition=New & updated}}</ref> The video won in five categories at the inaugural [[MTV Video Music Awards]]. This single ushered in a collaboration with noted bassist and producer [[Bill Laswell]]. Hancock experimented with electronic music on a string of three LPs produced by Laswell: ''Future Shock'' (1983), the Grammy Award-winning ''[[Sound-System (album)|Sound-System]]'' (1984), and ''[[Perfect Machine (album)|Perfect Machine]]'' (1988).

During that period he appeared onstage at the [[Grammy Awards]] with [[Stevie Wonder]], [[Howard Jones (British musician)|Howard Jones]], and [[Thomas Dolby]], in a synthesizer [[Jam band|jam]]. Lesser known works from the 1980s are the live album ''[[Jazz Africa]]'' (1987) and the studio album ''[[Village Life (album)|Village Life]]'' (1984), which were recorded with [[Gambia]]n [[Kora (instrument)|kora]] player [[Foday Musa Suso]]. In 1985, Hancock performed as a guest on the album ''[[So Red the Rose]]'' (1985) by the [[Duran Duran]] spinoff group [[Arcadia (band)|Arcadia]]. He also provided introductory and closing comments for the [[PBS]] rebroadcast in the United States of the [[BBC]] educational series from the mid-1980s, ''[[Rockschool]]'' (not to be confused with the most recent ''Gene Simmons' Rock School'' series).

In 1986, Hancock performed and acted in the film ''[[Round Midnight (film)|Round Midnight]]''. He also wrote the score/soundtrack, for which he won an [[Academy Award for Original Music Score]]. His film work was prolific during the 1980s, and included the scores to ''[[A Soldier's Story]]'' (1984), ''[[Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling]]'' (1986), ''[[Action Jackson (1988 film)|Action Jackson]]'' (1988 with [[Michael Kamen]]), ''[[Colors (film)|Colors]]'' (1988), and the [[Eddie Murphy]] comedy ''[[Harlem Nights]]'' (1989). He would also write music for television commercials, with "Maiden Voyage" starting out as a cologne advertisement. At the end of the ''Perfect Machine'' tour, Hancock decided to leave Columbia Records after a 15-plus-year relationship.

=== 1990s to 2000 ===
[[File:Herbie Hancock-Chameleon Live.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Hancock playing keytar in [[Province of La Spezia|La Spezia, Italy]], July 2008]]
The departure led to a hiatus from recording and the release of several compilations during the first half of the 1990s.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Smith |first=Montie |date=5 March 1991 |title=The Collection review |journal=Q Magazine |volume=55 |pages=91}}</ref> He returned with Carter, Williams, Shorter, and Davis admirer [[Wallace Roney]] to record ''[[A Tribute to Miles]]'', which was released in 1994. The album contained two live recordings and studio recording songs, with Roney playing Davis's part as trumpet player. The album won a Grammy for best group album. Hancock also toured with [[Jack DeJohnette]], [[Dave Holland (bassist)|Dave Holland]], and [[Pat Metheny]] in 1990 on their ''[[Parallel Realities]]'' tour which included a performance at the [[Montreux Jazz Festival]] in July 1990, and scored the 1991 comedy film ''[[Livin' Large]]'', which starred [[Terrence C. Carson]].

Hancock's next album, ''[[Dis Is da Drum]]'', released in 1994 is a return to [[acid jazz]]. Also in 1994, he appeared on the [[Red Hot Organization]]'s compilation album ''[[Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool]]''. The album, meant to raise awareness and funds in support of the AIDS epidemic in relation to the African-American community, was heralded as "Album of the Year" by ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine. In 1995, the release of ''[[The New Standard (Herbie Hancock album)|The New Standard]]'' had Hancock and an all-star band that included [[John Scofield]], DeJohnette and [[Michael Brecker]], interpreting pop songs by [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]], [[Stevie Wonder]], [[the Beatles]], [[Prince (musician)|Prince]], [[Peter Gabriel]], and others.

A 1997 duet album with Shorter, ''[[1+1 (Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter album)|1+1]]'', was successful; the song "Aung San Suu Kyi" winning the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition. Hancock also achieved great success in 1998 with his album ''[[Gershwin's World]]'', which featured readings of [[George Gershwin|George]] and [[Ira Gershwin]] standards by Hancock and a plethora of guest stars, including Stevie Wonder, [[Joni Mitchell]] and Shorter. Hancock toured the world in support of ''Gershwin's World'' with a sextet featuring [[Cyro Baptista]], [[Terri Lynne Carrington]], [[Ira Coleman]], [[Eli Degibri]], and [[Eddie Henderson (musician)|Eddie Henderson]].

=== 2000 to 2009 ===
In 2001, Hancock recorded ''[[Future2Future]]'', which reunited Hancock with Laswell and featured doses of [[electronica]] as well as [[turntablist]] [[Rob Swift]] of [[the X-Ecutioners]]. Hancock later toured with the band, and released a concert DVD with a different lineup, which also included the "Rockit" music video. Also in 2001 Hancock partnered with Brecker and [[Roy Hargrove]] to record a live concert album saluting Davis and [[John Coltrane]], ''[[Directions in Music: Live at Massey Hall]]'', recorded live in [[Toronto]]. The threesome toured to support the album, and toured on-and-off through 2005.

[[File:Herbie Hancock 2006.jpg|thumb|left|Hancock performing at the  [[Tollwood Festival]] in [[Munich|Munich, Germany]], July 2006]]
A duet album called ''[[Possibilities]]'' was released in 2005. It featured duets with [[Carlos Santana]], [[Paul Simon]], [[Annie Lennox]], [[John Mayer]], [[Christina Aguilera]], [[Sting (musician)|Sting]], and others. In 2006, ''Possibilities'' received nominations for Grammy Awards in two categories: "A Song for You" (featuring Aguilera) was nominated for a [[Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance]], and "Gelo No Montanha" (featuring [[Trey Anastasio]] on guitar) was nominated for a [[Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Performance]], although neither nomination resulted in an award.

Also in 2005, Hancock toured Europe with a new quartet that included [[Benin]]ese guitarist [[Lionel Loueke]] and explored textures ranging from [[ambient music|ambient]] to straight jazz to [[African music]]. During the summer, Hancock re-staffed the Headhunters and went on tour with them, including a performance at the [[Bonnaroo]] Music and Arts Festival. The lineup did not consist of any of the original Headhunters musicians. The group included [[Marcus Miller]], Carrington, Loueke, and Mayer. Hancock also served as the first artist in residence for [[Bonnaroo]] in [[Manchester, Tennessee]], that summer.

[[File:Herbie Hancock.jpg|thumb|Hancock playing a [[Roland Corporation|Roland]] AX-7 [[keytar]], at [[The Roundhouse]]<nowiki/>in [[London Borough of Camden|Camden]], London, November 2006]]

In 2006, [[Sony BMG Music Entertainment]] (which bought out Hancock's old label, Columbia Records) released the two-disc retrospective ''[[The Essential Herbie Hancock]]''. This set was the first compilation of his work at Warner Bros., Blue Note, Columbia and [[Verve Records|Verve]]/[[Polygram Records|Polygram]]. This became Hancock's second major compilation of work since the 2002 Columbia-only ''The Herbie Hancock Box'', which was released at first in a plastic 4&nbsp;×&nbsp;4 cube then re-released in 2004 in a long box set. Also in 2006, Hancock recorded a new song with [[Josh Groban]] and Eric Mouquet (co-founder of [[Deep Forest]]), "Machine", which featured on Groban's album ''[[Awake (Josh Groban album)|Awake]]''. Hancock also recorded and improvised with guitarist Loueke on Loueke's 1996 debut album ''Virgin Forest'', on the [[ObliqSound]] label, resulting in two improvisational tracks – "Le Réveil des agneaux (The Awakening of the Lambs)" and "La Poursuite du lion (The Lion's Pursuit)".

Hancock, a longtime associate and friend of [[Joni Mitchell]], released a 2007 album, ''[[River: The Joni Letters]]'', that paid tribute to her work, with [[Norah Jones]], [[Tina Turner]], and [[Corinne Bailey Rae]] adding vocals to the album.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/hancock.html |title=Key figure: An interview with jazz legend Herbie Hancock |first=Andre |last=Mayer |date=June 18, 2007 |access-date=September 11, 2007 |work=CBC News}}</ref> [[Leonard Cohen]] contributed a spoken piece set to Hancock's piano. Mitchell herself also made an appearance. The album was released on September 25, 2007, simultaneously with the release of Mitchell's album ''[[Shine (Joni Mitchell album)|Shine]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jonimitchell.com/ |title=The Official Website of Joni Mitchell |publisher=Jonimitchell.com |access-date=April 18, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110406121328/http://www.salon.com/people/bc/2000/04/04/mitchell/index.html |archive-date=April 6, 2011  }}</ref> ''River'' won the 2008 Album of the Year Grammy Award. The album also won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Jazz Album, and the song "[[Both Sides Now (song)|Both Sides Now]]" was nominated for Best Instrumental Jazz Solo, which made it only the second time in history that a jazz album won those two Grammy Awards.

On June 14, 2008, Hancock performed with others at Rhythm on the Vine at the South Coast Winery in [[Temecula, California]] for [[Shriners Hospitals for Children]]. The event raised $515,000 for Shriners Hospital.<ref name="aboutrotv">Shriners Hospitals for Children, [http://www.rhythmonthevine.org/index.cfm/id/2/About-ROTV/ "About Rhythm on the Vine"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101228092600/http://www.rhythmonthevine.org/index.cfm/id/2/About-ROTV/ |date=December 28, 2010 }}, Rhythm on the Vine, 2008.</ref> On January 18, 2009, Hancock performed at the [[We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial|We Are One concert]], marking the start of [[First inauguration of Barack Obama|inaugural]] celebrations for American President [[Barack Obama]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/obama-people-who-love-this-country-can-change-it/ |title=Obama: People Who Love This Country Can Change It |work=Foxnews |access-date=February 9, 2009 |date=January 18, 2009}}</ref> Hancock also performed ''[[Rhapsody in Blue]]'' at the 2009 [[Classical BRIT Awards]] with classical pianist [[Lang Lang]]. Hancock was named as the [[Los Angeles Philharmonic]]'s creative chair for jazz for 2010–12.<ref>Haga, E. [http://jazztimes.com/articles/24981-herbie-hancock-named-l-a-philharmonic-s-next-creative-chair-for-jazz Herbie Hancock Named L.A. Philharmonic's Next Creative Chair for Jazz] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090814202336/http://jazztimes.com/articles/24981-herbie-hancock-named-l-a-philharmonic-s-next-creative-chair-for-jazz |date=August 14, 2009 }}, ''Jazz Times'', August 5, 2009.</ref>

=== 2010 to present ===
[[File:HerbieHancock20101129A.jpg|thumb|Hancock in [[Warsaw|Warsaw, Poland]]<nowiki/>with his Imagine Project, November 2010]]
[[File:HerbieHancockBarbican280723 (47 of 54) (53078792856).jpg|thumb|Herbie Hancock at the Barbican Centre near [[Islington]] in [[London]], July 2023]]
In June 2010, Hancock released ''[[The Imagine Project]]''. On June 5, 2010, he received an Alumni Award from his alma mater [[Grinnell College]].<ref>{{citation |url=http://loggia.grinnell.edu/Page.aspx?pid=1098 |title=Alumni Award: Herbert J. Hancock '60 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100609124753/http://loggia.grinnell.edu/Page.aspx?pid=1098 |archive-date=June 9, 2010  }}Hancock received an Alumni Award from Grinnell College at the annual Alumni Assembly June 5, 2010.</ref> On July 22, 2011, at a ceremony in [[Paris]], he was named [[UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador]] for the promotion of Intercultural Dialogue. In 2013, Hancock joined the [[University of California, Los Angeles]] faculty as a professor in the UCLA music department teaching jazz music.<ref>{{cite press release |title=Jazz legends Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter named UCLA professors |publisher=University of California Office of Media Relations and Public Outreach |date=January 8, 2013 |url=http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/jazz-legends-herbie-hancock-wayne-242396.aspx |access-date=November 22, 2013 |archive-date=November 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116192039/https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/jazz-legends-herbie-hancock-wayne-242396 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In a June 2010 interview with Michael Gallant of ''[[Keyboard (magazine)|Keyboard]]'' magazine, Hancock talks about his [[Fazioli]] giving him inspiration to do things.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.keyboardmag.com/artists/herbie-hancock-the-master-keyboardist-on-the-culture-bridging-power-of-music|last=Gallant|first=Michael|date=June 30, 2010|title=Herbie Hancock The Master Keyboardist on the Culture-Bridging Power of Music|work=[[Keyboard (magazine)|Keyboard]]|access-date=June 29, 2019|archive-date=November 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116192115/https://www.musicradar.com/news|url-status=live}}</ref> On December 8, 2013, Hancock was given the [[Kennedy Center Honors]] Award for achievement in the performing arts. [[Terence Blanchard]] was the musical director and arranged Hancock compositions for performances with artists like [[Wayne Shorter]], [[Joshua Redman]], [[Vinnie Colaiuta]], [[Lionel Loueke]], and [[Aaron Parks]]. [[Snoop Dogg]] performed a mash-up of the US3 arrangement of Hancock's "Cantaloupe Island" and his own "Gin and Juice". [[Mixmaster Mike]] from the [[Beastie Boys]] was featured on a rendition of Hancock's "Rockit".

Hancock appeared on the album ''[[You're Dead!]]'' by [[Flying Lotus]], released in October 2014. He was the 2014 Charles Eliot Norton Professor of Poetry at [[Harvard University]]. Holders of the chair deliver a series of six lectures on poetry, "The Norton Lectures", poetry being "interpreted in the broadest sense, including all poetic expression in language, music, or fine arts". Previous Norton lecturers include musicians [[Leonard Bernstein]], [[Igor Stravinsky]], and [[John Cage]]. Hancock's theme is "The Ethics of Jazz".<ref>{{cite web |title=Norton Lectures |publisher=Mahindra Humanities Center, Harvard University |date=February 4, 2014 |url=http://mahindrahumanities.fas.harvard.edu/content/norton-lectures |access-date=February 4, 2014 |archive-date=November 2, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161102102334/http://mahindrahumanities.fas.harvard.edu/content/norton-lectures |url-status=live }}</ref>

Hancock's next album is being produced by [[Terrace Martin]],<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Terrace Martin Talks New Jazz Supergroup, Producing for Herbie Hancock |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=May 15, 2017 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/terrace-martin-on-new-band-the-pollyseeds-herbie-hancock-w484101 |access-date=February 14, 2018 |archive-date=November 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116192115/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/terrace-martin-talks-new-jazz-supergroup-producing-for-herbie-hancock-123355/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and will feature a broad variety of jazz and hip-hop artists including [[Wayne Shorter]], [[Kendrick Lamar]], [[Kamasi Washington]], [[Thundercat (musician)|Thundercat]], [[Flying Lotus]], [[Lionel Loueke]], [[Zakir Hussain (musician)|Zakir Hussein]], and Snoop Dogg.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Herbie Hancock's new album will feature Kendrick Lamar, Thundercat, Kamasi Washington, and Flying Lotus|magazine=[[Consequence of Sound]] |date=March 6, 2018|url=https://consequence.net/2018/03/herbie-hancocks-new-album-will-feature-kendrick-lamar-thundercat-kamasi-washington-and-flying-lotus/|access-date=March 6, 2018|archive-date=November 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116192140/https://consequence.net/2018/03/herbie-hancocks-new-album-will-feature-kendrick-lamar-thundercat-kamasi-washington-and-flying-lotus/|url-status=live}}</ref> On May 15, 2015, Hancock received an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from [[Washington University in St. Louis]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Herbie Hancock|url=https://commencement-archive.wustl.edu/people/herbie-hancock/|access-date=2020-11-01|website=Commencement|language=en-US|archive-date=November 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116192046/https://commencement-archive.wustl.edu/people/herbie-hancock/|url-status=live}}</ref> On May 19, 2018, he received an honorary degree from [[Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute]].<ref>{{cite news |author= |title=Meet the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Class of 2018: An Overview of Commencement |date=May 16, 2018 |publisher=RPI news |url=https://news.rpi.edu/content/2018/05/16/meet-rensselaer-class-2018-overview-commencement |access-date=December 25, 2019 |archive-date=November 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116192120/https://news.rpi.edu/content/2018/05/16/meet-rensselaer-class-2018-overview-commencement |url-status=live }}</ref> On June 26, 2022, he performed at the [[Glastonbury Festival]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/herbie-hancock-review-glastonbury-2022-b2109717.html|title=Glastonbury Sunday reviews: Herbie Hancock and DakhaBrakha|date=June 26, 2022|website=The Independent}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/concerts/glastonbury-2022-news-live-updates-latest-headliners-performers1/|title=Glastonbury 2022 live: Diana Ross and Lorde perform ahead of Kendrick Lamar's headline act on Sunday|first=Marianka|last=Swain|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=June 26, 2022}}</ref> He was featured on the track "MOON" by the jazz duo [[Domi and JD Beck]] on their debut album ''[[Not Tight|NOT TiGHT]]'', released July 29, 2022. On February 4, 2023, he performed at the Arise Fashion Week & Jazz Festival<ref>{{Cite web |last=AriseNews |date=2023-02-04 |title=Herbie Hancock, Wizkid Promise to Thrill on Final Day of ARISE Fashion Week & Jazz Festival |url=https://www.arise.tv/herbie-hancock-wizkid-promise-to-thrill-on-final-day-of-arise-fashion-week-jazz-festival/ |access-date=2023-02-05 |website=Arise News |language=en-US}}</ref> at Eko Hotel in [[Lagos|Lagos, Nigeria]].