Music isn't about music, it's about life.
I got a chance to work with Miles Davis, and that changed everything for me, 'cause Miles really encouraged all his musicians to reach beyond what they know, go into unknown territory and explore. It's made a difference to me and the decisions that I've made over the years about how to approach a project in this music.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Collaboration with Miles Davis inspired Herbie Hancock to explore new musical territories.
In this quote, Herbie Hancock reflects on the profound influence that jazz legend Miles Davis had on his artistic journey. Hancock emphasizes how Davis encouraged his musicians to push their boundaries and embrace experimentation, which has significantly shaped Hancock's approach to music projects over the years. This mentorship fostered a spirit of exploration and growth that extends beyond music into broader life philosophies.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about creativity in the arts, one could say, 'As Herbie Hancock stated, working with Miles Davis encouraged musicians to explore beyond their comfort zones.'
More from Herbie Hancock
All quotes →I don't mind being classified as a jazz artist, but I do mind being restricted to being a jazz artist. My foundation has been in jazz, though I didn't really start out that way. I started in classical music, but my formative years were in jazz, and it makes a great foundation.
In World War II, jazz absolutely was the music of freedom, and then in the Cold War, behind the Iron Curtain, same thing. It was all underground, but they needed the food of freedom that jazz offered.
I think people have learned that Herbie Hancock can be defined as someone that you won't be able to figure out what he's going to do next. The sky is the limit as far as I'm concerned.
One thing that sticks in my mind is that jazz means freedom and openness. It's a music that, although it developed out of the African American experience, speaks more about the human experience than the experience of a particular people.
I started off with classical music, and I got into jazz when I was about 14 years old. And I've been playing jazz ever since.
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It was very interesting in my world, because I grew up as a fan and I did not know that there was a thing called R&B, pop, country, classical - I just knew that I loved music.
When I auditioned for my high school band the band director was excited because my father was known to be a great musician. When he heard me, he said 'Are you sure you're Ellis's son?'
The E Street band casts a pretty wide net. Our influences go all the way back to the early primitive garage music, and also, we've had everything in the band from jazz players to Kansas City trumpet players to Nils Lofgren, one of the great rock guitarists in the world.