NJPAC presents Herbie Hancock

(NEWARK, NJ) — The incomparable Herbie Hancock will perform at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) on Sunday, September 29, 2024. Herbie Hancock is a true icon of modern music, and throughout his explorations, he has transcended limitations and genres while maintaining his unmistakable voice. With an illustrious career spanning five decades and 14 Grammy® Awards, including Album of the Year for River: The Joni Letters, he continues to amaze audiences across the globe. Showtime is 7:00pm.

Born in Chicago in 1940, Herbie was a child piano prodigy who performed a Mozart piano concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at age 11. He began playing jazz in high school, initially influenced by Oscar Peterson and Bill Evans. In 1960, trumpeter Donald Byrd discovered Herbie. After two years of session work with Byrd, Phil Woods, and Oliver Nelson, he signed with Blue Note as a solo artist.

His 1963 debut album, ‘Takin’ Off’, was an immediate success, producing the hit “Watermelon Man.” In 1963, Miles Davis invited Herbie to join the Miles Davis Quintet. During his five years with Davis, Herbie and his colleagues Wayne Shorter (tenor sax), Ron Carter (bass), and Tony Williams (drums) recorded many classics, including ‘ESP,’ ‘Nefertiti’ and ‘Sorcerer.’ Later, Herbie appeared in Davis’ groundbreaking ‘In a Silent Way.’ After leaving Davis, Herbie put together a new band called The Headhunters and, in 1973, recorded ‘Head Hunters.’ With its crossover hit single “Chameleon,” it became the first jazz album to go platinum. By mid-decade, Herbie was playing for stadium-sized crowds worldwide and had no fewer than four albums in the pop charts at once.

1983 a new pull to the alternative side led Herbie to collaborate with Bill Laswell. The first, ‘Future Shock,’ again struck platinum, and the single “Rockit” rocked the dance and R&B charts, winning a Grammy for Best R&B Instrumental. The legendary Headhunters reunited in 1998, recording an album for Herbie’s Verve-distributed imprint and touring with the Dave Matthews Band.

In 2010, Hancock released the critically acclaimed CD, ‘Herbie Hancock’s The Imagine Project,’ winner of two 20ll Grammy Awards for Best Pop Collaboration and Best Improvised Jazz Solo. Herbie Hancock also maintains a thriving career outside the performing stage and recording studio. Recently named by the Los Angeles Philharmonic as Creative Chair For Jazz, he currently serves as Institute Chairman of the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz, the foremost international organization devoted to developing jazz performance and education worldwide. Hancock is also a founder of The International Committee of Artists for Peace and was awarded the much esteemed “Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres” by French Prime Minister Francois Fillon.

Herbie Hancock, a renowned musician and Nobel Professor Of Poetry at Harvard University, received a prestigious Kennedy Center Honor and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Tickets to see Herbie Hancock go on-sale Friday, April 5 at 10:00am and can be purchased by visiting NJPAC.org or calling 888.GO.NJPAC (888.466.5722) or by visiting the NJPAC Box Office.

New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located at One Center Street in downtown Newark, N.J., is America’s most diverse performing arts center, and the artistic, cultural, educational and civic center of New Jersey – where great performances and events enhance and transform lives every day. NJPAC brings diverse communities together, providing access to all and showcasing the state’s and the world’s best artists while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city. Through its extensive Arts Education programs, which have reached almost 2 million children, NJPAC is shaping the next generation of artists and arts enthusiasts. NJPAC has attracted more than 10 million visitors since opening its doors in 1997, and nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships with each of its constituents.