Herbie Hancock Biography

Fast Facts

• Became Institute Chairman for the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, a non-profit organization that offers college level training to promising young musicians by jazz legends
• Has served as the Co-President of the International Committee of Artists for Peace
• Attended Grinnell College, where he double-majored in music and electrical engineering
• Influenced by Oscar Peterson and Bill Evans, he took up jazz in high school
• Performed a Mozart piano concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra when he was 11 years old
• Quote: "I try to find different ways to find a direction to express myself, and my feelings, ideas and beliefs․"
• Quote: "I believe in humanity and the creativity of the human spirit, not just the artist․"
• His music had a large influence on acoustic and electronic jazz and R&B
• Played piano in Miles Davis's Second Great Quintet, considered by many as one of the world's finest jazz ensembles