Herbie Hancock in Oz/State Theatre/April 23

[KiwiCoromandel]

HERBIE HANCOCK is a musical man for all seasons. Now an extraordinarily youthful 67, the pianist has accumulated fans from all phases of his career. Many fell for his acoustic jazz, either with Miles Davis's legendary 1960s quintet or under his own name. Others were seduced by the subsequent rampant funk or dodgy electro-pop. Each fan base had its moments in the sun during this 2½ hour concert.

My expectations were modest after Hancock's last two visits, when there was little to arrest heart or soul. Those expectations were hardly raised by a bland Joe Cocker providing the recorded music as the audience filed in and waited 20 minutes for anything to happen.

We were still waiting for something to happen several minutes into the concert, thanks to some nonsensical wafting from Hancock's synthesiser and Lionel Loueke's guitar.

Even Actual Proof, from Hancock's celebrated 1970s Headhunters band, failed to lead to any conviction, other than when the quartet - completed by bassist/vocalist Nathan East and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta - sat on the groove. Watermelon Man, one of Hancock's tunes to pass into jazz folklore, began with four-on-the-floor funk, but was transformed into a 17-beat cycle devised by Loueke, over which Hancock strutted and wailed divertingly with a strap-on portable keyboard.

East sang two pop songs to no great effect. His bass playing was convincing enough on a solid groove, but his presence barely registered when the interaction intensified, as on Maiden Voyage, when Hancock was at his most electrifying - playing acoustic piano. The Hancock-Colaiuta dialogue here and on Cantaloupe Island was remarkably free and extremely intricate. Colaiuta could be Exhibit A in the case for inordinate virtuosity expanding rhythmic possibilities. Elsewhere, however, the drummer could scramble the grooves with his complexity.

Loueke, from Benin, provided an entertaining West African-flavoured solo piece, playing prepared guitar and electronically multiplying his voice. Otherwise he, like East, seemed a modest contributor compared with Hancock and Colaiuta.

source:AP

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