UMS PRESENTS AN EVENING WITH AND

Chick Corea, Piano and Keyboards Herbie Hancock, Piano and Keyboards

Thursday Evening, April 16, 2015 at 7:30 Hill Auditorium • Ann Arbor

65th Performances of the 136th Annual Season 21st Annual Series

Photo: Photo: (L-R) Herbie Hancock; photographer: Douglas Kirkland; Chick Corea. 11 12 AN EVENING WITH CHICK COREA AND HERBIE HANCOCK WINTER 2015 UMS PROGRAM Mr. Hancock appears by arrangement withParadigm Talent Agency, New York, NY. Mr. Corea appears by arrangement withTheKurland Agency. Media partnership provided by WEMU89.1 FMandAnnArbor’s 107one. Endowed supportfrom Jazznet Endowment Fund. Tonight’s performance ishosted by ArborBike andby Stout Systems. performed withoutintermission. Tonight’s program willbeannounced by theartists from thestage andwillbe BE PRESENT ARTISTS

HICK COREA is a DownBeat Hall superstar Bobby McFerrin. Mr. Corea’s of Famer and NEA Jazz Master, as duo partnerships with and C well as the fourth-most nominated Herbie Hancock have endured decades. artist in Grammy Awards history with The latest release from Mr. 63 nods — and 22 wins, in addition to Corea, Trilogy, a live triple-disc set with a number of Latin Grammys. From bassist Christian McBride and drummer straight-ahead to avant-garde, bebop Brian Blade (Concord, 2014) won two to jazz-rock fusion, children’s songs to Grammy Awards this past February. These chamber and symphonic works, Mr. Corea mark his 21st and 22nd Grammy wins. The has touched an astonishing number of documents this trio interpreting musical bases in his career since playing Mr. Corea’s classic compositions (such with the bands of in the late as “Spain”), plus previously unreleased 1960s and early 1970s. Yet Mr. Corea has pieces by the pianist (“Piano Sonata: The never been more productive than in the Moon”), an array of jazz standards, and 21st century, whether playing acoustic even a prelude by Alexander Scriabin. piano or electric keyboards, leading In 2012, Mr. Corea’s most multiple bands, performing solo, or recent album with vibraphonist Gary collaborating with a who’s who of music. Burton, Hot House (Concord), marked Underscoring this, he has been named the fifth decade of their duo. It earned “Artist of the Year” twice this decade in the pianist two Grammy Awards. Rare WINTER 2015 the DownBeat Readers Poll. Born in 1941 for a jazz musician, Mr. Corea received in Massachusetts, Mr. Corea remains the Richard J. Bogomolny Award from a tireless creative spirit, continually Chamber Music America in 2010, and reinventing himself through his art. As the he broke new ground as a composer New York Times states, he is “a luminary, with The Continents: Concerto for Jazz ebullient and eternally youthful.” Quintet and Chamber Orchestra, released Mr. Corea’s classic as a in 2013 by Deutsche Grammophon. leader or co-leader include Now He Sings, For a sold-out international tour, Now He Sobs (with and Mr. Corea reconvened his pioneering ; Blue Note, 1968), Paris jazz-rock fusion band , Concert (with Circle: , which he founded in 1972. The core of the , and ; ECM, band — Mr. Corea with original member 1971) and Return to Forever (with and veteran Lenny White Return to Forever: , Stanley — produced a Grammy-winning acoustic Clarke, Airto Moreria, and Flora Purim; album in 2011 with Forever (Concord). ECM, 1972), and Crystal Silence (with In another celebration of kindred spirits, Gary Burton; ECM, 1973). A venturesome Mr. Corea co-led the Five Peace Band with collaborator, Mr. Corea has teamed with guitarist and fellow Miles Davis alum John artists from jazz legend McLaughlin. The group won a Grammy to new-generation pianist , for Five Peace Band Live (Concord, 2009). from banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck to vocal

13 14 AN EVENING WITH CHICK COREA AND HERBIE HANCOCK WINTER 2015 UMS H Antonioni’s 1966film Blow Up, whichled He composed thescore toMichelangelo ,andSpeak Like aChild . albums including blossomed onBlueNote, withclassic Davis’ groundbreaking InaSilent Way . and classic albums, including ESP, (drums) recorded many Shorter (tenorsax),RonCarter (bass),and Hancock and his colleagues Wayne During hisfive years withDavis, Mr. Hancock tojointheMilesDavis Quintet. Man.” In1963,MilesDavis invited Mr. success, producingthehit“Watermelon album, Blue Note asasoloartist. His1963debut two years ofsessionwork, hesignedwith by Detroit trumpeter DonaldByrd.After engineering at GrinnellCollege. double-majored inmusic andelectrical passion forelectronicsandscience, Orchestra at age11.Hedeveloped a concerto withthe Chicago Symphony who performedaMozart piano Hancock was a child piano prodigy come after him.” and Ihaven’t heardanybody yet whohas after BudPowell andThelonious Monk, his autobiography, “Herbie wasthestep than Mr.Hancock.AsMilesDavis saidin on acoustic andelectronicjazzR&B industry who have had more influence to amazeaudiences acrosstheglobe. for Awards, including“Album oftheYear” spanning five decadesand14Grammy voice. Withanillustrious career while maintaining his unmistakable has transcended limitations andgenres River: TheJoniLetters, hecontinues Sorcerer. Later on,heappeared on Mr. Hancock’s own solo career In 1960,Mr.Hancockwasdiscovered Born inChicago1940,Mr. There arefew artists inthemusic Takin’ Off, Throughout hisexplorations, he true iconofmodern music. aERBIE HANCOCK is was an immediate Maiden Voyage , Nefertiti, Improvised JazzSolo.” for “BestPop Collaboration” and“Best winner of two 2011Grammy Awards Herbie Hancock’sThe Imagine Project, that honor. handful ofjazzmusicians ever to receive the Year.” Mr.Hancockisoneofonlya Grammy Awards, including“Album of for many critics.Italsogarneredthree reviews andwasayear-end Top 10choice Mitchell. The album received glowing to longtimefriendandcollaborator Joni released which healsoappeared asanactor. for scoringthefilmRound Midnight, in the track won five MTV awards. “Best R&BInstrumental.” Thevideoof and R&Bcharts, winningaGrammy for and thesingle,“Rockit,”rocked thedance Future Shock,againstruck platinum, collaborations with Bill Laswell. The first, side led Mr. Hancock to a series of . in duet settings withChickCoreaand him withhisMilesDavis colleagues)and and performingwithVSOP (reuniting of acoustic jazzinthe1970s,recording Hancock alsostayed closetohislove of hip-hop and dancemusic artists. Mr. and provided samples for generations the 1970s.His1970’soutput inspired he had11albums inthepop charts during albums inthepop charts at once.Intotal, crowds allover theworld andhadfour decade, hewasplaying forstadium-sized jazz album to go platinum. By mid- single “,”itbecamethefirst . Withitscrossover hit Headhunters and,in1973,recorded put together a new band called The television music. to asuccessful careerinfeature filmand In 2010Mr.Hancockreleased In 2007,Mr.Hancockrecordedand Mr. Hancockwon anOscarin1986 In 1983,anew pull tothealternative After leaving Davis, Mr.Hancock River: TheJoniLetters, atribute BE PRESENT

Mr. Hancock also maintains a Prime Minister. thriving career outside the performing Mr. Hancock was designated a stage and recording studio. Recently UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador in named Creative Chair for Jazz by the 2011. In 2013, he was the recipient of Los Angeles Philharmonic, he currently a prestigious Kennedy Center Honor, also serves as Institute Chairman of the and in 2014 he was named the 2014 Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, the Norton Professor of Poetry at Harvard foremost international organization University, recently completing his devoted to the development of jazz lectures series, The Ethics of Jazz, as performance and education worldwide. part of the Charles Eliot Norton Lecture Mr. Hancock is also a founder of The Series for a period of six weeks. His International Committee of Artists for memoirs, Herbie Hancock: , Peace and was awarded Commandeur will be published by Viking in the Fall. des Arts et des Lettres by the French WINTER 2015

Scan for Ann Arbor history! Did you know that the U-M student group Eclipse Jazz presented Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea in concert to a sold-out Hill Auditorium in 1978? Download a free QR code reader app on your smart phone, point your camera at the code, and scan to see multimedia content; or visit www.umslobby.org to find these stories.

UMS ARCHIVES

This evening’s concert marks Chick Corea’s fourth and Herbie Hancock’s third appearances under UMS auspices. Mr. Corea made his UMS debut with his Quartet (featuring Bob Berg, John Patitucci, and Gary Novak) in October 1994 at the Power Center. He most recently appeared under UMS auspices in April 2009 with Five Peace Band, co-led by guitarist John McLaughlin, at Hill Auditorium. Mr. Hancock made his UMS debut in a duet concert with fellow Miles Davis alum and saxophonist in November 2000 at the Michigan Theater. He returned to Ann Arbor with his Quartet (featuring Gary Thomas, Scott Colley, and Terri Lyne Carrington) in November 2002 at the Michigan Theater.

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