ON THE AIR: HERBIE HANCOCK 'THE IMAGINE PROJECT'!

Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American pianist, keyboardist, bandleader and composer (+ Jazz pioneer, Oscar and Grammy winner, technical wizard, academic, philanthropist, Buddhist). As part of Miles Davis's Second Great Quintet, Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound. He was one of the first jazz musicians to embrace music synthesizers and funk music (characterized by syncopated drum beats). Hancock's music is often melodic and accessible; he has had many songs "cross over" and achieved success among pop audiences. His music embraces elements of funk and soul while adopting freer stylistic elements from jazz. In his jazz improvisation, he possesses a unique creative blend of jazz, blues, and modern classical music, with harmonic stylings much like the styles of Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel.

His 2007 tribute album River: The Joni Letters won the 2008 Grammy Award for Album of the Year (facing competition from Kanye West, Foo Fighters, Amy Winehouse, and Vince Gill), only the second jazz album ever to win the award, after Getz/Gilberto in 1965.

On July 22, 2011 at a ceremony in Paris, Hancock was named UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for the promotion of Intercultural Dialogue. Hancock recently joined the University of California, Los Angeles faculty as a professor in the UCLA music department where he will teach jazz music.

Herbie has won an Oscar and 14 Grammy so far, besides many other awards!

''The golbalization is here, but we have to think more about the kind of globalization that we want, and not one that's handed down to us.'' - Herbie Hancock

The Imagine Project is an album released on June 22, 2010. The album, which was recorded in many locations throughout the world and features collaborations from various artists, was complemented by a documentary about the recording process. Hancock's interpretations of these songs are cross-cultural. His version of "Imagine" was inspired by the Congolese group Konono N°1. The instruments used on "The Times, They Are A' Changin" combine the West African kora with the Celtic flute, fiddle and Uilleann pipes. It was released in CD, digital download and vinyl.

Track Listing: 
1. Imagine (Featuring Pink, Seal, India Arie & Jeff Beck)  
2. Don t Give Up (Featuring Pink and John Legend)  
3. Tempo De Amor (Featuring Ceu)  
4. Space Captain (Featuring Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks) 
5. The Times, They Are A Changin (Featuring The Chieftains and Lisa Hannigan)  
6. La Tierra (Featuring Juanes)  
7. Tamitant Tilay/Exodus (Featuring K Naan and Los Lobos)  
8. Tomorrow Never Knows (Featuring Dave Matthews)  
9. A Change is Gonna Come (Featuring James Morrison)  
10. The Songs Goes On (Featuring Chaka Khan, Anoushka Shankar and Wayne Shorter)

Enjoy and have a good night!

Follow Herbie Hancock as he travels the world to record his album "The Imagine Project" 

From the studio!