Grooving to Herbie Hancock at the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival

Last night, my wife Andrea took me to see Herbie Hancock at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver.  It was the last performance of the 2013 TD Vancouver Jazz Festival, and our first time experiencing him live.

The 14-time Grammy winner put on an incredible performance with three other members of his quartet:

Drums –     Jonathon Pinson
Guitar  –     Lionel Loueke
Bass     –     James Genus

What was most inspiring was the head-space that these four musicians brought to the stage.  Herbie commented after the first song, “It’s like going into a dark black room where you don’t know what’s really going to happen.”  These guys are among the best musicians in the world.  They know their instruments so well that they are free to experiment all night long with sounds, form, groove… it was thrilling to watch the 2 1/2 hour set unfold.

At 73, Herbie still brings the curiosity and playfulness of a kid with a new toy.  He loves new technology and has always been at the forefront of using it to expand the boundaries of his music.

However, he is equally adept at using tradition and acoustics to balance his love of everything tech.  He used a comprehensive rig that included a Korg Kronos and Roland AX-synth as controllers, a VP-770, RC-505, multiple iPads, and an iMac using Ableton Live and Cycling 74.

It was truly a magical night – or as Francois Marchand of the Vancouver Sun wrote, “Two and half hours with Hancock was a hot blast of cool, and a superb way to cap off the 2013 TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival.”  Be sure to check out Marchand’s full review of last night’s show.

As a Vancouver videographer and sound engineer, this show inspired me to trust my own instincts and knowledge – and having the courage to take chances.  This is always fun, but scary.   I think this is key to  ensuring that I am bringing my best work forward to every project and every client.   This week, I commit to “thinking outside of the box”.  Are you game?