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Herbie Hancock

11 – 12 October 2024

In the Concert Hall

Contemporary Music

Keyboard master, jazz giant and living legend Herbie Hancock makes his long awaited return to the Sydney Opera House, bringing his pioneering fusion of jazz, funk and electro to the Concert Hall.

Our greatest living jazz artist.

The Washington Post

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Jazz, funk and fusion from one of music’s living legends

At 84, legendary artist Herbie Hancock is a living history of popular music across the past seven decades; a sonic pioneer whose innovations shaped everything from jazz and fusion to funk, R&B and electro. Five years after dazzling audiences at Vivid LIVE in 2019, the 14-time Grammy Award-winner, Oscar-winning composer and Kennedy Centers Honors recipient is set to return to the Sydney Opera House, performing a selection of new music and stone-cold classics from his immense back catalogue.

A musical icon whose work has transcended both genre and era, the Chicago-born Hancock rose to prominence in the early ’60s with his Blue Note Records debut, Takin’ Off (1963), before joining the Miles Davis Quintet, the groundbreaking ensemble that would redefine the sound of jazz with records like E.S.P. (1965) and In A Silent Way (1969). In the ’70s, Hancock launched a chart-topping jazz-funk career with smashes like “Chameleon Man” and the classic Headhunters (1973), while the ’80s found him at the vanguard of hip-hop and electro with hits – including “Rockit” and “Sound System” – that would earn him new generations of fans.

Among his innumerable career highlights, Hancock has composed the soundtracks for Michelangelo Antonionis Blow-up (1966) and Bertrand Tavernier’s Round Midnight (1986); collaborated with such musical heavyweights as Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell, Kendrick Lamar and Kamasi Washington; and was designated a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador in 2011. His latest album At Midnight, a collection of all-new work and remastered classics, was released in May.

Don’t miss this rare chance to experience one of music’s true giants at his electrifying best, as he looks back over an illustrious career – and summons forth the future of jazz in the process.

Presented by Sydney Opera House

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