Sunday March 15, 2015
Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock C H A N C E N T R E F O R T H E P E R F O R M I N G A R T S AT U B C
“Herbie is a musical phenomenon and
a rare human being. To me he’s been a dear friend as well as a lifelong inspiration.” – Chick Corea
“It is a privilege to perform with Chick,
his talent as a musician is beyond reproach. Our relationship was formed through music and synergy. He absolutely encourages and supports while inspiring creativity with no boundaries.” – Herbie Hancock
Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock Presented by the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts
Pre-Concert Talk with Peter Klein
6:15pm, Royal Bank Cinema
Concert
7:00pm, Chan Shun Concert Hall
Chick Corea piano
Herbie Hancock piano
Set list will be announced from the stage. There will be no intermission.
Please remember to turn off your cell phones, and note that photography and recording are not permitted. Thank you!
Special thanks to Judy Reeves and EdgeCeptional Catering, Showcase Pianos, and Tom Lee Music for their generous support of this evening’s presentation.
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PHOTO: DICK ZIMMERMAN
Chick Corea Chick Corea has attained iconic status in music. The keyboardist, composer and bandleader is a DownBeat Hall of Famer and NEA Jazz Master, as well as the fourth-most nominated artist in GRAMMY Awards history with 63 nods – and 22 wins, in addition to a number of Latin GRAMMYs. From straight-ahead to avant-garde, bebop to jazz-rock fusion, children’s songs to chamber and symphonic works, Chick has touched an astonishing number of musical bases in his career since playing with the genre-shattering bands of Miles Davis in the late ’60s and early ’70s. Yet Chick has never been more productive than in the 21st century, whether playing acoustic piano or electric keyboards, leading multiple bands, performing solo or collaborating with a who’s who of music. Underscoring this, he has been named Artist of the Year twice this decade in the DownBeat Readers Poll. Born in 1941 in Massachusetts, Chick remains a tireless creative spirit, continually reinventing himself through his art. As The New York Times has said, he is “a luminary, ebullient and eternally youthful.” 4
Chick’s classic albums as a leader or co-leader include Now He Sings, Now He Sobs (with Miroslav Vitous and Roy Haynes), Paris Concert (with Circle: Anthony Braxton, Dave Holland and Barry Altschul) and Return to Forever (with Joe Farrell, Stanley Clarke, Airto Moreria and Flora Purim), as well as Crystal Silence (with Gary Burton), My Spanish Heart, Remembering Bud Powell and Further Explorations (with Eddie Gomez and Paul Motian). A venturesome collaborator, Chick has teamed with artists from jazz legend Lionel Hampton to new-generation pianist Stefano Bollani, from banjoist Béla Fleck to vocal superstar Bobby McFerrin. Chick’s duo partnerships with Gary Burton and Herbie Hancock have endured decades. The latest release from Chick ranks as a new classic in his discography: Trilogy, a live triple-disc set with bassist Christian McBride and drummer Brian Blade. A 2015 double GRAMMY winner, the album documents this trio interpreting classic Chick compositions (such as “Spain”), plus previously unreleased pieces by the pianist (“Piano Sonata: The Moon”), an array of jazz standards and even a prelude by Alexander Scriabin. Reviewing a stop on one of the trio’s globe-trekking tours, All About Jazz noted: “This one certainly ranks among his most memorable trios… [Corea] has never been more active–and with albums as superb as Trilogy … clearly at the top of his game.” In 2012, Chick’s most recent album with vibraphonist Gary Burton, Hot House, marked the fifth decade of their duo. It also earned the pianist two GRAMMY Awards: Best Instrumental Composition for “Mozart Goes Dancing” (his work for piano, vibes and string quartet) and Best Improvised Jazz Solo for “Hot House”. Chick received the Richard J. Bogomolny Award from Chamber Music America in 2010, and he broke new ground as a composer with The Continents: Concerto for Jazz Quintet and Chamber Orchestra, released in 2013 by a storied classical label, Deutsche Grammophon. Chick recorded his first album of solo piano in 1971, and he continued his intimate journey with the instrument on Solo Piano – Portraits (2014). For a sold-out international tour and live album in 2008, Chick reconvened his pioneering jazz-rock fusion band Return to Forever, which he founded in 1972. The core of the band – Chick with original member Stanley Clarke and veteran Lenny White – produced a GRAMMY winning acoustic album in 2011 with Forever. Then a new version of Return to Forever – with Clarke, White, Jean-Luc Ponty and Frank Gambale – toured the world to acclaim, yielding the live CD/DVD The Mothership Returns. In another celebration of kindred spirits, Chick co-led the Five Peace Band with guitarist John McLaughlin, a fellow Miles Davis alum. For 2013 album The Vigil, Chick put together a new-era electro/acoustic quintet, featuring himself on keyboards and longtime associate Tim Garland on reeds, alongside some hot young players. A review in The Guardian is indicative of this artist’s questing path, no matter his accomplishments and awards: “Chick Corea sounds on scintillating form… This full-on set is all about celebrating and reinventing, not polishing silverware.” 5
PHOTO: DOUGLAS KIRKLAND
Herbie Hancock Herbie Hancock is a true icon of modern music. Throughout his explorations, he has transcended limitations and genres while maintaining his unmistakable voice. With an illustrious career spanning five decades and 14 GRAMMY Awards, he continues to amaze audiences across the globe. In addition to being recognized as a legendary pianist and composer, Herbie Hancock has been an integral part of every popular music movement since the 1960’s. As the immortal Miles Davis said in his autobiography, “Herbie was the step after Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk, and I haven’t heard anybody yet who has come after him.”
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Born in Chicago in 1940, Herbie was a child piano prodigy who performed a Mozart concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at age 11. He began playing jazz in high school, initially influenced by Oscar Peterson and Bill Evans. He also developed a passion for electronics and science, and double-majored in music and electrical engineering at Grinnell College. In 1960, Herbie was discovered by trumpeter Donald Byrd. After two years of session work with Byrd as well as Phil Woods and Oliver Nelson, he signed with Blue Note as a solo artist. His 1963 debut album, Takin’ Off, was an immediate success.
Herbie was invited to be a member of the Miles Davis Quintet in 1963 and helped pioneer a groundbreaking new sound in jazz. He also developed new approaches on his own recordings, with classic albums including Maiden Voyage, Empyrean Isles, and Speak Like a Child. He composed the score to Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1966 film Blow Up, which led to a successful career in feature film and television music – in 1986, Herbie received an Academy Award for his Round Midnight film. His work in the 1970s, with record-breaking albums such as Head Hunters that combined electric jazz with funk and rock in an innovative style, inspired and provided samples for generations of hip-hop and dance music artists. Future Shock and it’s single “Rockit” marked Hancock’s foray into electronic dance sounds; but during the same period he also continued to work in an acoustic setting with V.S.O.P. (reuniting him with his Miles Davis colleagues Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams), and in duet settings with Chick Corea and Oscar Peterson. The legendary Head Hunters reunited in 1998, recording an album for Herbie’s own Verve-distributed imprint, and touring with the Dave Matthews Band. That year also marked the recording and release of Gershwin’s World, which included collaborators Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder, Kathleen Battle, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Wayne Shorter and Chick Corea. Gershwin’s World won three GRAMMYs in 1999, including Best Traditional Jazz Album and Best R&B Vocal Performance for Stevie Wonder’s “St. Louis Blues.” In 2007, Hancock recorded and released River: The Joni Letters, a tribute to longtime friend and collaborator Joni Mitchell, featuring Wayne Shorter, guitarist Lionel Loueke, bassist Dave Holland and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta and co-produced by Larry Klein. He enlisted vocalists Norah Jones, Tina Turner, Corinne Bailey Rae, Luciana Souza, Leonard Cohen and Mitchell herself to perform songs she wrote or was inspired by. The album received glowing reviews and was a year-end Top 10 choice for many critics. It also garnered three GRAMMY Awards, including Album of the Year; Herbie is one of only a handful of jazz musicians ever to receive that honour. In 2010 Hancock released the the critically acclaimed album The Imagine Project, winner of two GRAMMY Awards for Best Pop Collaboration and Best Improvised Jazz Solo. Utilizing the universal language of music to express its central themes of peace and global responsibility, The Imagine Project was recorded around the world and features a stellar group of musicians including Jeff Beck, Seal, Pink, Dave Matthews, The Chieftains, Lionel Loueke, Oumou Sangare, Konono #l, Anoushka Shankar, Chaka Khan, Marcus Miller, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Tinariwen, and Ceu. Hancock serves as Creative Chair for Jazz for the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association and as Institute Chairman of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz. He is a founder of The International Committee of Artists for Peace (ICAP), and was recently given the “Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres” by French Prime Minister Francois Fillon. In 2011 Hancock was named a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador by UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova, and in December of 2013, received a Kennedy Center Honor. In October 2014, Herbie published his long-awaited memoir, Possibilities.
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A Message from the Dean It would not be an overstatement to say that tonight’s performance by two of the world’s greatest living jazz artists will be historic, as well as an incredibly meaningful musical occasion for the Chan Centre and the University of British Columbia. For a university that takes pride in being on the leading edge of innovation, we couldn’t bring two more profound innovators to campus than Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock, who have on their own, and together, restlessly innovated in music for over five decades, constantly pushing the boundaries of jazz. The Faculty of Arts at UBC is thrilled to support this concert, and I am honoured to personally welcome Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock, two musical heroes of mine, to the stage this evening. – Dr. Gage Averill, Dean of Arts, University of British Columbia
UBC School of Music Fanfares The fanfare performed in the lobby prior to this concert (6:30pm and 6:45pm) was commissioned by the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts as part of an ongoing partnership with the UBC School of Music and their composition students and performers. Children, Hunting
“This little fanfare is loosely inspired by the sentiments and materials in Chick Corea’s Children’s Songs and Herbie Hancock’s Head Hunters album, striving to integrate their contrasts and commonalities with the composer’s own sensibilities. It is a small and very humble tribute, both to these incredible artists, and to the spirit of always hunting for new adventures with the fresh, wondering eyes of a child.” – Nova Pon, composer Nova Pon composer Ben Thauland trumpet Nick Robson trumpet Theresa Lei horn Kevin Lin trombone Jon Yenta tuba 8
Upcoming Events at the Chan Centre Full details at chancentre.com Mar 19 + 20 at 7pm: UBC Opera Ball Presented by the UBC School of Music
Mar 21 at 8pm: Zakir Hussain’s Celtic Connections Presented by the Chan Centre
Mar 25 at 8pm: UBC Band and Chamber Ensembles – Favourites Old and New Presented by the UBC School of Music. FREE.
Mar 28 at 7:30pm: Spring Gala Concert Presented by the Canada-China Cultural Development Association and Stage One Academy Inc.
Apr 9 at 7:30pm: Masque: The Nu:BC Collective Presented by the Nu:BC Collective in partnership with the Chan Centre as part of the Radius series
Apr 10 + 11 at 8pm: University Singers, UBC Choral Union and UBC Symphony Orchestra Presented by the UBC School of Music Apr 12 at 7pm: Gilberto Gil (SOLD OUT) Presented by the Chan Centre
Apr 17 at 7:30pm + Apr 19 at 2:30pm: Masque: Turning Point Ensemble Presented by the Turning Point Ensemble in partnership with the Chan Centre as part of the Radius series
Apr 24 at 7:30pm + Apr 25 at 2:30pm: Masque: musica intima Presented by musica intima in partnership with the Chan Centre as part of the Radius series
Apr 24 + 25 at 8pm: VSO – Jeffrey Kahane Presented by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra as part of their Classical Traditions series at the Chan Centre
Apr 26 at 7pm: Lila Downs Presented by the Chan Centre May 1 at 8pm: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons Presented by Early Music Vancouver as part of their Chan Centre Concert Series
May 9 at 8pm: Wu Man and the Shanghai Quartet Presented by the Chan Centre
Tell us what you think! We want to hear from you. Please visit chancentre.com/feedback and let us know about your experience tonight. 9
The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at UBC Joyce Hinton Cameron McGill Jazel Argente Carl Armstrong Wendy Atkinson Brad Danyluk Kara Gibbs David Humphrey Beng Khoo Flora Lew Glenda Makela Trevor Mangion Claire Mohun Christine Offer George Pereira Andrew Riter Nadia Roberts Lyndsey Roberts
Co-Managing Director Co-Managing Director Administrative & Rentals Assistant Events & Customer Service Manager Programming & Rentals Manager Head Audio Technician Marketing & Communications Manager Production Manager Operations Clerk Financial Coordinator Financial & Programming Clerk Ticket Operations Manager Marketing & Communications Coordinator Artistic Presenting Manager Production Clerk Head Lighting Technician Events & Front of House Coordinator Ticket Office Supervisor
Members of Cupe 2950 Front of House, Stage, and Ticketing Staff Megan Barnabe Tessa Cernik Valentina Montilla
Administration Assistant, Work Learn Student Marketing & Communications Assistant, Work Learn Student Artistic Presentations Assistant, Work Learn Student
Administration Office
T: 604.822.9197
E: chan.centre@ubc.ca
chancentre.com /chan.centre.ubc
Ticket Office
T: 604.822.2697
@ChanCentre
E: chan.tickets@ubc.ca
/ChanCentreUBC
Graphic Design by Copilot Design I Media Relations by Laura Murray Public Relations Special thanks to Chuck Fishman
The Chan Centre would like to thank our 2014/2015 series sponsors: The Chan Endowment Fund and the UBC Faculty of Arts
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Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea, New York City, June 1978. Photo © Chuck Fishman, 1978, 2015.