Herbie Hancock brings home to Chicago an international jazz concert that will stream to millions

Herbie Hancock is having a Chicago moment.

That was true in 1952, when he performed a Mozart concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at just 11 years old. It was true a couple years later, when he fell in love with jazz as a student at Hyde Park Academy. And it was true in 1965, when he played two historic nights at the historic Chicago venue Plugged Nickel with Miles Davis.

On Thursday, the legendary piano player will add another milestone to the list during UNESCO International Jazz Day, which he co-founded. Hancock and another jazz icon, Kurt Elling, are co-artistic directors for the All-Star Global Concert at Lyric Opera House, where they will also perform alongside more than 40 other artists.

The show will be livestreamed on YouTube at yt.be/jazzday, and free tickets are available at chicagojazzalliance.org for a watch party at the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts.

The concert culminates a month of jazz programming in Chicago, which is a first-time host for the global celebration.

“It’s going to be close to my heart,” said Hancock, 86, who now lives in West Hollywood. He will also speak about film scoring at a sold-out event alongside composers Terence Blanchard and Kris Bowers at the Chicago Cultural Center on Wednesday. And during his downtime, he will attend a Hancock family reunion in the city.

When it comes to explaining Chicago’s role in jazz — “I’m not a wordsmith,” he said — he plans to let his music do the talking.

“The foundation of it comes from being born in Chicago, which already had a rich jazz history at the time, and has always been a very important part of the shaping of jazz,” he said.

A vital part of that construction, Hancock has contributed to the development of post-bop, jazz fusion and electronic jazz across six decades of experimenting and performing. Following International Jazz Day, the 14-time Grammy winner will embark on a tour, headline the Newport Jazz Festival and lead a tribute to Miles Davis at the Hollywood Bowl in honor of his mentor’s 100th birthday.

“Don't be afraid to explore,” he said, imparting one of his life lessons. “It's not easy to advance unless you keep digging for new ideas and other ways to stimulate what you produce as a human being, whether it's in your job, family or relationships. It’s important to continue to evolve for the rest of your life.”

He put that philosophy into practice a few days before Christmas in Old Town more than 60 years ago. As part of the Miles Davis Quintet, he was supposed to play a normal show of standards during two nights at the Plugged Nickel on North Wells Street. Instead, he joined tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams to play in an experimental and unconventional way – without telling Davis. The result was recorded live and re-released by Columbia Records earlier this year.

“It was Tony Williams’ fault,” Hancock said, laughing. “He said, ‘It's been getting too easy for us to play together. I'm not going to be playing anything from this point on that you expect me to play. I'm going to play anti-music.’”

The bandmates agreed to the task, even when they were informed at the last minute that the sets would be taped.

“I was just trying to figure things out and trying new things,” Hancock said. “Some worked and some didn't, but I stumbled along and did the best that I could. Wayne Shorter had no problem breaking through. I was still struggling with it.”

But it was inventive enough to become an important jazz recording. And Davis just went with it.   

“Miles was always looking forward,” Hancock said. “He treated us like family. It was an amazing experience for me to be able to work with him and just hear his sound every night. It was like dessert.”

Hancock went on to accomplish even more as a solo artist, writing classic jazz tunes such as “Watermelon Man” "Cantaloupe Island,” "Maiden Voyage” and "Chameleon.” He also scored many films, including “Round Midnight,” which won him an Oscar in 1986.

Hancock said receiving his first Grammy in 1984 for the synth-funk breakdancing anthem “Rockit” was a highlight of his career. And his performance that night was also memorable, especially when the crowd realized the dancing robots onstage were actually people in costume.

“When they started doing things that human beings can do, the audience jumped up and started applauding and screaming,” Hancock said. “I was like, ‘What is happening?’ I couldn't really experience it until I actually saw the video of it. That was a huge surprise for me.”

Hancock said he does plan to add to his discography of more than 40 studio albums, but his latest project has been more than 15 years in the making.

“There have been a lot of things in my schedule that have made it difficult for me to really concentrate on that, so I'll get back to that when I can,” he said. “That’s not going to happen anytime soon, but I haven't given up.”

Ever the technologist, Hancock has been experimenting with artificial intelligence music programs such as Moises and Suno, though he said some of it still sounds like “elevator music.” But he believes AI will only get more efficient.

“I saw the ‘Terminator’ movies,” he said, laughing. “Because of that, when I use Siri on my iPhone, I always say thank you. I want to be friends with AI. I want AI to like me, not try to get rid of me.”

But his attitude about its capabilities is ultimately positive.

“I think it's actually going to lead to something better for all of humanity,” he said.

In the meantime, he continues to use music to unify people across the world.

“We are global people, but we're all related,” he said.