Herbie Hancock has arguably been one of the most influential artists in the history of modern jazz music. On May 29, a group of longtime Pittsburgh jazz players will be paying tribute to Hancock’s wide and varied repertoire with a live retrospective performance at Con Alma, a Downtown Pittsburgh jazz club.
“We’ve all been influenced by Herbie over the years,” said Billy Kuhn, who will play drums during the two sessions throughout the evening. “I’m speaking of my peer group, the baby boomer musicians out there.”
Hancock is best known as a keyboardist, bandleader and composer who was innovative in the arena of acoustic and electric jazz. After coming to prominence with the legendary Miles Davis in the 1960s, he became a pioneer of new fusion sounds in the 1970s and ’80s, introducing synthesizers and other modern sounds into his music.
“Some of those groups’ recordings from back in the ’60s are all still very relevant today. In fact, they’re considered the jazz bible for that particular style,” Kuhn said.
During the performances, Kuhn (on drums) will be joined by Eric DeFade on saxophone, Mike Houlis on bass and Max Leake on piano. The group will play two sets, at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
All of the musicians are veterans of the Pittsburgh music scene. Leake has even played a number of concerts with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s PNC Pops. As a pianist, he is especially inspired by Hancock’s musical legacy.
“I fell in love with all of the stuff that he did,” said Leake, who started playing piano at the age of 6. “There’s a lot of music spanning decades that we could pick from.”
Con Alma owner John Shannon said that Kuhn approached him with the idea for the Herbie Hancock retrospective show at his Downtown restaurant and jazz bar.
“Herbie’s music crosses so much territory. It just seemed like a great idea, a great show to put on at Con Alma,” Shannon said.
From early standards, including “Cantaloupe Island,” to ’80s-tastic synthesizer hit “Rockit,” Hancock’s music is woven into our musical vocabulary — even if you don’t know his compositions by name. Kuhn said that the retrospective will cover Hancock’s music from 1962 to the present. “We’ll be doing a lot of compositions,” he said.
Kuhn also praised Leake’s ability to play the many sounds of Hancock’s keys. “Max is also one of the early proponents of synthesizers and electronic music here in Pittsburgh, so he has all the Herbie synthesizer sounds down.”
The Herbie Hancock Retrospective will be held at Con Alma, 613 Penn Ave. in Downtown Pittsburgh, with sets at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. on May 29. To learn more, visit conalmapgh.com.