Herbie Hancock Returns to Milwaukee

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In a night filled with musical chops galore, octogenarian Herbie Hancock and his group took the stage at the Pabst Theater Tuesday evening and played a concert ripe in equal parts soul and humanity, with subtle dynamic shifts and nods to technology.

Hancock was greeted with an ovation, and then the legendary composer-pianist explained why Milwaukee was special to him. Early in his career the Chicago native got a call and played Milwaukee nightspot Curro’s as a fill-in for the regular pianist in Donald Byrd’s group, which led to Hancock joining the group. Years later in Los Angles he would meet a woman whose aunt was Curro’s owner.

Opening with the primordial sounds of “Overture,” Hancock and his group chased the voodoo down early. Throughout the evening Hancock’s collaborators, trumpeter Terence Blanchard, saxophonist Devin Daniels, bassist James Genus, drummer Trevor Lawrence Jr. and guitarist Lionel Loueke were pliable, adeptly moving from bop to fusion to space-age sounds. “He was studying with me, now I’m studying with him,” Hancock said of his former UCLA pupil Daniels. 

Hancock paid homage to his late collaborator, bandmate and best friend Wayne Shorter, offering Blanchard’s arrangement of “Footprints.” Daniels did justice to Shorter’s serpentine sax solo, with Blanchard’s atmospheric trumpet section sending the tune into the stratosphere.

A bona fide legend, Hancock was positioned a grand piano and keyboards stage right allowing the other musicians to shine. (He earlier noted the audience was an extra member of the band.) On The Headhunters’ tune “Actual Proof” the rhythm section provided a frenetic simmering propelled by Genus’ muscular bass parts.

Like his mentor Miles Davis, Hancock has never stopped searching for sounds. “Come Running to Me” found Hancock singing through a vocoder. Poking fun at his lack of range with synthesized vocals he managed to weave in heartfelt message via his computerized voice.  

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Strapping on a keytar, Hancock ended the evening dancing toe-to-toe with Loueke, dueling with sounds that may be best described as science fiction.