On a mild late October evening, Boston’s Old South church was crammed with music and book lovers who’d come to see and hear a living treasure of the American music scene—the great jazz pianist Herbie Hancock.
But there wasn’t a piano in sight. The evening was a conversation between Hancock and Roger Brown, president of Berklee College of Music, about the former’s newly released memoir Possibilities. It was the kick-off event for the 2014 Boston Book Festival, which in six short years has become one of the most important events on the local literary calendar.
This wasn’t Hancock’s first foray into the world of letters. In March of this year he delivered six lectures on “The Ethics of Jazz” as Norton Professor of Poetry at Harvard. (The Norton selection process interprets "poetry" in the broadest sense, including all poetic expression in language, music, or fine arts.)
The music fan might not know much about Hancock’s interest in writing, but his stature as a musician is anything but secret. In a playing career that stretches back to the early ‘60s he’s won fourteen Grammy Awards. His musical curiosity has taken him from bebop to hip-hop, with forays into funk, fusion and electronic music. During the conversation at Old South, he and Brown talked about the musical journey that’s included work with a “Who’s Who” of international musicians including Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell and many more.
During the Q & A a gaggle of young people hopped up to stand in the aisle for a chance at the microphone. Each was a musician with a serious, detailed question about the craft or business of music. (How do you promote your career? What was it like to record with a particular musician? How do you practice?) Hancock has spent most of his adult life as a Buddhist, and without being preachy or judgmental he gently suggested that a person’s inner life has just as much to do with building a satisfying musical career as marketing and technical expertise.
“How do I practice? The way I talk to my mate at breakfast is part of my practice. How I deal with people on the street. My life is my practice.”
“I know that’s not what you asked me.” (A polite way of saying, “I know that’s not what you wanted to hear.”) He smiled to soften the blow. “I could tell you what scales I play but I think the way you live your life is more important. If you don’t understand yourself and the world around you, you’re going to be very limited in what you can bring forth in your music.” Perhaps not entirely satisfying answers for ambitious, competitive young musicians who hungered for tips and trade secrets from the master--answers it might take some of them years of living to begin to understand.
There's a story about the time one of Chopin’s patrons brought a young prodigy to his studio to play the piano. A virtuoso pianist as well as a renowned composer, the maestro listened attentively as the child tore through a complex, technically demanding piece.
When he was done Chopin nodded and said, “You play the notes very well. Perhaps some day you will learn to play the music.”
Charles Coe is author of two books of poetry: “All Sins Forgiven: Poems for my Parents” and “Picnic on the Moon,” both published by Leapfrog Press. His poetry has appeared in a number of literary reviews and anthologies, including Poesis, The Mom Egg, Solstice Literary Review, and Urban Nature. He is the winner of a fellowship in poetry from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Charles’s poems have been set by a number of composers, including Beth Denisch, Julia Carey and Robert Moran. A short film based on his poem “Fortress” is currently in production by filmmaker Roberto Mighty. Charles is co-chair of the Boston Chapter of the National Writers Union, a labor union for freelance writers. He has been selected by the Associates of the Boston Public Library as a “Boston Literary Light for 2014.” His novella, "Spin Cycles," will be published in October by Gemma Media. Is program officer for the Massachusetts Cultural Council and oversees general operating support grants for cultural organizations in the state.
Good article, Charles. Living well is pretty important for creating "well" in the long run to my mind, too.
Posted by: Car | November 11, 2014 at 08:16 AM