Herbie Hancock electried Detroit fans

Herbie Hancock is "groovy groovy jazzy funky," to quote Us3 from their 1993 remix of his tune "Cantaloupe Island." Well known for his experimental work with Miles Davis and Wayne Shorter, Hancock visited Detroit on Tuesday night to prove that, without synthesizers or horns, the man still has style.

After an introduction by the illustrious Ed Love from WDET, who explained why he has always referred to Hancock as "the young genius from Chicago," Hancock and his trio took the stage. Kenny Davis on bass and Gene Jackson on drums joined Hancock on the piano, providing for a more casual concert, a return to the early "straight ahead" style of his youth.

The trio opened the set with a Cole Porter song, "I Love You," which served to set the tone for the entire evening: an acoustic, more subtle and mellow sound from the funky Hancock, all the while maintaining his signature groove. This lengthy, escalating tune saw Hancock and the band cover the spectrum from quiet, reserved melodies to unrestrained, cardiac drum solos.

Hancock began the next piece with an ethereal piano solo. The breezy melody was pounded out on the upper register of the instrument and the low keys responded with single, hanging notes, a far departure from the riff-based tunes we associate with Herbie.

Despite the excessive heat at Orchestra Hall and the occasional cell phone annoying both the audience and the performers, Hancock kept the night in check. While Davis whipped out the electric bass for the next tune (the only non-acoustic number), Hancock provided some commentary on music and life in general, which was far less interesting than his piano work.

Though the electricity and the opening bars of one of Hancock's most notoriously funky pieces, "Cantaloupe Island," suggested a return to more upbeat work, that would have to wait until the final number. The band maintained its subtle mood for this piece, which might have been a mistake, since it was difficult to listen to "Cantaloupe" and not want to see Herbie go bananas and tear the place down.

The first act closed with a Stevie Wonder tune, "You've Got it Bad Girl," a selection from Hancock's latest release, 1996's "The New Standard," which features the pianist's own interpretation of tunes by today's most popular composers.

May I, for just a moment, go into a topic that may have been the most exciting element of the evening: Gene Jackson's drumming. Granted, one doesn't go to a Herbie Hancock show for the drummer, but in this case that wouldn't have been such a bad idea. Beginning with the Stevie Wonder tune and continuing throughout the entire second act, Jackson kept the pace and so much more, adding an astounding level of energy both in his killer solos and his support of Hancock.

He was also a key component to the most enjoyable tune of the evening, the opener of the second act, the Hancock classic "Maiden Voyage." Opening with Hancock tapping the strings in his piano, closing with a percussive back-and-forth between Hancock and Jackson, in between fell a beautiful interpretation of the smooth tune, kept sailing along perfectly with the help of Davis's bass.

The rest of the show maintained that level of energy and was able to hold the audience for the entire nearly three hour performance. With songs such as Don Henley's "New York Minute" (also from "The New Standard") and "Some Other Spring," a Billie Holliday recording, the band, especially Jackson, never let up. The solo work of Hancock, which delightfully hints at the song's melody, and of Davis, whose earthy, gentle tone and wonderful sense of melody ideally fits with the trio, complemented each other perfectly.

Though multiple Grammy- and Oscar-winner Hancock is on the road practically nonstop, there is no excuse to not take every chance you can get to see one of the best jazz musicians not yet dead. Herbie-vores can feel safe in the knowledge that the Watermelon Man is here to stay.

02-19-99