Hancock Makes Austin City Limits Debut

By DownBeat I Jan. 19, 2018

Herbie Hancock’s appearance on Austin City Limits is set to air nationally on PBS on Jan. 20.
(Photo: Courtesy Austin City Limits)

Herbie Hancock’s responsible for a few firsts in jazz and popular music. And now he’s recorded his debut appearance on Austin City Limits.

The long-running performance show—which began in 1976, the same year Hancock released Secrets—has included visits from country singer Jason Isbell and enduring psych act The Black Angels this season. Hancock’s episode is set to air Saturday on PBS affiliates.

For the keyboardist and bandleader’s installment of the show, he’s joined by multi-instrumentalist Terrace Martin, drummer Vinnie Colaiuta and bassist James Genus as the quartet reinvigorates some classics, including “Cantaloupe Island” and “Chameleon.”

But there’s also a rendition of a relatively new song, “Secret Sauce,” that Hancock’s been playing for the last several months. It jibes with Hanock’s history and deomonstrates that the bandleader’s well of compositional creativity hasn’t nearly been exhausted.