Herbie Hancock Rocks the Zoo

I have to travel a lot for my new job, but one of the perks of all of that travel is that sometimes I'm in the right place at the right time. On Wednesday, June 20, that place was Seattle, with the opportunity to see jazz legend Herbie Hancock, who performed at the Woodland Park Zoo.

The "Zoo Tunes" concerts are an annual fixture in Seattle, although I had never been to one before. I sure picked the right one to start with.

Seattle vocalist Greta Matassa opened the show. I have heard Ms. Matassa's music on KPLU before, and so was thrilled that she was the opening act. I purchased one of her CDs (Favorites from a Long Walk) and had a chance to talk with her after the show. She will be performing in Bellingham in July and I intend to take the entire family to see her. If you've never heard her before, you owe it to yourself to check out Greta Matassa.

Herbie Hancock played with a quartet consisting of the amazing Lionel Loueke on guitar, Nathan East on bass, and the incredible Vincent Colaiuta on drums. Hancock alternated between grand piano and a collection of synthesizers, including one that he wore and played like an electric guitar, trading licks with Loueke.

The evening's selections included some new stuff, including "Stitched Up" from his latest album "Possibilities" and "Canteloupe Island". He even performed a portion of "Maiden Voyage" on solo piano. But my favorites of the evening were "Watermelon Man" and "Chameleon", with Hancock getting into a great funky groove.

About the only piece missing from the evening was "Rock It". What an absolutely incredible evening.