About Herbie Hancock:

Herbert Jeffrey Hancock is an American pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, composer, and actor. Hancock started his career with Donald Byrd. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the post-bop sound.

In the 1970s, Hancock experimented with jazz fusion, funk, and electro styles.

Hancock’s best-known compositions include the jazz standards “Cantaloupe Island”, “Watermelon Man”, “Maiden Voyage”, and “Chameleon”, as well as the hit singles “I Thought It Was You” and “Rockit”. His 2007 tribute album River: The Joni Letters won the 2008 Grammy Award for Album of the Year, only the second jazz album to win the award, after Getz/Gilberto in 1965.

Since 2012, Hancock has served as a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he teaches at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. He is also the chairman of the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz, known as the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz until 2019.

About Howard McNair Jr:

Howard McNair started playing piano at the age of 9. He was introduced to piano by his mother. At the age of 13, he started playing for his father’s church. It was there where he sharpened his skills learning songs, hymns, and spiritual songs. Howard obtained a BA degree in Music with a concentration in Piano from

North Carolina A&T State University. During his time at A&T he was the lead musician for the Award Winning NC A&T Gospel Choir. He was also the 2nd Keyboardist for the annual production of Black Nativity. From there he was employed as the Assistant Music Director for several productions at The Barn Dinner Theatre. The productions included Langston Hughes Black Nativity, A Dream of King, Mahalia, and Sing Hallelujah. Howard has had the opportunity to work and accompany several artists such as Dorinda Clark- Cole, Shirley Caesar, Lowell Pye, Maurette Brown Clark, Darryl Coley, Blanche McAllister, Earnest Pugh, Bishop L Spencer Smith, and Jonathan Dunn. In addition to his gospel back ground, he has had great opportunities to work with several Jazz and RnB artists such as Mike Phillips, Michael Manson, Morgan James, Tom Braxton, Althea Rene, Jenette Harris, John Dillard, Gerald Veasley, Carol Riddick, Monifah, The Hamiltones, and Anthony Hamilton. Howard believes that his diverse musical background has afforded him the opportunity to work in several different genres of music however, never compromising his faith and walk with Christ.