Chick Corea & Herbie Hancock, Barbican

There are hot tickets, and then there are tickets that shine so bright you become unsure whether you can actually see them. But your eyes do not deceive – this summer, for two nights, pianists Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock will be sharing a stage at the Barbican Centre. Both, in their own distinct careers, have repeatedly transformed and changed the face of jazz. Now, in a reprise of their groundbreaking double keyboard collaborations of the late 70s, they will once more perform together. Whether they play those works, their individual discographies or even new improvisations, this might be a performance that goes down in jazz history.
Herbie Hancock’s star first rocketed when he joined Miles Davis’ Second Great Quintet in 1964, recording six canonical albums and a extraordinary seven-and-a-half hour live set. Hancock was quickly noted for his classically-inspired style, which created rhythms previous unheard in jazz. His own records of this time, on Blue Note, are widely considered five-star classics. After leaving Davis’ band, he formed his own sextet focused around using electronics; by 1973’s crossover Headhunters, he had embraced funk, creating a whole new fusion style. After a brief liaison with pop in the early 80s, he returned to producing jazz in wild variety of sub-genres, including acid; his 2007 album of Joni Mitchell covers, River, was only the second jazz recording to win the Grammy Album of the Year award.
Chick Corea’s career began in a remarkably similar fashion to Hancock’s, with a series of early engagements followed by a spell with Miles Davis during which he played on the avant-garde masterpiece Bitches Brew
(1970). Soon after, he struck out his own with Return to Forever
(1972), with combined jazz with electric pianos and South American percussion. The album became one of the defining works of fusion, and lent its name to Corea’s band. A thrillingly eclectic career followed, which over the last two decades has come to encompass contemporary classical music. Legends individually, the presence of these two titans together promises something very special indeed