Herbie Hancock
Chicago pianist and Miles Davis alumnus who has spent 60 years moving fluidly between jazz, fusion, and funk — Headhunters is the best-selling jazz album of the 1970s.
Pantheon Standing
| List Name | Rank | Combined |
|---|---|---|
| Greatest Jazz Artists of All Time | #1 | 96.0 |
The Age Divide
Voters under 30 and over 35 rank Herbie Hancock significantly differently across lists.
The Cultural Record
Discography
Chicago pianist and Miles Davis alumnus who has spent 60 years moving fluidly between jazz, fusion, and funk — Headhunters is the best-selling jazz album of the 1970s
Awards & Recognition
14 Grammy Awards
View All 14 Grammy Wins →—
River: The Joni Letters (2008
Grammy AOTY)
River won AOTY in upset over Amy Winehouse
The Case For Herbie Hancock
“The longevity argument alone puts them in a category of one. While others burned bright and faded, this figure consistently reinvented and dominated across decades, eras, and cultural shifts that would have destroyed lesser talents.”
“Technically unmatched. The craft here is evident in every performance, every work — the kind of effortless execution that only comes from thousands of hours of mastery made invisible. They make the impossible look inevitable.”
“Commercial success should never be held against artistic legacy. The ability to dominate charts while maintaining critical respect is a skill unto itself — one that this figure has mastered better than any peer in the conversation.”
Rank History
Ranking history will be available once voting opens for Herbie Hancock.
Often Compared To
John Coltrane
#2Jazz — Hamlet, North Carolina · 1955–1967
Hamlet, North Carolina saxophonist whose technical mastery and spiritual devotion produced A Love Supreme — one of the most revered albums ever recorded in any genre.
Louis Armstrong
#3Jazz — New Orleans, Louisiana · 1919–1971
New Orleans trumpeter and vocalist who was jazz's first great soloist and whose influence extends to every form of American popular music that followed.