Classic(al) Herbie Hancock

By Alexander Hough in Arts & Entertainment on Jul 27, 2009 7:20PM

Which Herbie Hancock do you prefer? The post-bopper from the revolutionary rhythm section of Miles Davis's 1960s quintet? The tripped-out, funky Head Hunters band leader? And how can you say no to "Rockit"?

Tomorrow night at Ravinia you can hear yet another one of Hancock's musical iterations as he returns to his classical roots. This is not even close to the first time Hancock will have performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra; after just four years of formal instruction, an eleven-year-old Hancock played Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 5 with his home town's orchestra at a CSO Young People's Concert.

Hancock's partner on the concert, classical pianist Lang Lang, is also returning to the scene of his career kickoff. As the Sun-Times's Bryant Manning describes, Lang Lang was a last minute substitute at a Ravinia gala concert when he was seventeen, an opportunity the pianist credits as the stepping stone to the success he's enjoyed over the past ten years.

Hancock and Lang Lang first performed together at the 2008 Grammy Awards, playing a shortened version of George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue," adapted for two pianos. The duo will play that piece again, along with a two-piano arrangement of Ralph Vaughan Williams's Piano Concerto, a version the composer wrote after pianists complained the original piece was too difficult, as well as the original piano duet version of Maurice Ravel's "Mother Goose Suite." Previous concerts from their thirteen-show tour have also included improvisation - the collaboration was borne out of mutual admiration and the two musicians have dutifully learned from one another - so stick around for off-program selections.

Ravinia Pavilion, 200 Ravinia Park Rd., Highland Park, Tuesday, July 28, at 8:00 p.m., $100 for reserved seats, $10 for the lawn