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Hancock to direct jazz programming for LA Phil

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Award-winning musician Herbie Hancock will take over next year as the creative chair for jazz at the L.A. Philharmonic.

Hancock told KPCC’s Larry Mantle that he hopes to remove the boundaries between musical and artistic genres.

Herbie Hancock: “I’m thinking of having combinations that could include dance, that could include visuals like either computer graphics, or animations, or even film, and combining that with music, with combinations of music, including jazz.”

Hancock’s succeeding jazz bassist Christian McBride.

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Experimenting with music genres is nothing new for Hancock. Jazz purists directed strong criticism and equally strong praise toward his electronic jazz albums during the 1970s and '80s.

Last year, Herbie Hancock won a Grammy for album of the year with River, his jazz take on Joni Mitchell standards.

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