Hancock, Corea announce first tour in 37 years

The performers announced a world tour of duo piano concerts last week. It kicks off on March 14 in Seattle.

Jazz greats Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock share much in common, but the last time they toured together was 37 years ago when Jimmy Carter was in the White House and Sony had just introduced the Walkman.

The performers announced a world tour of duo piano concerts last week. It kicks off on March 14 in Seattle.

“Chick and I have always had an open door toward the possibility of touring again,” Hancock said in an email. “We both felt that enough time has passed since our last major tour in 1978, and considering all of the experiences we have had in music and in life, that this was the perfect time to pass through that doorway again.”

Corea and Hancock both were members of Miles Davis’ bands of the 1960s, even playing together on keyboards on the trumpeter’s groundbreaking jazz-fusion albums, In a Silent Way and B*****s Brew.

“Herbie is a musical phenomenon and a rare human being,” Corea said in a statement. “To me he’s been a dear friend as well as a lifelong inspiration.”

The North American leg of the tour wraps in Carmel, Indiana on April 18. After a break, the duo will perform in Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Europe.