Herbie Hancock on Letterman, December 11, 1984

[@formfaktor]

It's weird to see someone so timeless as Herbie Hancock in a scene that couldn't be more of an era like the 80s. Look at them Sweaters. 😍

[@alskndlaskndal]

One thing we can say about the 80s... there's never been a better time for sweaters!

[@tnawcwvictoria]

Bill Cosby wore sweaters on The Cosby Show as well Him and Herbie wearing sweaters made the 80's great

[@tomahzo]

And there's Paul Schaffer simulating record scratching by tweaking the Oberheim OBXa filter ;D. I guess that's one thing you can do with it :). Somehow a jam session like this seems far more avant garde like anything they'd show on late night TV nowadays ;). Such an affectionate display of curiosity for technology and how it works and how it can be used to produce art. I can't remember the last time I saw that in mainstream media. It's like we got all of this insane creative technology in the 80:ies (or rather, it was popularized and commercialised and made mainstream) and people got on the bandwagon even in the mainstream. Refreshing to see.

[@javd007]

I think that is Paul’s OB-8. He played an Ob-8 from 84-2009 I think.

[@tnawcwvictoria]

Hardrock is so cool It almost sounds like his Dance and Soul Hit Rockit God Bless You Soul Brother Herbie Hancock

[@jholtz9970]

I saw this when it aired in '84. I was 19 and I was diggin it!

[@urwholefamilydied]

2:00 Paul Shaffer "scratching" on his Oberheim synth!! Nicely done!

[@KrazyKittyTailz]

The coolest thing is Herbie actually holds a BSEE (electrical engineering) degree.

[@tomahzo]

Well, that makes sense - he's made a career of fusing art with technology (just look at that video here on KZbin with him and Quincy Jones in the studio back in 1984 playing on the Fairlight CMI and all of those instruments that were hi-tech back in the 80:ies). Such artistic skills as well as intelligence and insight into how to use technology and engineering to create a work of art :).

[@jholtz9970]

Actually, he started out as an EE major, but dropped out after 2 years to pursue music. He have an honorary one, though.

[@angusorvid8840]

He's an all around genius, both musically, culturally, scientifically. An all around renaissance man.

[@keithwahrer2223]

Uuummm no that’s not the cooolest thing. That’s a fun fact though.

[@j.p.sixgunner7194]

​​​@@keithwahrer2223I'm interested in finding out exactly what YOU think the coolest thing is. Please share .... If I'm being completely honest, I personally just don't find it fun in any way, shape, or form, like ..AT ALL. However, I will go out on a limb of faith and concede that it is indeed a *fact*. It had better be, because I typically won't blindly walk such limbs....I'm giving you the benefit of doubt on this, so please don't make me regret it. Thanx!

[@epicon6]

Paul went HAM on that Oberheim filter! :)

[@marc2397]

Dave’s band was so great in the beginning…a lot of memories.

[@angusorvid8840]

The Fairlight was so revolutionary back in the early 80s. Changed music.

[@wisteela]

Fantastic stuff

[@harrisongdavis]

so weird to see Steve Jordan playing an 80's electronic kit

[@williambrandongiles3692]

Amazing!.. So fun to see this !.... 🎹 📺 🎶.... ( Happy, Safe New Year)....

[@alexander.druganov]

It seems like Steve Jordan has been playing since the begining of time) love him.

[@lisafan6365]

he just looks so frigging cool when he's playing!

[@ToBdooAa]

Steve plays Simmons Drums.

[@AlbertoMartinezDelRio]

Great document!

[@rswhitney8ify]

Omg! I was around back in these days and a fusion fan but you know ,i guess you just took it for granted that they would actually go into such detail about an artist’s work on ,the letterman show?

[@menaceiisociety592]

@7:26 thats where axl got his move from

[@analogsynthmuseum784]

he scratch with the ob-xa cool !!!!

[@javd007]

OB-8

[@gameon2000]

I still have that O.G. 80s Carlo Colucci sweater. It's so ugly-good

[@crenshawblaster3982]

Will Lee on bass!!!

[@kevinr.3542]

Check out Schafer getting funky at 3:00. Yeah Paul. This makes me think about how In the 80s nerds could still be cool

[@binjeune3784]

awesome

[@pinkponyofprey1965]

smack in the middle of the 80ies haha!

[@robertsyrett1992]

I call this proto IDM

[@clasestecladomusicalfacil]

model of keytar ? please

[@RichardHandal301]

An early Fairlight. Now Herbie plays a gorgeous $170,000 Fazioli grand.

[@tomahzo]

Which is _ALMOST_ as much as you had to pay for early versions of the Fairlight CMI ;D. J/k, but it wasn't cheap ;).

[@ropewalkingelephant]

“Alright guys, let’s make the most 80’s sounding shit we possibly can, and 3, 2..”

[@kevinr.3542]

ropewalkingelephant at the time it was the freshest sounding stuff ever.

[@ropewalkingelephant]

K. Rootes damn straight!

[@jholtz9970]

@@kevinr.3542 Cutting-edge stuff at the time for sure.

[@urwholefamilydied]

"Alright guys, let's make the most modern sounding shit we possibly can, and 3,2.."

[@JakePeppercorn]

シモンズを叩くスティーブ・ジョーダンを初めて見た。

[@klaasj7808]

ductape was useful in 84

[@keithwahrer2223]

I love Paul Shafer on the scratches

[@pasqualedavino8911]

1984

[@inkfingers]

I guess Grand Mixer DST was too busy to work the decks that night...

[@Back2Bass777]

It sounds like sonic 3

[@Arthur-hg7ny]

Guy broke it 3:12

[@ryanvanhazen2997]

Very adventurous lol

[@Flibbybibby]

What’s amazing is such cutting edge technology used to create such asinine music.

[@jholtz9970]

LOL I remember reading a 1980s interview with Andy Summers where he was lamenting how a certain well-known jazz guitarist was using a $100,000 Synclavier on stage to produce the sound of a $5 harmonica. My guess is he was referring to Pat Metheny. But that was the 80s man, you could not have enough toys; I know, I was in the middle of it. It's interesting that now in 2019, I'm getting a little deja-vu of the 70s & 80s with the current fascination for analog synths and all the new stuff coming out these days from Dave Smith, Moog, Korg etc. It's like we're going back to that mindset of not having enough toys.

[@cnfuzz]

@@jholtz9970 the best example were the kashif adds in music mags in the 80 s , it said ' a studio without synclavier ,i dont record there' even the blacks were totally coked up then and snobbing like they were a hit ,lol

[@KutAnimus]

0:11 - "Whether he's playing jazz or fusion or rock, he's probably doing it better than anyone else today." I love Letterman but there is no "better" in music, or any other type of art.

[@joproductions2009]

Herbie looks like pootie Tang lol ....anyway mmusic was a geneous

[@olynnjones6274]

Wa da ta!

[@cnfuzz]

That fm solo tone is hideous , normally he used the chroma for this, he sure liked orchestral hits, at the end we get an electronic rendition of ' under my thumb,???