Image Credit: HH Clinch

Jazz legend Herbie Hancock heads Jazz at the Bowl, announces Australian tour

Jazz luminary Herbie Hancock will ignite the Sidney Myer Music Bowl stage for Jazz At The Bowl alongside a huge lineup of artists, kicking off the 2024 Melbourne International Jazz Festival.

14-time Grammy award-winning artist and jazz father, Herbie Hancock will be venturing down under for the annual Jazz At The Bowl concert to kick off the celebrated Melbourne Jazz Festival in what is set to be a masterclass in jazz and modern music.

The living legend trumpeter-turned-composer will extend his stay playing his own headline shows across the country and New Zealand at our most iconic concert halls. Kicking off at Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre in Auckland on 8 October and Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington, Hancock will jump across to Australia for shows at the marvellous Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, Canberra Theatre, QPAC Concert Hall, Festival Theatre Adelaide and wrapping up at Concert Hall in Perth on 22 October.

Jazz At The Bowl

When: Saturday 19 October 2024

Where: Sidney Myer Music Bowl

Tickets: On Sale from 1pm Tuesday 9 July via melbournejazz.com

Herbie Hancock Australian Tour Dates

• TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8 – KIRI TE KANAWA THEATRE, AUCKLAND
• WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9 – MICHAEL FOWLER CENTRE, WELLINGTON
• FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11 – OPERA HOUSE CONCERT HALL, SYDNEY
• SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12 – OPERA HOUSE CONCERT HALL, SYDNEY
• MONDAY, OCTOBER 14 – CANBERRA THEATRE, CANBERRA
• THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17 – QPAC CONCERT HALL, BRISBANE
• SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19 – SIDNEY MYER MUSIC BOWL, MELBOURNE**
• SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20 – FESTIVAL THEATRE, ADELAIDE
• TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22 – CONCERT HALL, PERTH

** Jazz At The Bowl Date

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The Jazz At The Bowl concert on Saturday 19 October will be a showcase of Hancock’s widespread influence from his ground-breaking stars, ‘Cantaloupe Island’, ‘Chameleon’, and ‘Rockit’ to his innovator of ‘Watermelon Man’.

To heighten the Jazz At The Bowl experience Hancock will be joined by the illustrious Marcus Miller and local soul superstar Bumpy in a rare convergence of musical titans, synonymous with the Jazz At The Bowl brand.

Bassist extraordinaire Marcus Miller will be making his highly-anticipated Australian debut alongside one of his famed concert collaborator Herbie Hancock, in what will be nothing short of magic. A first choice for jazz legends like Hancock, Miles Davis, Aretha Franklin, Dizzy Gillespie and more, Miller has a rich 30 year history as one of the most revered jazz bassists of all time.

“Having Herbie Hancock and Marcus Miller perform on the same evening at the iconic Sidney Myer Music Bowl is nothing short of extraordinary,” says festival artistic director, Michael Tortoni. “These two legends have shaped the soundscape of modern music in profound ways. Bringing them together in such a historic venue underscores the significance of Jazz at the Bowl and offers our audience a unique experience. It’s a celebration of iconoclastic excellence that will resonate for years to come.”

On the local front with just as much prowess as the fellow stage-sharers is Bumpy. Compelling soul singer, award-winning composer, producer and Noongar woman, Bumpy is a force in the soul sector having carved out a strong name for herself in the Australian scene as a neo-soul songwriter and captivating storyteller.

For the third edition of the concert series, Jazz At The Bowl is an unmissable experience to see legendary status in the flesh, and is just one of the amazing events set to appear on the Melbourne International Jazz Festival program. The full 2024 program will be announced in August.

For now, tickets to Jazz At The Bowl go on sale Tuesday 9 July at 1pm via www.melbournejazz.com.

For tickets to the other Australian dates, Live Nation presale starts 9am, Wednesday 10 July. General public tickets go on sale 9am Thursday 11 July. Head to livenation.com.au 

Words by Staff Writer