As a longtime fan of Herbie Hancock, I was excited to hear that he'll be playing the Pageant on Wednesday, June 8 with a band billed as "Headhunters 2005". The group includes some familiar names - Terri Lynn Carrington on drums, Marcus Miller on bass and Roy Hargrove on trumpet - as well as percussionist Munyungo Jackson and guitarist Lionel Loueke, who are new to me.
The big surprise is the presence of platinum-selling guitarist/singer/MTV heartthrob John Mayer, who, according to Billboard magazine, will guest on Hancock's next album due this fall. (Apparently aping the formula of Ray Charles' Genius Loves Company, the record will feature a number of guests, including Mayer, Carlos Santana, Trey Anastasio, Sting and Annie Lennox.)
It's not quite as crazy as it sounds at first - Mayer is a Berklee grad who's been turning up in some other unexpected places lately, including alongside Buddy Guy at the Jammy Awards show and at Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival in Dallas last year. We can only hope that he will wear a big Seventies-style brim and a suit made from velour, and sit in a chair surrounded by dozens of foot pedals, in homage to Wah Wah Watson.
More on this later, as I'll be writing about the Hancock/Mayer collaboration for the RFT the week before the show.
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