Jurassic Groove: Herbie Unleashes the “Prehistoric Predators” at the wang theater
Design by Charlotte Heintz
by Grace grandprey
Last Wednesday, a friend of mine had an extra ticket to see Herbie Hancock at the Boch Center Wang Theatre. I know what you’re thinking: Isn’t Herbie that eleven-year-old who performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1952? Didn’t know that charming little anecdote? Well, he’s aged a few years since then—eighty-five, and still rockin’—but he’s just as extraordinary, if not a little more of a seasoned pianist.
The band’s introduction—a twenty-minute improvisation inspired by Herbie’s Korg keyboard preset “Prehistoric Predator”—immedietely showcased their mastery. The sheer scale of their musical expertise brought Jurassic World to mind. I began to see them as “jazz dinosaurs,” but not in the sense of being old or obsolete, rather as innovative and breathtaking legendary figures.
On keys, of course, was the great Herbie Hancock, the Indoraptor. If you’re not a Jurassic geek, don’t fret! The Indoraptor is a highly intelligent, adaptable, genetic hybrid that represents the tireless innovation of a certain musical “chameleon.” As one of the first jazz musicians to push the boundaries of musical technology, heavily incorporating synthesizers, Herbie has embraced musical exploration with varying musical colors, effortlessly blending jazz with R&B, electro, and funk, and never losing his sense of adventure—or humor for that matter!
“We’re all a little bit crazy,” he said, presenting James Genus to the crowd. During the show, the electric bassist took on the towering presence of the Brachiosaurus. Similar to the dinosaur’s majestic, peaceful symbol in the Jurassic World landscape, Genus is an incredibly humble, formidable backbone to the group. When he’s not playing with Herbie on the 2025 North American Fall Tour, you’ll find him on Saturday Night Live. As first-call sideman for many jazz legends, including Dianne Reeves and the late Horace Silver, he proved an undeniable presence in this performance with his strong rhythmic foundation.
Our next dinosaur, Terrance Blanchard, “must be an octopus,” according to Herbie. From the bell of his trumpet emits the fullness of an entire horn section. To place those horns atop the Triceratops would be to symbolize Blanchard’s powerful and distinctive sound, commanding attention wherever he leads. In his four-and-a-half-decade-long career, he is the first Black composer to have two operas performed at the Metropolitan Opera, a five-time Grammy winner, and a two-time Academy Award nominee for his film scores. He also arranged their performance of the next song, Herbie’s 1966 “Footprints.” Blanchard is a force of nature in his field, and one that Herbie recognized by saying, “I have a gift. I can snatch people up—Fshoop! . . . wave a few dollars in the air.”
Thus, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to you that he also snatched up a T-Rex: 27-year-old drummer, Jaylen Petinaud. Petinaud is a master of technique and musical styles, collaborating with musicians in small jazz clubs to 20-piece orchestras to broadway shows. The dynamic and thunderous strides he takes through his beats place him in a leading role in the music’s ecosystem. Herbie marveled at Petinaud’s age. “You know that phrase, ‘Jazz is dead’?” My sister’s boyfriend would’ve joked, Of course! Ryan Gosling saved Jazz, but Herbie thought differently: Petinaud was a prime example of “young musicians [that] continue to arrive.”
Finally, we turn to guitarist and vocalist Lionel Loueke, the ensemble’s intelligent and agile Velociraptor. With intricate fingerstyle work, he navigated complex, polyrhythmic soundscapes, seamlessly interlocking contrasting tempos that defied conventional structure. His technical mastery evoked the lean, instantaneous movements of a predator mid-chase. Loueke augmented this agility with percussive, Afro-pop-influenced vocals, adding a captivating, rhythmic texture to the performance.
I wouldn’t call Herbie or any member of his jazz crew “prehistoric.” In fact, I am but one witness to their continuous discovery and rediscovery. Through each powerful articulation of their instruments that night, they were true titans of the jazz scene, and these “prehistoric predators” absolutely roared.
In their rendition of “Actual Proof,” a song off Herbie’s 1974 album Thrust, the performance became a structured hunt, with each player adopting a distinct predatory approach during their solos: Herbie, the alpha of the pack, chased the keyboard with calculated precision; Blanchard ambushed the audience with sharp, sudden strikes; Loueke intricately camouflaged his complex melodies, stalking his prey with stealth; Genus scavenged the lower frequencies with gleeful abandon; and Petinaud coordinated with the group in a display of cooperative hunting to close in on their prey. Following an enthusiastic 40-second applause and standing ovation, Herbie bit through a chuckle. He then leaned toward the microphone, his expression playful, and exclaimed, “Ouuuch!,” making a show of being musically wounded by the full force of their musical attack.
The night was a vibrant celebration of the 70s jazz-funk fusion scene. In a striking contrast to the set’s more explosive moments, “Butterfly” showcased refined artistry and subtlety, with its elegant, hypnotic arrangement. Before unleashing a hard funk groove with the unrecorded hit “Secret Sauce,” Herbie used a vocoder to warn us, in a robotic voice, of “The Terminator.” This served as a call to reflect on the world, asking, “How many families are on Earth today?” before reminding us, “We need each other.” The band then launched into a dazzling display of jibing, fluid rhythm and harmonic depth. Herbie proceeded to whip out a keytar for “Hang Up Your Hang Ups / Rockit / Spider,” which created intense, alien-like textures befitting a Halloween monster bash of Jurassic proportions. He even sustained variations of jumping jacks in time with Loueke as they played.
The concert concluded with Herbie, the undeniable master behind the keys, performing the iconic “Chameleon.” In a final, heartwarming act of camaraderie, the five musicians, having celebrated each other all night, embraced for their final bow. Ladies and gentlemen: the honorary dinosaurs of the night.