Herbie Hancock is ready to return to the road — and to his hometown

Music legend Herbie Hancock, ready to return to the road after an 18-month hiatus, points out one positive aspect of the layoff: "I've been able to sleep every night in my bed for more than a year," he said in an interview with the British site Jazz FM. "I haven't been able to do that since the ’60s."

In the interview, posted May 4, Hancock, 81, talked about the personal and professional impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. "Well, I could concentrate on things I can’t do, but I decided I would put my focus on what I can do," he said. "And there’s a lot."

A Chicago native, Hancock will perform his first concert since the hiatus when he returns to his hometown for a Symphony Center Presents event Sept. 2 in Orchestra Hall. From Chicago, he will continue on a 12-date tour that concludes Sept. 27 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. y

An NEA Jazz Master as well as an Oscar and 14-time Grammy winner, Hancock also discussed his upcoming disc, his first since "The Imagine Project" in 2010, and which has been rumored to feature fellow jazz icon Wayne Shorter, tabla maestro Zakir Hussain and hip-hop stars Kendrick Lamar, Common, Snoop Dogg and Travis Scott.

"I've been working on something for several years, but there’s more to do," he said. "I'm not quite satisfied with what I have. We have a lot of material."

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