For maestros Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter, jazz is all about thinking out of the box. The duo have been jamming together on and off for over forty long years. A little more than fifteen minutes with the great icons flow like a typical jazz concert, each breaking the other with something to say about the distant past.

On a visit to Mumbai sometime in 2008 for the 'Black and White VH1 Jazz Masters', concert as part of the Mumbai Festival, the duo chatted on what they love doing the best, play jazz, talk jazz and listen to jazz.

Saxophonist Wayne Shorter remarks. "Jazz gives you a freedom to do what you want. It lets you explore what you want to do for I feel that music is more than just a demonstration of peace, it's a demonstration of a struggle. If you have an accident or a failure, you take it in your stride and accept it. You treat it as an opportunity rather than a failure. You learn from it. If you have everything perfect, like peaches and cream, then you are like a statue. Even in a film, the actor has to do something to race to the top and be a hero. The person bitten by Dracula the Vampire is the one who saves the world."

There's no defining principle like death while examining the work of an artist particularly one as mercurial as Miles Davis. Davis' death has had an immeasurable impact on jazz evolution. The duo have made their way from the days when they played with the Miles Davis Quintet in the 1960s through the more electronic sounds, funk and fusion of today.

"An artist goes one of two ways or both, depending on the length of their lives", points out Hancock who as a member of the Miles Davis quintet. became one of the pioneers of the avant garde sound. "Everything he did up to the late period was equally groundbreaking. The merits of his music were so intense that it crafted a whole new turn of music."

Shorter has his own experiences of Davis who he met in 1974, the same year he recorded 'Speak no Evil', his first record as a leader for Blue Note, when Davis invited him to join a quartet that included Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams. "The Miles Davis experience changed me forever." He recalls. "Miles took a lot of care of me". explains Shorter as he rewinds to a time in Los Angeles at what was once a Japanese theatre, when Miles' band played right after a gig by Aretha Franklin. "I couldn't do much as I was delirious with the flu. Later that night, Miles kept calling into the early hours of the morning to check on me …..to ask whether I wanted soup or something. The most touching moment that I would like to state is when we met in Newport. We landed late and as I was walking towards the elevator, there was Miles in front of me. He came up to me and shook my hand. I felt money in his hand which he left in mine after the strong handshake, saying in that barely audible voice of his 'I know'."

The duo breaks into laughter recalling such wonderful memories of Miles Davis. Shorter incidentally has recorded 12 albums with Miles Davis, including 'Bitches Brew', which sparked the fusion movements of the next decade. In 1970, Shorter joined keyboardist Joe Zawinul to form Weather Report, which combined jazz harmonies with rock and funk rhythms that brought in a slice of commercialization. The group became one of the most influential musical forces of the post jazz era. In 2003, he won two Grammy awards, taking his total to eight Grammies over at the past 25 years. Today, his quartet with Brian Blade, John Patitucci and Danilo Perez is recognized as the most groundbreaking jazz group in the 21 ^st century.

Hancock on the other hand began playing the piano at the age of seven and at 20 was invited by Donald Byrd to join his band and move to New York. Byrd later helped him secure a recording contract with Blue Note records. Hancock's debut album, 'Takin' Off' included 'Watermelon Man' which was the first of many top ten hits.

But it was tracks like Rockit and Future Shock that marked Hancock's foray into electric dance music and included several chart topping hits. Like Shorter, Hancock has managed to also rake in commercial success. "I have constantly tried to encourage others to look at the large palette instead of the one that has been given to you."

'Possibilities' Hancock's collaborative effort featuring a number of pop and rock artists (John Mayer, Christina Aguilera, Paul Simon, Sting and Santana) is the latest example. "The whole idea was to really collaborate. Not just do overdubs. Choose what song to do and how to do them. That way we would both be able to work outside the box." he reveals.

Prim and proper in a black trouser and jacket, hair slicked back in carefully distributed stands is Hancock, who is in a total contrast to Shorter who is more casual in a loose, cream linen shirt that is replescent of an Indian khaki set.

The duo love India and want to come back to regale their audiences. 'We want to take in the life without hurting anybody. We want to reach out to all those who could not make it this time, and can only say one thing that we will be back." notes Shorter looking squintly at Hancock as they break into a joke and laughter.

- Photos by By Verus Ferreira

- Location: The Oberoi, Nariman Point, Mumbai.

- Text by Verus Ferreira