Once Upon a Tine – Herbie Hancock Demonstrates the Rhodes Piano

This week on ‘Once Upon a Tine’:

Welcome back to ‘Once Upon A Tine’. In this series, we look at the deep history and musical legacy of Rhodes electrical instruments.

In 1973, Herbie Hancock recorded a promotional EP entitled ‘Herbie Hancock Demonstrates the Rhodes Piano’. On the four-track EP, Herbie stretched the sonic capabilities of the Rhodes piano, using effects such as fuzz and an echoplex tape echo unit, pushing the sonic envelope into new territories.

The flexi disc EP was played to potential Rhodes customers by dealers in music stores, so Herbie could demonstrate the Rhodes piano without being there.

In this Rhodes promotional advert from 1974, Herbie Hancock talks about the ‘unique Rhodes ‘feel’ that gives him complete flexibility when he plays’.