Yup, I was part of that world and remember seeing this for the first time, it was like a whole world opened up. Like MJs moonwalk. It all seems so amateur now lol.... seeing this gave me such chills nonetheless. Took me right back.
I had no idea he was a Jazz legend, playing with the likes of Miles Davis, when this song came out as kid. Good for him for doing so many different genres.
I remember watching this live. I'll never forget the following day everybody wanted to be a break dancer. Whenever I hear this song I think of this performance. Unforgettable!
@@bobsolo55 I saw this in 9th grade and me and my pal built a mannaquen that could jackit in bed under the covers. In fact, thats what the song will always be called in my mind, "Jackit".
I have the original video on VHS tapered off of MTV. My brother and I taped a 2 hour segment of MTV in the early 80’s. It’s so fun to watch. It like a time capsule.
This performance introduced suburban America to both record scratching and break dancing. It was one of the biggest Grammy performances to date when it aired. 1981? ‘82? I watched it on VHS until the tape stretched and became unwatchable
Actually it was 1984. The year of the LOS ANGELES SUMMER OLYMPICS! You are semi correct - This BROADCAST helped to introduced BREAKDANCING & SCRATCHING to the PUBLIC AT LARGE but our WORLDWIDE TOUR (Herbie Hancock and the Rockit Band) actually STOKED THE PUBLIC BECAUSE OF WHAT THEY SAW ON THIS SHOW & OUR LIVE SHOWS. I was HERBIE’S CHIEF ENGINEER at that time. I also operated the ROBOTS LIVE ON STAGE DURING ALL OF OUR PERFORMANCES using MIDI & techniques I learn from DISNEY IMAGINEERS. This was the year the APPLE MAC came out and Herbie and I had as many as we wanted. [MAC 512K - Mark of the Unicorn Software - J.L. Cooper Hardware, My Proprietary Hard & Software] Because of the ratings of this performance with regards to NARAS & CBS, Pierre Cossette Productions hired me to produce the FOLLOWING YEARS (1985) PERFORMANCE that featured HERBIE HANCOCK, STEVIE WONDER, THOMAS DOLBY AND HOWARD JONES. It was called THE SYNTHESIZER MEDLEY (From the 1985 Grammy Awards Ceremony) [It is on RU-vid] Part of my contract negotiations included the provision that my company AURALLY YOURS be given the FIRST TV CREDIT AS A MUSICAL EQUIPMENT/TECHNOLOGY MANUFACTURER in the HISTORY OF THE GRAMMY SHOW. Prior to this 1985 Grammy Presentation, whenever an Artist performed on the GRAMMY’S, his/her EQUIPMENT LOGO WAS ALWAYS GAFFER TAPED OVER so as to not give the Manufacturer ANY PUBLICITY since they usually did not have a budget to advertise anyway. I convinced CBS, because of the previous show (1984), that the GRAMMY’S could indeed be used to help PROMOTE THE MUSIC INDUSTRY, LIVE PERFORMANCES and MUSICIANS ALIKE. They agreed and PUT MY NAME FIRST ON THE END CRAWL..THEN CASIO, THEN FAIRLIGHT, THEN FENDER, THEN LINN, THEN OBERHEIM, THEN ROLAND, THEN YAMAHA. I am in the process of writing 2 books about my 40+ years in the Entertainment Business - BEHIND THE SCENES & BUT NOT HIDDEN (A Black Man’s Story about Technology and the Entertainment Industry and THREE STRIKES…AND I’M STILL HERE! I am actually going to GO THERE! (If you know what I mean😮😮)
@@kidfresh07: Are you alluding to being one of these performers from this video? If so, this was truly amazing so I can only imagine what it had to have been like back then. How long did it take you guys to choreograph these moves, and how much were you being paid to perform with Mr. Herbie?
@@rheddmariea lololol No hun, I was probably just 12 at the time but Breakdancing was life and mostly just in the streets so seeing it make it to a high level Grammy performance was mind blowing and no-one new they were ppl until midway through, but I could go all day breakin' back in the day...now I'm winded after 30 mins LOLOL Also it was the first time DJing was aired mainstream as well and I was then a full fledge Bboy...until I discovered girls lolol
@@kidfresh07: Ok, yeah, this part had me thinking you were apart of this group "...never noticed that, but we were all in shape back then." Are you positive that this is the earliest broadcasting of an actually DJ scratching on the air?
Herbie had the Entire Audience on their Feet with a Well Deserved Standing Ovation! Michael Jackson Loved it, giving a Gloved 👍🏾 A Genius and Epic Performance! Happy 82nd Birthday Mr. Hancock and many more to Celebrate! Married to Gigi 54 YEARS! 🎹🎸🪕🎷🎼🎵🎶 🥳🎈🎂🎉🎊
I was HERBIE’S CHIEF ENGINEER at the time. Yes, I have AGED but my mind is that of a 25 year old who just discovered that he CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE 😅😅😅!
And he was already playing and famous for years before this being marked by some as a jazz legend. Yet he always found a way to stay relevant. It’s crazy he was in his early 40’s here. The guy has released like 42 studio albums with just his material alone. That’s crazy!
Super Dope! I remember watching that live performance and I was amazing when the robots starting popping and break-dancing because I thought they were actually robots!
Thanks for posting this (I still have it on VHS TAPE!) - I remember watching this live and was AMAZED at the breakdancers. Entertainment has never been the same. One of my most favourite performances.
I remember this when it was out, we haved NEVER heard such sounds nor vibes. This was just ENORMOUS. Thank you so much to Herbie Hancock AND BILL LASWELL for hopening new paths in music.
This was the first time I saw a Windmill move ever! As an 18 year old trying to learn breakin' it blew my mind!! Till this day I still don't know who the 4 b-boys are. Looks like Dynamic Rockers or maybe New York City Breakers.
Peace and Love to Grand Mixer DXT. His scratching helped usher in a New era of turntablism.. Babu, Mix Master Mike, Rhetmattic, Q Bert. Some of the greatest DJ's. Inspired by this man. And this peeformance. Grand Mixer DXT!!
One of the dopest live performances on TV of all time. It seemed like the entire world changed after this song as hip hop culture was finally starting to be taken seriously. Thanks for sharing this.
Black innovation for you. TT manufacturers never envisioned their gear being used like that, but we did. Music would be pitiful and bland pablum if it wasn't for Africans. DST was one of the scratch pioneer DJs at the time. Still going strong.
@@trevorwoodley3897 Now why do you have to go and bring race into something like this this is magical and beautiful and brought all races together we all danced together again you have to bring division into this which is really sad that’s what most people do now days I guess isn’t it it really cheapens it
@@trix8669 It's ironic how pink people (having the luxury to ignore race because of their position of world dominance) pretend to downplay, ignore and dismiss race. Must be nice, although we know it's very much at the forefront of their minds, whether they'd admit it or not. I stand by my original comment because I'm not wrong. Fight me.
Wow, that was a really amazing performance! To think of how groundbreaking that would have been at the time in front of a mainstream audience on TV. Go Herbie!!
Break dancing was around before this, obviously, but this was when it really got injected into the mainstream cultural zeitgeist. I remember seeing kids at school attempting to pop and backspin within the days and weeks after this aired.
Looks like a Simmons SDS-V drum synth. I couldn't identify the keytar, which doesn't match any keytars available in 1984. It seems to be in a custom casing. Note the standing ovation, including Michael Jackson.
Yeah, I thought the keytar was custom too. I don't know if you know Herbie is a big custom keyboard guy. He did a lot of mods on his keyboards back then. I know he added MIDI to many of his pre-MIDI keyboards around that time. I remember reading a Keyboard or Musician magazine going in depth on that.
The keytar is the Davis Clavitar. There were only 16 made. It was designed by my late uncle, Wayne Yentis. Herbie had one of 'em. George Duke (Frank Zappa & The Mothers; Stanley Clark Trio) had one too.
I had the handspin, the worm, the windmill couldn't get the headspin hard as heck and I used to vibrate the hands and arms and shoulders I'd classify myself a d campared to some of those Breakers in the 80s reckless was a good song for hockey for me excellent music
