"See, there were certain rules I'd always used, and people like Trane, they would break those rules"

Herbie Hancock’s reflection captures a pivotal aspect of jazz and creative evolution: the dynamic tension between established conventions and innovative exploration. Growing up as a musician, Hancock learned certain “rules”, the frameworks, chord progressions, stylistic habits, and technical boundaries that defined jazz as he knew it. These rules served as both foundation and guide, offering a sense of order and shared language among musicians. They shaped his understanding of harmony, melody, rhythm, and improvisation, providing an essential toolkit for musical expression.

Yet, artists like John Coltrane, referred to here as "Trane", challenged these limitations by deliberately transcending or disregarding the established norms. Coltrane, famed for his restless creativity, became a symbol of jazz’s capacity for radical reinvention. His music often ventured into uncharted territory, whether through unorthodox scales, extended improvisations, or innovative approaches to form and structure. For Hancock, watching musicians like Coltrane operate outside the bounds of convention was both revelatory and unsettling. It demonstrated that artistic greatness and progress often demand a willingness to let go of inherited assumptions and push past the boundaries of comfort and certainty.

The contrast Hancock draws is not simply about adherence to tradition versus rebellion against it. It’s about the ongoing dialogue in jazz between structure and freedom, discipline and spontaneity. The “rules” provide a common ground and a set of tools, but the highest forms of expression often arise when those very rules are questioned or reimagined. Coltrane’s example revealed to Hancock the possibilities that emerge when one is courageous enough to explore the unknown, to risk making mistakes, and to trust intuition over formula.

Ultimately, Hancock’s words are a testament to the spirit of innovation at the heart of jazz. They encourage openness to new possibilities, a readiness to experiment, and an understanding that true creativity may require not just mastery of the rules, but the vision to move beyond them.