Herbie Hancock's 6 favorite books

The jazz legend recommends works by Barack Obama, Quincy Jones, and more

Hancock
(Image credit: (Gail Oskin/Getty Images for American Academy of Arts and Sciences))

Footprints by Michelle Mercer (Tarcher, $15). Wayne Shorter is a saxophonist, a wonderful composer, a very bright and extremely creative person, and also my best friend. But I didn't meet him until about 1963, when I was 23 and he was maybe 29. When I read his biography, I got a chance to learn more about his childhood. He and his brother Alan, also a musician, had a kind of rebelliousness when they were young, choosing not to follow the crowd. They showed a great deal of courage early on, even as kids.

Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama (Broadway, $15). I've had the good fortune to meet President Obama. I believe he's a compassionate man, and my impression of him is compatible with how he describes the flow of his life from his early childhood.

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