When Herbie Hancock and Ron Carter convene in the Arena at MJF69 on September 27, they will close a loop that began in 1963 and 1964 and intersected again in 1992 on the same stage. In 2026, both musicians celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Miles’ birth in this very special and exclusive show, For Miles . Herbie and Ron were in their mid-twenties when they first appeared at Monterey with Miles Davis, and now 86 and 89 respectively, Herbie and Ron’s careers have never slowed down as they represent seven decades of influence, taste and the very direction and trajectory of modern jazz.
Herbie Hancock and Ron Carter in March 2026.
Herbie and Ron have made additional appearances since 1992 — Herbie has appeared multiple times with his quartet and Ron was a member of Orrin Keepnews’ Riverside Reunion in 1993. But 2026 is a special centennial year, and MJF69 will be the first time they have appeared together at Monterey since 1992, and the first time they’ve appeared anywhere as a duo, ever.
When Miles made his 1963 debut at the festival (with Herbie, George Coleman, Ron, and Tony Williams), Ron recently recalled that “The air was heavy with the excitement of the anticipation of the new group. There was an electric feeling in the audience about who are these guys?!” The recording of that fiery show was finally released in 2007 as Live at the 1963 Monterey Jazz Festival. “This recording is so fresh and alive sonically and so rich and rewarding musically that forty-five years literally melt away upon hearing it,” wrote Samuel Chell for All About Jazz.
Miles Davis at the sixth Monterey Jazz Festival in 1963. ©Jerry Stoll
A year later in 1964, Coleman had departed and the saxophone chair was now occupied by Wayne Shorter, who had just joined the band weeks before their September 18 performance. It was the second live show of the “Second Great Quintet” which would break down barriers with the “time, no changes” philosophy that would influence jazz players through the present day.
Reviewing the show for the San Francisco Examiner at the time, Richard Hadlock called out the rhythm section of Hancock, Carter, and Williams as “an exciting and venturesome rhythm section, one of the best Davis has ever had … together, they seem to be leading the trumpeter into the ever more challenging areas of musical thought.” Unfortunately, the Monterey Jazz Festival archives does not have a recording of that night’s performance.
By the time of the death of Miles Davis in September 1991, Herbie and Ron’s musical careers were already legendary and influential. The Miles alumni group V.S.O.P. — with Herbie, Ron, Wayne and Tony, with Freddie Hubbard — had been sporadically touring and recording since 1976. After Miles’ death on September 28, 1991, the alumni group reunited, this time with the late trumpeter Wallace Roney at the 35th Monterey Jazz Festival in 1992 to honor Miles. Again, no archival sound exists. The only record of the performance was captured on video in bits and pieces from a backstage camera, but provides a fascinating glimpse into the power of that band in action.
Ron says about being a duo: “There’s a saying — it takes two to tango, three to swing. So that’s one-and-a-half for me and one-and-a-half for Herbie.” Ron additionally will lead his Foursight Quartet on Friday, September 25 at the West End Stage at 9pm.
“I am very much looking forward to having fun playing with one of my dearest friends the immensely talented Ron Carter celebrating our old boss who we admire deeply, Miles Davis at the Monterey Jazz Festival,” said Herbie.
Orrin Keepnews’ Riverside Reunion, MJF36, 1993. (L-R): Buddy Montgomery, Clark Terry, Ron Carter, Nat Adderley, Jimmy Heath. ©Keith Ian Polakoff
Herbie Hancock, MJF35, 1992. ©Michael Oletta
