Throughout the mid-to-late 1970s, legendary jazz pianist and composer Herbie Hancock engaged in a prolonged period of experimentation across sounds and recording formats, over the course of several CBS/Sony albums, made only available in Japan. 1979's ‘Directstep’ was one such album, one that made use of a new form of recording technology called ‘Direct-To-Disc.’ This method recorded masters in real-time to acetate discs, rendering incredibly high-fidelity LP pressings but sacrificing the ability to edit or overdub.

It was splendor on the mountain on September 8, when local musician Bob Weir offered a set of his own and appeared for onstage musical cameos with Grace Potter as well as headliner Herbie Hancock at the fourth annual Sound Summit, atop Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County, California. The eight-hour affair at the 4,000-capacity Mountain Theatre included an unusually diverse set of acts, from an acoustic duo to contemporary R&B, alt-country, Grateful Dead music, rock, and open-ended jazz.

Produced as an annual celebration of and fundraiser for Mount Tamalpais State Park by Roots & Branches Conservancy, the annual one-day festival has raised $175,000 for Mount Tam in just its first three years. Last year, San Francisco Magazine named Sound Summit as Best Festival of the North Bay in its annual Best of the Bay issue, citing its quality and intimacy.

Jazz icon Herbie Hancock will perform at the Beacon Theatre on Monday, August 7, 2017 at 7:30pm.  An all-star band featuring Vinnie Colaiuta on drums, James Genus on bass, Lionel Loueke on guitar and multi-instrumentalist Terrace Martin will accompany Hancock for this performance.  Tickets $75 - $125 (plus TM fees) can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com, by calling 866.858.0008 and at the Beacon Theatre Box Office.