THE past, present and future of jazz were all on display when the legendary Herbie Hancock took the near sell-out crowd on a two-hour musical odyssey through the ages at his

debut concert in Singapore at the Esplanade Concert Hall on Tuesday evening.

With a career that now spans over half a century, the 74-year-old had a big songbook to dive into and didn't disappoint by including some of his best-known tunes such as Watermelon Man, Cantaloupe Island and Rockit into the nine-song set. But you'd be forgiven if you didn't instantly recognise the tunes because most did not sound anything like the studio recorded versions.