Sixty eight-year-old pianist Hancock, who is one of the remnants of a golden era of Jazz and Blues, has a massive fan following across the globe since the late 60s. Entering the legendary Miles Davis’ quintet at 23, Hancock was also a pioneer in the ‘post bop’ generation of jazz, introducing the electronic sounds of the synthesizer to supreme effect. On his third visit to the city, he will be collaborating with fellow singers Chaka Khan, Dee Dee Bridgewater, pianist George Duke, Zakir Hussain and students from the Thelonius Monk Institute of Jazz that he presently heads.

Hancock will also record an album which according to him, will be a confluence of influences from across the world. “It is an honour for us to be here to commemorate a journey that was undertaken 50 years ago. Dr King was deeply committed to the philosophies of equality and non-violence that Mahatma Gandhi stood for. The efforts he took in that direction see their fruition today at the election in the US with Barack Obama coming to power.” He went on to add that the there is still works to be done and that “efforts are far from over. But the ripples that Mahatma Gandhi created still resonate among us.”