Head Hunters

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Work

Head Hunters · After three experimental records with his Mwandishi sextet, Herbie Hancock wanted to make lighter music, with more of a foothold on earth. He put together a new group, the Headhunters, of which only the reed player Bennie Maupin came from the sextet. Bassist Paul Jackson and drummer Harvey Mason provided a relaxed funk feel. Hancock played all the synthesizers himself and chose the Hohner Clavinet instead of guitar. The recordings took place in San Francisco and the album was released in October 1973.

It contains four tracks. Watermelon Man was an old hit of Hancock's, reworked here, with Bill Summers blowing across a beer bottle and plenty of African percussion. Chameleon has a famous bass line, which Hancock played on an ARP Odyssey. The album brought jazz-funk to a wide audience, reached number thirteen on the American chart and for a time became the best-selling jazz album. Purists thought it a step too far, but its influence reached into funk, soul and hip hop.

Listening

Track list

1. 1Chameleon15:45Apple Music ↗
2. 2Watermelon Man6:30Apple Music ↗
3. 3Sly10:21Apple Music ↗
4. 4Vein Melter9:09Apple Music ↗

30-second previews via Apple Music. Listen to the whole album on Apple Music ↗