Head Hunters
Herbie Hancock
Head Hunters
510,343 plays (130,014 listeners)
jazz, funk, jazz fusion, jazz-funk, fusion… see all
Tracklist
| Track | Duration | Listeners | ||||
| 1 |
|
Chameleon full track | 7:37 | 81,147 | ||
| 2 |
|
Watermelon Man full track | 7:10 | 106,504 | ||
| 3 |
|
Sly full track | 10:13 | 43,741 | ||
| 4 |
|
Vein Melter full track | 9:07 | 40,666 |
About this album
Head Hunters is an album by Herbie Hancock, released in 1973 on Columbia Records. The album is a key release in Hancock’s career and a defining moment in the genre of jazz fusion.
Structure and release:
Head Hunters followed a series of experimental albums by Hancock’s sextet: Mwandishi (1970), Crossings (1971), and Sextant (1972), released at a time when Hancock was looking for a new direction in which to take his music:
“I began to feel that I had been spending so much time exploring the upper atmosphere of music and the more ethereal kind of far-out spacey stuff. Now there was this need to take some more of the earth and to feel a little more tethered; a connection to the earth…I was beginning to feel that we (the sextet) were playing this heavy kind of music, and I was tired of everything being heavy. I wanted to play something lighter.” (Hancock’s sleeve notes: 1997 CD reissue)
For the new album, Hancock assembled a new band, The Headhunters, of whom only Bennie Maupin had been a sextet member. Hancock handled all synthesizer parts himself (having previously shared these duties with Patrick Gleeson) and he decided against the use of guitar altogether, favouring instead the clavinet, one of the defining sounds on the album. The new band featured a tight rhythm and blues-oriented rhythm section, and the album has a relaxed, funky groove that gave the album an appeal to a far wider audience.
Structure and release:
Head Hunters followed a series of experimental albums by Hancock’s sextet: Mwandishi (1970), Crossings (1971), and Sextant (1972), released at a time when Hancock was looking for a new direction in which to take his music:
“I began to feel that I had been spending so much time exploring the upper atmosphere of music and the more ethereal kind of far-out spacey stuff. Now there was this need to take some more of the earth and to feel a little more tethered; a connection to the earth…I was beginning to feel that we (the sextet) were playing this heavy kind of music, and I was tired of everything being heavy. I wanted to play something lighter.” (Hancock’s sleeve notes: 1997 CD reissue)
For the new album, Hancock assembled a new band, The Headhunters, of whom only Bennie Maupin had been a sextet member. Hancock handled all synthesizer parts himself (having previously shared these duties with Patrick Gleeson) and he decided against the use of guitar altogether, favouring instead the clavinet, one of the defining sounds on the album. The new band featured a tight rhythm and blues-oriented rhythm section, and the album has a relaxed, funky groove that gave the album an appeal to a far wider audience.
Other releases from this artist
Shouts
-
Phyllobius wrote:
10/10
-
antonio91 wrote:
this album changed my musical direction.
-
Ackibear wrote:
Wow, this album is fantastic. A masterpiece for sure.
-
jeffsumter789 wrote:
I love this album! It has been a monthly staple of mine since I purchased it as a teen for Christmas in 1973. What I really loved was "Chameleon".......the song changes tone and color just like the animal! What I don't like about this version is that they shorten it.....those flavors and chordal tones are what make the song so potent. Last.fm-play the whole version,please!
-
lovelikesummer wrote:
amazing
-
neithere wrote:
Хамелеон -- блеск! Более 30 лет прошло, но творчество Хэнкока не стареет; более того, оно продолжает казаться экспериментальным. :)
-
Felipe_P_A wrote:
this album changes my life!
-
don_alehandro wrote:
AMAZING ALBUM! Greetings from Poland (Oakland Minetown - Dabrowa Gornicza)
-
kirpid wrote:
some classy funkness
-
DavMon420 wrote:
chameleon<3333333 simply amazing
-
Lebulte wrote:
lisent the Poncho Sanchez version.....
-
TINTHEMAN wrote:
Funkaaaayyy!!!!
-
alexp3 wrote:
This is the Watermelon Man from Takin' Off, NOT from Head Hunters, they are rather different
-
MamaLuigi wrote:
Wow, amazing then and still is today! It seems like it was really ahead of its times back in the 70s.
-
acastro26 wrote:
Herbie is always looking for possibilities with his music. That is what makes him a master musician. His work with Miles Davis is priceless.
-
VMoney23 wrote:
Great stuff
-
RocketV wrote:
Fuck man trippy!
-
BROOKLYN-BORN wrote:
This is what you called head music back in the day, still bad today. BROOKLYN-BORN 11/21/08
-
zachwernicke wrote:
HOLY BALLS THIS IS INCREDIBLE
-
joannnyc wrote:
he is good ; baby
Listeners
-
tomeike
Listening now
to Watermelon Man -
graeme_on
Top Listener
-
crazyeye
Top Listener
-
Epiktetus
Top Listener
-
rossimlach
Top Listener
-
henouk
Top Listener
Recent Activity
-
selectormoldy and Forteski added Herbie Hancock – Head Hunters to their libraries. 15 hours ago
-
Forteski and LastBenway added Herbie Hancock – Head Hunters to their libraries. Monday morning
-
Forteski tagged Head Hunters with ‘worldwide’. Monday morning
-
Parisblues tagged Herbie Hancock – Head Hunters with herbie hancock-head hunters, hhancock and herbie hancock. last week
-
tomypiano and charles7691 added Herbie Hancock – Head Hunters to their libraries. 10 days ago
-
temurzyn tagged Herbie Hancock – Head Hunters with must have, favorite albums, jazz-funk and 5 other tags. 14 days ago
-
cayeyo tagged Herbie Hancock – Head Hunters with jazz-funk, jazz fusion and jazz. 14 days ago
-
_GooglePlex_ shared Head Hunters with VelvetSanchez. 16 days ago
-
missjivi, okibono, katofox and 6 other people added Herbie Hancock – Head Hunters to their libraries. 17 days ago
-
craneodebondad tagged Head Hunters with ‘jazz’. last month
Related Journals
-
Best Songs of 1973 - One Man's Opinion
by tihsymtae |
25 Jul 2009 | Add comment
-
Hancock and Funk
by shebadiah |
5 Dec 2008 | 1 comment
-
Artistic Partnerships
by Retronius |
29 Oct 2008 | Add comment
