Head Hunters – Herbie Hancock Album Review

Head Hunters – Herbie Hancock Album Review

Release Date: October 26, 1973
Duration: 41:34
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Funk, Fusion, Jazz-Funk, Modal Music, Post-Bop, Piano Jazz,

Review by: John F. Allen

I will be reviewing Head Hunters, the 12th studio album by acclaimed jazz pianist, keyboardist and composer Herbie Hancock. The album was released by Columbia Records, on October 26, 1973.
This is a must listen for anyone into jazz fusion, or funk music. I highly recommend this album to anyone watching this video.
NOTE
All of the musicians (with the exception of Mason) play multiple instruments on the album. Fun fact about Harvey Mason, he is now one fourth of the smooth jazz supergroup. FOURPLAY!

MUSICIANS

Also featured on this album along with Hancock:
Herbie Hancock – electric piano, and synthesizers
Bennie Maupin – tenor sax, soprano sax, bass clarinet, alto flute
Paul Jackson – bass guitar and other instruments
Harvey Mason – drums; arrangement on “Watermelon Man”
Bill Summers – cabasa, congas, log drum, tambourine; and other instruments. He also played beer bottle on “Watermelon Man”

Hancock and the collaborators mentioned would later go on to be known as the jazz fusion band called The Head Hunters.

SIDE ONE:


CHAMELEON – The synthesizer intro is catchy in and of itself, and when the drums begin and the keyboard bass line are layered in, I feel myself being blown away. However, when the horn start, stick a fork in me baby, I’M DONE! This is a dynamic, harmonic and hypnotic, heavily layered track that I can never tire of listening to. Then there’s the trippy, high voltage, psychedelic, synthesized crescendo, which leads to the funky, smooth wind down of tight keyboards and drums. Then, right before the track ends, the tempo picks back up with strong sax play. This track is what I’d imagine to be a tablet of acid for your ears.
MY GRADE: 9LPs

WATERMELON MAN – As a kid, I can remember listening to this track and loving it because of the sounds, especially in the intro. The woodwinds and beer bottle set the scene of a rain forest in my mind. Then, when the keyboards and synthesizers start and tempo speeds up, it captures all of my attention. For me, this track is more about the sounds than the feelings I get from listening. However, the feelings I get are those of rhythmic joy. The instrumentations is extremely layered
MY GRADE: 9LPs

SIDE TWO:

SLY – At first this track winds me up like a top and spins me with a trippy, melodic web of strong horns, rhythmic drums and light, psychedelic keyboards. It’s almost like a film soundtrack of the time. Then, about a quarter of the way into the track the tempo takes off like a rocket. I mean these cats were jammin’ so fast and hard, I got high just listening. This track does a lot and each change in tempo was like listening to about three different tracks and each one was great in its own right, but coming together, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
MY GRADE: 9LPs

VEIN MELTER – This is the most mellow track on the album and while it almost doesn’t really fit with the marathon of jazzy funk we got from the tracks which preceded it, it holds its own and I think ends the album nicely. I found myself very reflective while listening to this track and it served to show me the flip side of these musicians playing coin. A very meditative sounding track indeed.
MY GRADE: 9LPs

My Favorite Tracks on This Album:

1) Chameleon
2) Watermelon Man
3) Sly
4) Vein Melter


I enjoyed this album more than I can adequately describe, which is why I rate it 10 LPs!
Each track is a masterpiece as its own entity, but in its entirety, the album is a CLASSIC!



Well, that about wraps up this review of Herbie Hancock’s Head Hunters. Please drop a comment in the comments section and let me know your thoughts and rating of this album.
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