Tracks
- Chameleon
- Watermelon Man
- Sly
- Vein Melter
Head Hunters is a jaunty album. The music is jazz funk, which means it's jazz with a groove common to funk. It's also electric which is becoming more common in jazz.
The groove that is laid down on the four pieces seems to add a new dimension to jazz; it adds a lot more repetition than seems normal. Of course, there's whole lot of improvisation going on on top so it's not too extreme.
Strangely enough, this album is quite measured and tame compared to how crazy jazz can get and how energetic funk can be. It sounds sophisticated and mellow. It wonder if that's because the keyboards take more precedence than the horns. The drums and bass are certainly active enough.
I do like this album a lot, although it took some time to acquire a taste for it. Perhaps I just haven't heard much jazz recently. I also really don't have a problem with the use of electric instruments in jazz where purists seem to take issue with their use and perhaps rightly so for the following reason: electric keyboards and electric bass just haven't been perfected enough to be tolerated and horns have been part of jazz since the beginning. Fortunately, Herbie Hancock is a talented musician so the keyboards are tolerable.
I think this album is worth listening to. I don't think there's anything wrong with it being on the 1001 Albums list. Jazz is significantly less popular than it was in previous decades, so unfortunately Herbie Hancock and this album aren't powerful enough to inspire musicians to try jazz instead of rock. But it's seems like a good effort and a new style to boot.
All the songs are quite good. The stand outs are Chameleon, Watermelon Man and Sly. Vein Melter is good, too, but one that I haven't completely warmed up to.
★★★★★★★★★★
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