Herbie Hancock

Head Hunters (1973) was the first offering of Herbie's new backing band, the Head Hunters. In his own words: ''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.'' This is one of Herbie's funkiest records and one of the best selling albums in Jazz, due to the fact it appealed to a broad audience. With Head Hunters, Hancock claims a stake in Jazz with his infectuous synthesizers and clavinet melodies on top of a supertight groove, augmented by subtile horn soloing. Classic songs such as ''Chameleon'' and ''Watermelon Man'' are living proof of his genius and ability to craft a coherent jazz fusion album. Special mention for drummer Harvey Mason, bassist Paul Jackson and reedist Bernie Maupin, who also contributed to Miles Davis' Bitches Brew.

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