Head Hunters
From that opening blood pumping, twelve note bassline ( bowbowbowbow bow bow) via an ARP Odyssey synthesizer on "Chameleon", Herbie Hancock minted a new classic album with 1973's Head Hunters. It was a defining work of music, a direction change from the "Mwandishi" days. One that proved very popular with jazz, R & B, and even rock fans. Not as spacey as some of Hancock's previous yet still airy and vast enough to get lost in. To feel transported. But also grounded. Has the vibe of street music. I mean that in terms of accessibility. Complex, but so easy to get into its groove. And very much of its time. The very fast tempo "Sly", which was dedicated to Sly Stone, feels like theme music to a '70s cop and/or blaxploitation movie. I've created a few in my head while listening. Sections of it seem perfectly fitting for a chase scene, perhaps through Harlem. The album's closer "Vein Melter" conversely is ...
