It grooves, but there is also a bit of experimentation
Jeffrey J.Park | Massachusetts, USA | 03/18/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Following the release of the highly experimental Sextant (1973), Head Hunters (also 1973) was an attempt to make the overall sound more accessible - Herbie (Hancock) describes in the liner notes of this reissue that he wanted to become more "grounded". It is important to note however, that while there may be more in the way of funky grooves on Head Hunters, there are also bits of the experimental approach used on Sextant here and there.
The lineup includes bandleader Herbie Hancock (Fender Rhodes electric piano, Hohner D6 Clavinet, ARP Odyssey, ARP Pro Soloist, and pipe), Bernie Maupin (bass clarinet, soprano and tenor saxophones, saxello, and alto flute), Paul Jackson (electric bass guitar, marimbula), Harvey Mason (drums), and Bill Summers (various percussion, agogo, congas, log drum, beer bottle).
In terms of the tunes, they are generally pretty long (6:29 to 15:41) and present a nice mixture of traditional jazz rock themes, syncopated funk, and more experimental approaches to composition. I was glad to see that Herbie had not abandoned the use of synthesizers, and the ARPs are used quite a bit throughout. There is some very interesting use of percussion on this album too - particularly the use of the beer bottle as a musical instrument. The grooves are just fantastic - many of which revolve around the bass guitar line - this was a great lineup and the rhythm section is pretty tight.
This remastered album features good sound quality and liner notes written by Herbie. He provides good insight into why this album was made the way it was.
All in all, this is a fine album of funky and experimental jazz rock with enough variation in each composition that it makes for a very interesting listen. As a fan of progressive rock, jazz rock, and "straight" jazz, I found a lot to like here. Highly recommended along with Thrust (1974)."
Track Listings (4) - Disc #1