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About The Headhunters
Instrument: Band / ensemble / orchestra
The Headhunters: The Stunt Man
by Doug Collette
With the half-century anniversaries of Herbie Hancock's work with the Headhunters having passed in roughly the last year--Head Hunters (Columbia, 1973) and Thrust (Columbia, 1974)--it is appropriate the current configuration of the group has continued regular activity. In fact, under the fitting tutelage of drummer Mike Clark and percussionist Bill Summers, the band has issued two albums of new material in this span of time. Speakers in the House (Ropeadope, 2022) is an album of dashing panache and ...
Continue ReadingThe Headhunters
by Lawrence Peryer
Back in the early '70s, drummer Mike Clark and bassist Paul Jackson were best friends living in East Oakland, playing flatbed gigs at Black Panther rallies, and generally raising hell. Cooking was not their forte, so the barbecue joint next door became a hangout. Mrs. Jones (of Everett and Jones) asked them to write a song to promote the spot, and they came up with the first version of “God Made Me Funky." Bill Summers worked with Jackson at the ...
Continue ReadingHeadhunters: On Top: Live in Europe
by Mark F. Turner
It's been said that true funk can be imitated but never duplicated. But in the case of the Headhunters's 2 CD live recording On Top, the band--named after Herbie Hancock's 1973 groundbreaking release, Head Hunters (Columbia)--continues to uphold the groove. Master percussionist Bill Summers, one of the original members since the 1970s, has kept the essence of Hancock's music alive through various releases including 2003's Evolution Revolution (Basin Street Records). Recorded in Paris, France, this live document ...
Continue ReadingHeadhunters: Evolution Revolution
by C. Michael Bailey
The Headhunters have the previous distinction of being the strongest early component of Herbie Hancock's slick vision of jazz-fusion coupled with popular sensibilities. The band's association with Hancock resulted in 1973's Head Hunters, a disc that outsold the previously invincible Bitches Brew by Miles Davis. HeadHunters represented the apex of Hancock's fusion vision and the band, subsequently known as the Headhunters, was to return for four additional recordings by the pianist.
As a “solo" act, the Headhunters have also met ...
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