THE HEADHUNTERS

Herbie Hancock originally assembled the band for his 1973 album Head Hunters. The Headhunters' new lineup & instrumentation, retaining only wind player Bennie Maupin, from the previous sextet, reflected his new musical direction. Bassist Paul Jackson was the only other member who maintained a continuous presence in the lineup, in subsequent recordings & concerts. On the originating album, the other band members were Bill Summers (percussion) & Harvey Mason (drums). They continued to work with Hancock throughout the seventies, although the precise line-up varied from album to album. For the next Headhunters album, 1974's Thrust, Mike Clark took over drumming duties. Both Mason and Clark contributed drums to the Hancock's 1975's solo album Man-Child, which featured guest appearances from Stevie Wonder on harmonica and Wayne Shorter on soprano sax in its greatly expanded line-up. (The release notes for Man-Child credit 18 musicians, in contrast to the simple quintet of their read more...