Herbie Hancock - Head Hunters

Herbie Hancock's Head Hunters may not have gone down too well with the jazz purists of the day. But it was a commercial and artistic success: it was the first jazz album to go platinum and was even added to the Library of Congress's archive of culturally valuable records. Hancock's fusion jazz sounds as fresh and vital today as it did when it was first released. Together with Miles Davis, the pianist and keyboardist had repeatedly pushed the boundaries of the avant-garde, but never before had he allowed himself such a groovy sound as on Head Hunters.

With Head Hunters, Herbie Hancock defined the funk-jazz genre in 1973, bringing fusion and funk together and finally making the synthesiser acceptable in jazz. Sly Stone, Curtis Mayfield and James Brown can be heard in the melodies, and the rhythms are rooted in funk, soul and R'n'B, but the sensibility comes from jazz. Hancock on synthesiser and Bennie Maupin on sax lay effective solos and soundscapes over the lush beats and grooves. After his more experimental, avant-garde albums, Head Hunters sees Hancock move towards a more grounded and danceable sound, making jazz accessible to a wider audience.