The Headhunters
| The Headhunters | |
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| Background information | |
| Genres | Jazz fusion |
| Years active | 1973–2000s |
| Labels | Columbia, Verve Forecast, Basin Street, P-Vine, Owl Studios |
| Past members | |
The Headhunters was an American jazz-fusion band formed by Herbie Hancock in 1973. The group fused jazz, funk, and rock music.
In 1973, the band comprised Hancock (keyboards), Bennie Maupin (saxophone, clarinet), Harvey Mason (drums), Paul Jackson (bass), and Bill Summers (percussion). Their first album, Head Hunters, sold more than one million copies. For the next album, Thrust, Mike Clark took over as drummer. Both Mason and Clark contributed drums to Hancock's 1975's album Man-Child, which featured 18 musicians.
In 1975, The Headhunters recorded Survival of the Fittest, their first album without Hancock. The album contained a hit, "God Make Me Funky" which was sampled by the Fugees and others. On some re-issues of the album, the band's music is called space funk.
As the 1970s turned to the 1980s, Hancock drifted away from the band as he moved into his electro-oriented phase, and they ceased operation as a visible unit. The band reunited with Hancock for the 1998 album Return of the Headhunters.
Clark, Jackson and Summers have since continued recording and performing as the Headhunters, with varied incarnations, such as Victor Atkins or Robert Walter filling in for Hancock on keyboards, and utilizing Donald Harrison as often as possible. They released an album, Evolution Revolution, for Basin Street Records in 2003, and backed up the saxophonist Rebecca Barry on her 2005 album Rebecca Barry and the Headhunters. They toured again in 2008, with Jerry Z on keyboards and bassist T.M. Stevens, and in 2009 played gigs featuring Geri Allen on keyboards and Harrison on alto, with Richie Goods playing bass.
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