# Watermelon Man - Herbie Hancock, Head Hunters (1973) ## Recording Information **Album:** Head Hunters **Recorded:** August-September 1973 **Studio:** [[Wally Heider Studios]], San Francisco & Different Fur Trading Co., San Francisco **Engineer:** Fred Catero, Jeremy Zatkin[^1] **Producer:** [[Herbie Hancock]], David Rubinson **Label:** Columbia Records **Personnel:** [[Herbie Hancock]] (Fender Rhodes, Hohner Clavinet D6, ARP Odyssey, ARP Soloist), [[Bennie Maupin]] (saxophones, bass clarinet, alto flute), [[Paul Jackson]] (electric bass, marímbula), Bill Summers (percussion, beer bottle), Harvey Mason (drums)[^2] ## Recording Setup **Bass tone - the star:** [[Paul Jackson]] used a modified Fender Telecaster Bass nicknamed "Geraldine" with four Bartolini Hi-A pickups (precursor to modern Bartolinis).[^3] Each string had its own output channel. Engineer [[Fred Catero]] took each string's individual output and mixed them to center, creating the unique, fat bass sound.[^4] Jackson's bassline features double-stops (tenths) and three-note chords—rare for bass and revolutionary for funk.[^5][^6] **Funk influence:** Reworked from the 1962 hard bop original with James Brown and Sly & the Family Stone influences, adding an eight-bar section.[^7] The opening features Bill Summers' beer bottle solo imitating the hindewho flute used by Mbuti Pygmies of Zaire, combined with handclaps, shekere, and falsetto ad-libs.[^8] **Rhythm section:** [[Paul Jackson]] and Harvey Mason created a tight, relaxed funk pocket that crossed jazz listeners into R&B territory and vice versa.[^2] Jackson played in the altissimo register (high notes uncommon for bass), crafting what Pitchfork called "the best bassline on the album—better even than 'Chameleon.'"[^8] ## Production State-of-the-art multitrack recording at [[Wally Heider Studios]] (San Francisco's premier facility) and Different Fur Trading Co.[^1] Digital era approaching but still analog tape. Direct bass outputs with individual string processing created unprecedented bass clarity and fatness.[^4] ## Notable Characteristics Complete reimagining of Hancock's 1962 composition. The funk arrangement made it unrecognizable from the original bop version.[^9] Head Hunters became the best-selling jazz album of all time (eventually), moving over 1 million copies.[^9] "Watermelon Man" sampled extensively in hip-hop by J Dilla, Digable Planets, Madonna, and others.[^10] Jackson's 16th-note grooves and double-stop technique influenced an entire generation of funk bassists.[^11] The track exemplifies jazz-funk fusion's peak moment, where traditional African percussion meets electric bass innovation. ## Footnotes [^1]: [RVM: Head Hunters Production Credits](https://rvm.pm/herbie-hancock-head-hunters/) - Fred Catero engineer, Wally Heider Studios and Different Fur Trading Co. [^2]: [Wikipedia: Head Hunters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_Hunters) - Personnel, tight rhythm section creating funk sensibility [^3]: [Guitar World: Paul Jackson Interview](https://www.guitarworld.com/features/paul-jackson-on-herbie-hancocks-watermelon-man) - Modified Fender Telecaster Bass with four Bartolini Hi-A pickups, no volume/tone controls [^4]: [r/Bass: Paul Jackson's Bass on Head Hunters](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bass/comments/uk1ww/the_bass_paul_jackson_played_on_herbie_hancocks/) - Fred Catero mixed each string's output to center for unique sound [^5]: [Bassline Publishing: Watermelon Man Course](https://www.basslinepublishing.com/video-section/herbie-hancock-watermelon-man/) - Bass part built around tenths (double-stops) [^6]: [Wikipedia (French): Paul Jackson](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Jackson_(musicien)) - Three-note chords rare on bass, revolutionary technique [^7]: [Wikipedia: Watermelon Man](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watermelon_Man_(composition)) - James Brown and Sly Stone influences, eight-bar addition [^8]: [Pitchfork: Head Hunters Review](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/herbie-hancock-head-hunters/) - Beer bottle solo, Mbuti Pygmy influence, "best bassline on the album" [^9]: [r/Jazz: Herbie Hancock Guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/Jazz/comments/gpbn3g/guide_to_herbie_hancock_19731975_headhunters/) - Best-selling jazz album, complete rearrangement [^10]: [Pitchfork: Paul Jackson Obituary](https://pitchfork.com/news/paul-jackson-jazz-bassist-who-played-with-herbie-hancock-dies-at-73/) - Sampled by J Dilla, Digable Planets, Madonna [^11]: [r/Bass: RIP Paul Jackson](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bass/comments/m7vx46/rip_paul_jackson_most_known_for_his_work_on/) - 16th note grooves, legendary influence #jazz #jazzfunk #fusion #herbiehancock #pauljackson #headhunters