Watermelon Man - Herbie Hancock, Head Hunters (1973)
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 Zatkin1
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.56
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
#jazz #jazzfunk #fusion #herbiehancock #pauljackson #headhunters
Footnotes
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RVM: Head Hunters Production Credits - Fred Catero engineer, Wally Heider Studios and Different Fur Trading Co. ↩ ↩2
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Wikipedia: Head Hunters - Personnel, tight rhythm section creating funk sensibility ↩ ↩2
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Guitar World: Paul Jackson Interview - Modified Fender Telecaster Bass with four Bartolini Hi-A pickups, no volume/tone controls ↩
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r/Bass: Paul Jackson's Bass on Head Hunters - Fred Catero mixed each string's output to center for unique sound ↩ ↩2
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Bassline Publishing: Watermelon Man Course - Bass part built around tenths (double-stops) ↩
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Wikipedia (French): Paul Jackson - Three-note chords rare on bass, revolutionary technique ↩
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Wikipedia: Watermelon Man - James Brown and Sly Stone influences, eight-bar addition ↩
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Pitchfork: Head Hunters Review - Beer bottle solo, Mbuti Pygmy influence, "best bassline on the album" ↩ ↩2
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r/Jazz: Herbie Hancock Guide - Best-selling jazz album, complete rearrangement ↩ ↩2
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Pitchfork: Paul Jackson Obituary - Sampled by J Dilla, Digable Planets, Madonna ↩
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r/Bass: RIP Paul Jackson - 16th note grooves, legendary influence ↩