About this Performance

In 1973, Herbie Hancock wanted to create something new—something lighter, funkier: something you could dance to. “There was this need to take some more of the earth and to feel a little more tethered,” he’s said. Taking a few musical cues from Sly & The Family Stone, Curtis Mayfield, and The Pointer Sisters, Herbie rounded up drummer Harvey Mason, saxophonist Bennie Maupin, percussionist Bill Summers, and bassist Paul Jackson, and he got to work. 

The album they made together, Head Hunters, wasn’t just one of the best albums of Herbie’s career—it’s one of the greatest albums of all time, according to Rolling Stone. It was a smash hit, becoming one of the best-selling jazz albums in history. By bringing a funk sensibility to jazz, Herbie and the Headhunters, as they christened themselves, turned jazz into a pop phenomenon, serving up their marvelously complex rhythm experiments in an easy-to-understand package. The album’s styling and groove made it an immediate dance-floor favorite; hip-hop producers have been mining Head Hunters for samples ever since. 

Now, fifty years later, Herbie reunites with all of the original players from the Head Hunters recording for the first time since 1973: Harvey Mason, Bennie Maupin, and Bill Summers, plus bassist Marcus Miller, who fills in for the late Paul Jackson. This will be the band’s only appearance, so don’t miss your chance to experience one of the greatest groups in jazz history.

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