Head Hunters is much like the early '70s work of Hancock's former boss, Miles Davis. It adopts a whole new scope toward the idea of jazz. Where Davis had failed (commercially and critically) with On the Corner, Hancock proved successful on LP. Why? Herbie was holding the essential element to the jazz/funk equation: Head Hunters is first and foremost centered on funk. Davis was all over the place with On the Corner, mixing in bits and pieces from here and there, with musicians playing solos unrelated to the atmosphere of the track. Hancock, on the other hand, pours the funk on hard and lets the groove roll, then lays out jazz-powered solos. Take the opening track - also the single - "Chameleon," which starts out with a pulsating thump that pounds you right in the center of your chest. Then Harvey Mason pulls in behind with some snapping drum work, and Herbie kicks in the Clavinet with its wah style guitar sound. The track builds, drops and pulls back in with a variety of synths, but when it drops at 7:35 the track takes a great turn. Herbie lays on the Fender Rhodes, then begins sliding the ARP Odyssey underneath with intoxicating effects. Although this instrumental jam via the Rhodes would become a staple of '70s film and television scores, it still sounds fresh and brilliant, even if it may be a bit dated. But anyone will overlook that once they hear Bernie Maupin's reed work filling out the last jam of the track. Maupin's pulls out the stops and gives one of his finest solos riding the track out. Yet "Chameleon" may have been the popular single, the track of controversy is the reworking of Herbie's classic "Watermelon Man".

A selection of African based flute and whistle sounds introduce the track before Paul Jackson begins dropping in the bass. The reworking builds up a gentle mixture of percussion and handy keyboard work while Maupin plays the familiar melody. It keeps a solid pace until heading back into the instruments from the introduction. Though critics at the time considered it an exciting and original reworking that deserves acclaim, many purists were shocked. There is no dismissing the original; it is one of Herbie's finest tracks. The Head Hunters' version has the merit of standing alone as a separate piece of work. It shows the power of Hancock as brilliant arranger who can build an entirely new piece of work while staying true to the original piece.

Unfortunately, the last two tracks don't hold the power of their predecessors. With that said, "Sly" and "Vein Melter" do have their own merits. "Sly" is 10 minute track dedicated to one of the true Fathers of funk, Sly Stone (who, incidentally, was one of the biggest inspirations behind Miles Davis's rather unsuccessful On the Corner). Beginning with stop/start downbeat that owes more to James Brown than Sly, the tracks drop down into a solid party funk But the highlight of the two tracks is the laid back bordering on smooth, "Vein Melter". Starting out with bass drum dropping in on every first beat, Hancock drops the Clavinet. Then Maupin lays it on smooth setting the calm atmosphere as Herbie lets out beeps and blurps. One of the highlights is the pseudo-string section that mixes in with the Fender Rhodes. The weaving of Maupin's horn and Hancock's synth sounds give this track a subtle haunting that fades out an extraordinary LP.

Upon its release there was a lot of controversy over whether this release was really jazz; many critics still ask that question. Jazz was built on a hybrid of styles, Herbie, Miles and other pioneers of fusion were continuing that ideology. Since funk is based on jazz among other genres, its role in jazz is not that unusual. And as the to the instruments used, whether these jams were played on a Steinway or Fender Rhodes electric piano does not matter. Hancock has the same chops and still plays better than most.