THE HEADHUNTERS *live

In the organizer's words:

The Headhunters: Style-defining jazz-funk ensemble on tour in Europe

The Headhunters, the legendary jazz-funk ensemble led by percussionist Bill Summers and drummer Mike Clark as well as Donald Harrison on alto saxophone, celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2023. They are now on an extensive European tour and will be stopping by at the Gretchen.

Few bands can look back on such an eventful history. Every single member of the band, founded by Herbie Hancock in 1973 around the recording of the classic albums "Head Hunters" and "Thrust", has made history. Together they brought fusion and funk together, defined the genre of funk jazz and finally made the synthesizer acceptable in jazz. The result is still sensational today. The melodies are reminiscent of Curtis Mayfield, James Brown and Sly Stone, the rhythms are rooted in funk, soul and R'n'B, but the sensitivity and freedom come from jazz. A grounded and danceable sound that made jazz accessible to a broader audience and left many a genre purist of the time deeply disturbed.

In 1975, the connection to Herbie Hancock was severed. Since then, eight more albums have been produced without Hancock's involvement, starting with Survival of the Fittest (1975) and Straight from the Gate (1977) and most recently Speakers In the House (2022) and Live From Brooklyn Bowl (2023). None of the spiritual energy and innovative spirit of the early days has been lost. Their blend of jazz, funk and fusion has inspired musicians of all genres over the decades and was sampled by countless hip-hop artists in the 80s and 90s.

The current band consists of a quintet with Clark, Summers and Harrison as well as bassist Chris Severin and pianist Kyle Roussel.