For the last few months, I've been really getting into jazz. I grew up with a good amount of jazz music and am already familiar with a fair share of artists. My Mom was a big fan of smooth jazz artists like Anita Baker, George Benson, and Sade, to name a few. My dad also enjoyed the easy listening music and would always tune into Newark, New Jersey's famed jazz station, 88.3 whenever driving or cooking. So while I always had an appreciation for it, I now am doing research about its history, its many transformations and the lives and journeys of jazz musicians.
One musician who has struck my interest is Herbie Hancock. I am still unfamiliar with his much of his work but when I first heard the song, 'Watermelon Man,' I was amazed.
Hancock is one of the last musicians to have written a well known jazz standard, a musical composition that is often remade and rerecorded, making is widely known to listeners. Many jazz enthusiasts shy away from jazz funk, but I love it and I love the funk influence, though faint, in this song. The version above was Hancock's second recording of 'Watermelon Man," the first version was actually more traditional. I like both.
One of my favorite Latin artists, Afro-Cuban percussionists Mongo Santamaria, created his own version during the same year as Hancock's first recording in 1962. I could be mistaken, but I'm sure that will this is certainly latin jazz, the beat is a cha-cha beat. Whatever it is, it's also funky and fresh.
So here it guys! Throwback Tuesdays on CPT time. I hope you all enjoy.
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