Head Hunters: The Making of Jazz's First Platinum Album (Jazz Perspectives)

by StevenF.Pond (Author)

• Used

  Hardcover
  2005

  $53.92

  This is the story of one of the most influential and controversial jazz recordings of the twentieth century. Head Hunters captures a transitional moment in music history, a time when jazz and rock combined to create a whole new, often controversial, genre. Symbolizing that genre was Herbie Hancock's 1973 album Head Hunters , this was hancock's foray into the fusion jazz market, the first jazz album to go platinum, and the best-selling jazz album of all time to that point. The album became a flash point for a major shift, in both the production and reception of jazz; the sales numbers were unprecedented, and the music industry quickly responded to the expanded market, with production and promotion budgets rising tenfold. Such a radical shift helped musicians pry open the door to the control booth, permanently enlarging their role in production. But, it was all at a cost as critics, believing jazz to be appropriated by rock and funk, became increasingly alarmed at what they saw as jazz's imminent death.