INDY'S WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTING ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

No Herbie? No problem!

The Headhunters The Jazz Kitchen Monday, June 20 Many may remember Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters from their funky crossover albums in the early ’70s. Herbie no longer tours with the group, and this reflects a greater concern among jazz fans. When a group’s public figurehead dies or moves on, is the rest of the band still viable? Miles, Coltrane and Sun Ra are gone, so why waste money on their sidemen? But all parts make up the whole, and the Headhunters proved they were just as funky as ever when they rocked the Jazz Kitchen last Monday. While Herbie wasn’t behind the keyboards that night, the rest of the group proved they were always just as good — just never as well-known. Mike Clark’s drumming alone could have compensated the door charge, but that’s not even considering the other four members. With a skilled percussionist and bassist adding to the solid foundation, every last note was in the pocket and nobody jumped the gun. Despite current trends towards synths, Robert Walter tickled ivories Stevie Wonder-style with a classic double-stack of Rhodes and Clavinet. The funky renditions sounded just like the original vinyl. Skerik was less of a saxman and more of a shaman that night. He turned his back on the audience and leaped around the stage like a Wildman. The Headhunters drove the crowd nuts on sets like “Sly” and the finale closer, “Chameleon.” If conga segue and a foray into old-timey blues on “Chameleon” wasn’t enough, the fans demanded an encore, and democracy prevailed. The crowd danced in the aisles, and even without Herbie they got more than their money’s worth that “heady” evening.