The godfathers of funk and fusion, whose hits 'Chameleon' and 'Watermelon Man' continue to be played the world over are finally coming to the Australian circuit. Originally fronted by Herbie Hancock, The Headhunters' Australian tour will feature funk-drummer extraordinaire Mike Clark, master percussionist Bill Summers, the amazing Jerry Z on hammond organ and bass and Australian composer and guitar innovator Marc Mittag. Fans of the Headhunters will be treated to their classic hits along with songs from their new album and compositions by Mittag.
BILL SUMMERS (percussion), the world's leading ethnomusicologist, has touched the music of Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder, Kenny Loggins, Miles Davis, Wynton Marsalis, Anita Baker, Sting, Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter, Billy Cobham, Roy Ayers, Ron Carter and the list goes on.
MIKE CLARK (drums) is the most sampled drummer in the world. He made a name for himself on Herbie Hancock's 1970s Thrust album and has performed with jazz greats such as Chet Baker, Tony Bennett, Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson, Bobby Hutcherson, Davie Liebman, Bobby McFerrin, Al Jarreau, Nat Adderly, Brand X and the legendary Gil Evans. His drum samples have been featured on recordings as diverse as Britney Spears and Snoop Dog. Most recently he has been performing with the legendary bassists, Stanley Clarke and Ron Carter.
JERRY Z (keyboards) has performed and recorded with Doug Munro, Delbert McClinton, Hiram Bullock, Adam Nussbaum, John Scofield, Mark Whitfield, Bernard Purdy, Fred Wesley, Oz Noy, and others. More recently, Jerry Z has been touring with the Headhunters and Mike Clark's 'Prescription Renewal Trio'. Notable collaborations include two recordings for soul-jazz pioneer Melvin Sparks' 'Groove On Up' (featuring Z's funky opus 'Onion Patch') and 'This Is It'; Jim Payne's 'Sensei' and 'Energie'; and John Basile's 'It Was A Very Good Year.'
And introducing MARC MITTAG (guitar). An Australian guitarist, Marc recorded his debut album 'The Interview', with Mike Clark (The Headhunters), Charles Fambrough (McCoy Tyner, Art Blakey) and Eric Udel (Ray Charles, The Blues Brothers) in NYC. He has produced music for film and television for companies in the US, Ireland, Australia and France and was the guitarist with indie band Standing on Shoulders (formerly Skinful) when their single 'Finding Myself' reached number 26 in the Irish charts in 2007. Click here for more info and tickets |
