Herbie Hancock - Watermelon Man

[TheSunGlassesThing]

Wait a sec! This is my Dad's favorite song! :)

[supermanJOEL2]

what key is this in?

[LucaChiappara]

@supermanJOEL2 It's in F.

[funghighlsd25records]

i see you got out 2 lunch eric dolphy that ought 2 freak out people who thought they like jazz

[trine9able]

Love it - superfantastic, simple tune, but with all nuances and the rhythm of life - want to laugh and dance everytime I hear it! Thank you, Herbie Hancock

[trine9able]

Superfantastisk, enkelt - og dog med alle nuancer - livsbekræftende - lige i hjertet!

[Ecosse57]

i read that he used the money from the success of this song to buy an early (289) shelby cobra. word is he still has it.

class.

[rockmusiclover105]

this song gets me mad now because i have to play it in my class which i don't mind but then i have to improvise with the f blues scale and im not great at it.... plus i have to go to magnet night and other school stuff. i wish to be in senior band!!!!!!

[Kaori2931]

@rockmusiclover105 I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL! I have to do the same T_____T

[andrescabreraf]

Once Herbie said this song was called 'watermelon man' due to the watermelon sellers in the beach.which people use to call 'hey watermelon man come here'.

[braindamagedsheep]

@andrescabreraf Actually the rythm part he came up with from the sound the sellers carts made on the cobblestone roads in chicago where he grew up. the melody was his interpretation of the women on their back porches yellin 'hey watermelon man'. He discusses on Elvis Costello's show Spectacle.. Very much worth watching

[tsartodd]

i first heard that as background music on Howard Stern's radio show, of all places. absolutely classic :D

[claryscat]

Here is the deal, if you were a young Herbie and you was looking over at Billy Higgins... you would be laying it down too! I mean all the solos, Dexter is so blue he's purple! Freddie in his prime is ridiculous. Maestro Higgins was the groove master. Listen to that stuff right at the end when they are fading out... Billy!

[1400jacob]

epic trumpet solo

[meddlerinc]

I heard the 'Head Hunters' version, and I have a hard time deciding which I like more. :D

[ralee87]

BUmmm,what a song..

[jibsmokestack1]

Dexter was on fire on this album! I remember hearing herbie thank Dexter for making his debut album so special. It's also amazing how young Hubbard and Hancock were on this session!

[crunkaholic81]

i think music is so much better instrumental because the emotions cant be portrayed in human language

only though A,B,C,D,E,F,&G can these emotions can be shown

o make that two people will be attacked by the watermelon man and it will be when they least excpect it long live herbie

peace everybody

[oHeyitsthatguy]

@crunkaholic81 dumbass, theres other notes as well.

[crunkaholic81]

@oHeyitsthatguy of course there are you posh douchbag there are flat and sharp major, minor, seventh, extended, suspended and more but all goes back to those notes

[oHeyitsthatguy]

@crunkaholic81 Thats not what I meant. I mean there are other notes instead of A B C D E F and G. lul. Thanks for the compliment. Posh.

[crunkaholic81]

@oHeyitsthatguy well enlighten me what other notes are you refering to

[oHeyitsthatguy]

@crunkaholic81 ...are you serious? the other ones... A#/Bb C#/Db D#/Eb F#/Gb G#/Ab...

[crunkaholic81]

@oHeyitsthatguy if you refer to the comment where i call you a posh douch i believe i mentioned sharp and flat geez man open yer eyez

peaceman

[plimbuff]

@crunkaholic81, I checked.

You left no such comment.

oHeyit'sthatguy owned you.

[crunkaholic81]

@plimbuff really man i name a list of different types of notes

dude you need to slow down and read what you see before you post comments

this series of arguing on the intterner just drop it and enjoy a good song many times i come back on this particular video not to listen but to reply to all the bs being sent my way so if you please next time you have a thought let it go

[hulzsepperl]

only this mans can play music, realy!

[SonnyAmou]

Can someone tell me what kinda piano HH used for this recording? Was is a Baldwin acrosonic? Sure sounds like it.

This is a great song, but I always liked Driftin' more, which shows up on Side 2. All in all a great album...very upbeat.

[FrashhBoyss]

I like it

[prorein]

i like this

[tangente1000]

what's an watermelon man? what it means?

[DragonknightPM]

@tangente1000 I Think a man who sells Watermelon.

[tangente1000]

@DragonknightPM Thx! I thought it was a nickname or something like it. It has a video that shows the cover of an album, like a man with the watermelon-shaped head ... weird.

[DragonknightPM]

@tangente1000 I asked it to my guitar teacher and right in the caribean countries like Brazil in the beach sells watermelons and Brazil have the Bossa Nova a Jazz Fusion. That's why i think is called the song.

[tangente1000]

@DragonknightPM Brasil (Yes, with S) isn't a Caribbean country. Yes, here in Brasil, we have Bossa Nova what's maybe variation of Fusion Jazz, but in my 18 years of life, I never heard about watermelons sold in our beaches. (:

[DragonknightPM]

@tangente1000 In English is Brazil and I only say Bossa Nova comes from BraZil. :)

[sonarpak]

@tangente1000 simply, a man who's selling watermelon, Hancock said that on tv show, no kidding

[tangente1000]

@sonarpak thanks pal :D

[crunkaholic81]

@tangente1000 hey man check out this video in the sidebar called

Herbie Hancock ~ Watermelon Man~

the composer gives a lil bit of detail on the origin of the song

[CSASphinx]

Thanks for posting. Freddy Hubbard sets the tone early...that's some serious horn blowing.

[brootr]

It Rocks.... check my brazilian version out in my chanel! :)

[fifasuechtig]

We play it in the Junior- Band from our school.. :D

It Rocks



[sofajockey]

Dexter Gordon's solo is transcendent.

[voodoowop60s]

legendary version!!! thx

[toby495j]

By far the best piece of music I've ever heard in my life. We're playing this in Jazz Band, but it doesn't even come close to sounding as great as this, especially because no one else in that band can playing with feeling or soul.

HERBIE ROCKS!!!

[MalaTemporaCurrunt]

mellow

[AirsoftROFLROCKETS]

I knew i would find the original somewere...

[thescreamineagle]

@AirsoftROFLROCKETS hell yea man, this one grooves

[AthosAmo]

How does this get 11,637 views and less than ten comments?

[jadojinsu]

@AthosAmo

Everyone knows what's going on when they hear this. Hypnotized instantly, most people are unable to comment. ;)

[Grimfreak]

@AthosAmo Cause this piece of music is so great, that people dont have anything commenting about :P

[115Nevet]

one person will be attacked by the watermelon man

[freighter014]

@115Nevet for some reason that comment made me lol :)

[greenmonsterprod]

Very cool piece. And Mike & the 'bots were right; the music from "Danger!! Death Ray" sounds a lot like this.

[Dungyfan007]

@greenmonsterprod hahaha awesome i figured i was the only one who would connect this to mst3k

[OleBirdi]

This is just ....speechless

Great work im loving it

[Kellogs43able]

way, way cool...

[GuyKornowski]

GREAT!!!

This is fantastic, especially Freddie Hubbard's solo

[JalapenoJr]

heyyy watermelon man!

[rogerjazzfan]

The great Hancock debut in Blue Note! Thanks for this my friend.