Watermelon Man — Chord Changes & Harmonic Analysis
- Composer:
- Herbie Hancock
- Year:
- 1962
- Key:
- F major
- Form:
- Blues (16 bars)
- Style:
- Hard Bop
- Tempo:
- 100–140 BPM
A funky 16-bar blues with a memorable bass line. One of Herbie Hancock's most popular compositions, featuring a simple but infectious groove that made it a hit in both jazz and pop circles.
About This Standard
Composed by Herbie Hancock and recorded on his Blue Note debut Takin' Off (1962), Watermelon Man became a surprise hit when Mongo Santamaría recorded a Latin version that reached the pop charts in 1963. Hancock himself recorded a drastically different, African-influenced version on his groundbreaking fusion album Head Hunters (1973), one of the best-selling jazz albums of all time.
Notable recordings:
- Herbie Hancock — Takin' Off (1962)
- Mongo Santamaría — (1963, Latin pop crossover version)
- Herbie Hancock — Head Hunters (1973, African funk version)
Chord Changes
Notation
Harmonic Analysis
Watermelon Man is a 16-bar blues in F major (or C major in some arrangements) with a funky, gospel-blues feel. The changes follow a standard blues structure — I7 (F7), IV7 (Bb7), V7 (C7) — with a two-feel or funky 4/4 groove. The simplicity of the blues changes contrasts with the sophistication of Hancock's rhythmic approach and the blues vocabulary he brings to improvisation. The Head Hunters version adds a repeating 16th-note mbira (thumb piano) intro figure and a groove-focused fusion approach.