Have you read his memoir? He was in an arms race with Stevie Wonder to be the first person to get the newest keyboard tech. The two of them were always 1-2. Machines that cost 6 figures in the 70s
Melvin Ragin aka Wah Wah Watson is my uncle! Just celebrated his passing last week!! This video is so awesome and thanks for posting!!! Just seeing him with that Gibson L5 which was given to him by Ray Parker Jr. He played on a lot of hit records to include Let’s Get It On, Papa Was A Rolling Stone, Car Wash, I Will Survive, Maxwell’s first cd and so many other records!! Miss you Unc but I hear you almost everyday still on the radio!!!! RIP!!!!!!!!
Totally agree , and if you played piano as in the bloody Ad why would you be struggling with hand coordination? Back to the video - absolutely brilliant, as a sax player I wish the tenor was up more in the mix . Echoes of Sanders .
R.I.P to the great Mr. WATSON! And all the legendary men of the past that paved the way for a young black musician as my self to even get the opportunities I have now. ❤ Hope I can do the same.
One of the best things about attending concerts during the '70's and '80's was how much the musicians enjoyed experimenting with different sounds on standards and hit recordings. Rarely did they perform a song exactly as it was presented on the album. Concerts were for pushing the envelope and branching out to new horizons.
@@JJJJJVVVVVLLLLL When digital recording and sequencing started to happen in the late 80’s, that gave musicians options for robot accompaniment. You could make music sound more perfect at the expense of its honesty. Soul-killing!
Obviously, the music is wildly great but I also just love the esthetic of 70's TV. The overlayed, bluescreen shots they use to feature 2 players at once, the way the sax reflects the studio lights and the camera just can't handle it so it produces that pink glow, muah! Chef's kiss!
Many have no idea that this man is playing on the song" Cloud 9" by the Motown Temptations & that changed the sound of soul in the late 60's and early 70's. I played on the stage with him myself( as my mom and dad watched)along with the soon to be Drummer and song writer for the Jimmy Caster Bunch(Elwood Henderson). And on our break at a local club in his and our hometown of Richmond VA. He was with Motown and told us about 5 young cats from Gary Indiana he had done sessions with. Exactly 2 weeks later the Jackson 5's 1st hit came over the local Radio airwaves, "I WANT YOU BACK". And the rest was history.The bassist also with him went on to play with Bobby Taylor and the Van Cougars and then with Donny Hathaway his name was( bassie )Irvin Saunders and can be seen on the flip Wilson 70's show with Donnie Hathaway.Elwood and myself were kids of 16 years old at the time. The year was 1969.
Awesome... Thank for sharing that story. Yes when Motown hired Norman Whitfield to produce for them, Me!vin & Ray Parker were his go to guitar players. Mr Whitfield used Melvin on many many sessions that he produced. He was an amazing and funky guitarist.
Beautiful story! I Grew up in Motown with the kids of Motown legends. I love every part of that musical experience. I played the drums and was the funky white boy!! Great times
First of all, Paul Jackson is probably the most underrated bassist. Funky is an understatement. Benny Maupin, Wah Wah, are killers. Miss this era of music. Of course, Herbie is the Man!!!
If you were one that read the back of album covers, you know Wah Wah worked plenty. In the ‘70s he was everywhere. As a guitarist myself, I loved his playing. I was a Headhunters fan too. This makes me want to perform again. Let’s see, where is my dashiki?
Yeah Melvin Ragin aka Wah Wah Watson is my uncle and he had no shortage of work even thru all of the changes of music and the business!! Unc is my hero and he always told me work and develop your own sound! He said the people will call you for your sound! Unc truly had his sound down!!!!
Especially on old recordings like that, a lot of jams and concerts were filmed like shit, like focusing on the wrong musician and zooming on their face. This particular one with the tasteful special effects and cool camera angles is awesome
Musicians from the 90’s and back just have a purity you can’t fake or artificially create. Especially 70’s era. They just knew their instruments and were in total sync with them. Thank the human innovation of today that allows us to see them though.
So much sonic texture here and self-awareness in regards to the impact of volume levels. Nothing is ever in your face, everyone is pulling together for one lush and groovy ride. Spectacular!
To his nephew, I saw him with Herbie Hancock, Sheila E. ( before Prince). At Red Rocks.What was extraordinary was we got there early and they were setting up the stage. No musicians were out there except for him sitting on a folding chair playing, but it didn’t sound like any guitar sounds . No one was at the keyboard setup and it wasn’t until the show started that we realized it was him the whole time. By the way we are all musicians. One of the high points of my musical life 😢🎉❤
I play Keyboards, bass and guitar. This is a musical orgasm for me. Best of the best, making music history. Thanks for sharing this iconic performance.
You couldn’t be more diametrically opposed……algorithmic suggestion and human players. Or could you ? Musicians don’t always know the math they’re playing, yet they play it truthfully !!!
"WoW" I have known about Herbie for the longest time but Wah-Wah Watson, I never heard of before!! Just like the late Eva Cassidy after she died in 1996, the music industry realized her work & 'worldwide' she became popular & she was selling cd's out of the trunk of her car when she was playing, she died at age 33!!
I’m amazed….the art of musicianship lives on. Bassist keeping a groove Drums tight in that pocket Wah Wah doing Wah Wah things Herbie is a genius Sax putting the icing on the cake
Saw Herbie in Berlin Germany in early 2000's I could not believe the accoustics, or the funk which he produced. I thought I was inside a speaker cabinet during the whole show.
Wah Wah Watson was a GOAT. I've been playing guitar 49 years. He's the Truth. I grew up with professional musicians. My Uncle Don Myrick (EWF, Phil Collins, MJ)...comes to mind seeing him in the Pharaohs, rehearsing in the living room turned into a Woodwind/Sax Rehearsal studio, infused with African Incense, African Art. It brings you to time everything was real, not sampled. Instant creativity. I will be picking up some of Wah Wah's funky phrases...
Wah Wah used to come in to the flower shop I worked in on Sunset Blvd. back in the early '80s, he was a friend of the owner. I enjoyed his visits, always upbeat and smiling, RIP.
The Saddest day in my life, when I left this Vinyl Masterpiece in the back window of my Buick 76 Duece n a Quarter after a Saturday Night party, woke up on a Bright Sunday afternoon with a Deathly Shudder remembering this was left in a Sealed Oven warped Oh the Agony when I pulled it out the Furnace 😢
That's why there were shortages of keyboards in 1976! Herbie bought all of them!
😅
Have you read his memoir? He was in an arms race with Stevie Wonder to be the first person to get the newest keyboard tech. The two of them were always 1-2. Machines that cost 6 figures in the 70s
Oh shiet i just found gold.
Stage Manager: "Mr. Hancock. How many keyboard do you need tonight?"
Herbie Hancock: "Yes."
😂😂❤❤
That shirt Paul Jackson is wearing is unstoppable alone
Melvin Ragin aka Wah Wah Watson is my uncle! Just celebrated his passing last week!! This video is so awesome and thanks for posting!!! Just seeing him with that Gibson L5 which was given to him by Ray Parker Jr. He played on a lot of hit records to include Let’s Get It On, Papa Was A Rolling Stone, Car Wash, I Will Survive, Maxwell’s first cd and so many other records!! Miss you Unc but I hear you almost everyday still on the radio!!!! RIP!!!!!!!!
And quite a cool little Conga player you got there.
@@stevemartin4249 Thanks Steve!!
@@djcoolcliff Let us know when he goes pro!
Cheers from Japan!
@@stevemartin4249 Will do! Lol!!
@@djcoolcliff 😄
An Ad in the middle of a funky groove like this should be a criminal offense
Whoever put an ad in the middle of this masterpiece is going to hell!!!
So f..g annoying.
Ur in hell for not just paying 10$ a month lol. You probably see 1000 ads a day haha
@@ZachNelson-rl8vbfr, mad worth not seeing ads
Always some dick daeh who’s missing the point … Lol
Totally agree , and if you played piano as in the bloody Ad why would you be struggling with hand coordination?
Back to the video - absolutely brilliant, as a sax player I wish the tenor was up more in the mix .
Echoes of Sanders .
this video so old school with the editing tis dope
Wah Wah Watson is the best name ever for a guitar player
Beats Joe Strummer anyway.
@@zorbanongreco 'Fingers Malone'? 😎
@@maxwellsilver3115
Yes but..Who's he ?
Is he as good as
Twangy McTwang ?
Totes 😎
@@zorbanongreco 🤣
Man, how I like this!!!
His bass groove is nasty AF 🔥💃☝️
Paul Jackson is one of the greatest electric bassists in history
Yeah he deserved more camera time!
🧿💙MASTERPIECE !!!
ATOMICA JAZZ BOMB 💣🔥🎼🎵🎺🎻🎹🥁🎷
ALL THIS BEAUTIFULS MUSICIANS HAVE A LIGHT FROM THE OLIMPIO GODS !!!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐🧿
🎵😎
R.I.P to the great Mr. WATSON! And all the legendary men of the past that paved the way for a young black musician as my self to even get the opportunities I have now. ❤ Hope I can do the same.
I'm over 40 years old now, but when I grow up I still want to be Paul Jackson.
When jazz and funk get perfectly blend together... this monster is the result 😎
Certainly with help of disco, rock-n-roll and certainly fusion.
@@ondaride777 Disco means Dance Music,you can dance to anything
@@marcustrice3876 So if I played some Jazz, some Blues, some Rock, or some Country, you’d say “that’s Disco music”?
@@m.vonhollen6673 I love disco, but you got a point… 🤷♂️
From another dimension, just look at Herbie channelling…
What I’m amazed by, next tot the music, is the amazing chroma keying for 1976!!
It's outrageously good, so much care and effort went into it, almost on a par with the music itself.
211K? Bra this shit should have millions of viewssss
It's quality my friend, not quantity. The quantity perfer Taylor swift over this
Benny Maupin is cookin'!
One of the best things about attending concerts during the '70's and '80's was how much the musicians enjoyed experimenting with different sounds on standards and hit recordings. Rarely did they perform a song exactly as it was presented on the album. Concerts were for pushing the envelope and branching out to new horizons.
lucky I caught the tail end of that era. By the mid 90s shows were much more scripted imo.
@@JJJJJVVVVVLLLLL When digital recording and sequencing started to happen in the late 80’s, that gave musicians options for robot accompaniment.
You could make music sound more perfect at the expense of its honesty.
Soul-killing!
@@m.vonhollen6673 yeah that’s very true
In other words, they were just like the bands that I go out to see today.
did u attend one?
There isn’t a single musician on this video that isn’t in a class by themselves. Amazing.
Thank you youtube algorithm, your finally coming to your senses.
There's nothing this cool today.
@SmithMrCorona it's my opinion. You can have yours, too.
Have you heard any Vulfpeck?
Well, get to it then.
There very unique and talented driving through the woods listening to vulfpeck❤@@cooldebt
There is
Fourteen and a half minutes' worth of music, and it doesn't get boring for a single second. Geniuses, geniuses of the highest order...
Amen!
Back for another dose, thanks again!
Ever mean to click on a video for a second, and next thing you know you’ve watched it 2-3 times?
THIS.
Cleanest example of funk-Jazz ever. Herbie should be a household name
Herbie gets so engrossed in the jam, he doesn’t introduce himself. A musician’s musician- so selfless.
That timing shoulder is everything!
10:04
dude straight cold on it with the golden camel necklace and the most beautiful vintage gibson jazz box ive ever seen
People in the 70s were just cool
thank you
but fr i was not 😂
@@Johnmarkgifford hahahaha
That camera work , back then was as ground breaking as the Band
Facts!
Obviously, the music is wildly great but I also just love the esthetic of 70's TV. The overlayed, bluescreen shots they use to feature 2 players at once, the way the sax reflects the studio lights and the camera just can't handle it so it produces that pink glow, muah! Chef's kiss!
Very trippy! 😊
Amen. Love that. Just doesn't give the same effect today. No ghosting watching black and white TV either.
The musical communication here is on another level.
Absolutely
may the algorithm bless this gem. 💎
Many have no idea that this man is playing on the song" Cloud 9" by the Motown Temptations & that changed the sound of soul in the late 60's and early 70's. I played on the stage with him myself( as my mom and dad watched)along with the soon to be Drummer and song writer for the Jimmy Caster Bunch(Elwood Henderson). And on our break at a local club in his and our hometown of Richmond VA. He was with Motown and told us about 5 young cats from Gary Indiana he had done sessions with. Exactly 2 weeks later the Jackson 5's 1st hit came over the local Radio airwaves,
"I WANT YOU BACK". And the rest was history.The bassist also with him went on to play with Bobby Taylor and the Van Cougars and then with Donny Hathaway his name was( bassie )Irvin Saunders and can be seen on the flip Wilson 70's show with Donnie Hathaway.Elwood and myself were kids of 16 years old at the time. The year was 1969.
Awesome... Thank for sharing that story.
Yes when Motown hired Norman Whitfield to produce for them, Me!vin & Ray Parker were his go to guitar players.
Mr Whitfield used Melvin on many many sessions that he produced. He was an amazing and funky guitarist.
legend.
Niiiiice brother. Great story.
That riff @03:00
Beautiful story! I Grew up in Motown with the kids of Motown legends. I love every part of that musical experience. I played the drums and was the funky white boy!! Great times
Wah Wah scratching records as early as '76!!
First of all, Paul Jackson is probably the most underrated bassist. Funky is an understatement. Benny Maupin, Wah Wah, are killers. Miss this era of music. Of course, Herbie is the Man!!!
I agree my brother,Paul Jackson was a beast🙏🏽
U forgot to mention solid James Levi..
Herbie is the fucking best. All of these guys are savages.
This is criminally funky. Insanely tight groove. Very nice.
Damn right mate
Originally ❤
Now that’s some funky brothers right there!
If you were one that read the back of album covers, you know Wah Wah worked plenty. In the ‘70s he was everywhere. As a guitarist myself, I loved his playing. I was a Headhunters fan too. This makes me want to perform again. Let’s see, where is my dashiki?
Go for it!
Too bad Ray Parker Jr. is missing he was also on this cut.
Dust off that dashiki and play. Blessings to you.
In the closet, next to your Super suit.
Yeah Melvin Ragin aka Wah Wah Watson is my uncle and he had no shortage of work even thru all of the changes of music and the business!! Unc is my hero and he always told me work and develop your own sound! He said the people will call you for your sound! Unc truly had his sound down!!!!
Slow it down .75 on the speed & you won’t regret it !!!
It's been downhill from there.....spectacular music back in the day......
When the aliens arrive, this is what we should present to them as a gift from humanity.
I believe they are already here.
Right on right on 💃🏽🕺🏿
They'll already be listening 🎧 to it, cause they made us. Lol 😅
Check FDexter Wanzel Voyager album!. :-)
@@dropclutch1 Yes, when I listen to musicians like this I think they must be aliens themselves!
It really doesn't get any better than this.
It really doesn´t.
As my friend says, "Herbie ... doesn't suck". 🎹
It does
Read the next post
ESPECIALLY from 11:45 to the end.........herbie actually levitates to another planet when the song ends!!!!
This is why I love TH-cam 👊🏿
camera person did a great job in getting us as close as possible to allow us to feel each musician playing their part.
Finally! A cameraman who knows how to photograph musicians.
💯
Especially on old recordings like that, a lot of jams and concerts were filmed like shit, like focusing on the wrong musician and zooming on their face. This particular one with the tasteful special effects and cool camera angles is awesome
Those Danes clearly know how to appreciate great music - this was on TV! What brilliant programming plus a cameraman who really knew his stuff.
Not enuf bass and drums!
Musicians from the 90’s and back just have a purity you can’t fake or artificially create. Especially 70’s era. They just knew their instruments and were in total sync with them. Thank the human innovation of today that allows us to see them though.
I'm a Metalhead for decades but I also love Funk.
This song is groovy as hell.🇦🇹👋
The year I was born! Had to come when this funky gold was dug!
Herbie is my favorite jazz musician of ALL time.....................
This should be preserved in a museum and studied! ❤❤❤
It is. It's called Berkeley school of music 😂😂😂.
Jazzy, groovy, funky and i’m happy😎
Thank you
the piano & wah wah ad lib finale is incredible!
How Sweet It Is!
This is HEAVEN.
herbie hancock is so damn cool
That intro is sick!
These guys would be a dream to jam with.
Bob Juke uploading this is commendable
wow!!! funkier than the studio track!!! thanks
This is Insane good,,,what I call real funk,,70s style,,,,
This is next level after miles - I sure hope people talk about herbie later - his audience hasn't even been born yet.
HH left hand master class fr change my mind
Incredible music, wow. What these guys have left for humanity
I listend for over four minutes and I'm pregnant now.
Legend..mad cool🪕🪕🪕
1976 was the pinnacle of cool music and culture. ✌
So much sonic texture here and self-awareness in regards to the impact of volume levels. Nothing is ever in your face, everyone is pulling together for one lush and groovy ride. Spectacular!
To his nephew, I saw him with Herbie Hancock, Sheila E. ( before Prince). At Red Rocks.What was extraordinary was we got there early and they were setting up the stage. No musicians were out there except for him sitting on a folding chair playing, but it didn’t sound like any guitar sounds . No one was at the keyboard setup and it wasn’t until the show started that we realized it was him the whole time. By the way we are all musicians. One of the high points of my musical life 😢🎉❤
Magical.
I play Keyboards, bass and guitar.
This is a musical orgasm for me.
Best of the best, making music history.
Thanks for sharing this iconic performance.
Amazing thank you
From the Manchild album. My favorite Herbie Hancock album. Never gets old.
This video just made my dam day. That’s the good stuff.
This a stone groove my man!
Man's playing with so many keys I thought he was gonna take his socks and shoes off to hit some more
Thanks TH-cam algorithm for suggesting this gold, and cheers Bob for this amazing upload, absolutely banging!!!
Me too!!
Yeah. .. they finally got it right.
You couldn’t be more diametrically opposed……algorithmic suggestion and human players. Or could you ? Musicians don’t always know the math they’re playing, yet they play it truthfully !!!
Wah Wah was BRILLIANT! ❤️
Bennie Maupin …adds another dimension to the headhunters…funk on!!!! 😊
"WoW" I have known about Herbie for the longest time but Wah-Wah Watson, I never heard of before!! Just like the late Eva Cassidy after she died in 1996, the music industry realized her work & 'worldwide' she became popular & she was selling cd's out of the trunk of her car when she was playing, she died at age 33!!
I’m amazed….the art of musicianship lives on.
Bassist keeping a groove
Drums tight in that pocket
Wah Wah doing Wah Wah things
Herbie is a genius
Sax putting the icing on the cake
PREEEACH!!!!
drums are almost always straight time, the bass is FUNKY big time.
Love that nitrocellulose hiding blues over tones and primitive transistors!
Now we know what they meant by dropping the gold standard! 😂😢😅
This is elite level funk music!
These black musicians are a national treasure!
this tune make me realize we all are in same world but within it we are in different world created by yourself.....
You know it , grew up in Torrance, “Straight Out of Compton!” B. 1963…….
😂 right on bro
😂 right on bro
Saw Herbie in Berlin Germany in early 2000's I could not believe the accoustics, or the funk which he produced. I thought I was inside a speaker cabinet during the whole show.
Wah Wah Watson was a GOAT. I've been playing guitar 49 years. He's the Truth. I grew up with professional musicians. My Uncle Don Myrick (EWF, Phil Collins, MJ)...comes to mind seeing him in the Pharaohs, rehearsing in the living room turned into a Woodwind/Sax Rehearsal studio, infused with African Incense, African Art. It brings you to time everything was real, not sampled. Instant creativity. I will be picking up some of Wah Wah's funky phrases...
What an amazing environment thqt must have been to grow up in
Wow….these cats reminds us of true musicianship….playing from the soul and not the head…lol…lol
this is dumb as hwll
Wah Wah used to come in to the flower shop I worked in on Sunset Blvd. back in the early '80s, he was a friend of the owner. I enjoyed his visits, always upbeat and smiling, RIP.
Wow wow wahwah weee!! What a jam!
I meannnn the funk on display here is nuts, love herbie, one of the greats
My ear’s really liked what they heard…but my eyes really loved what they seen!! Dig it!!!
The TH-cam algorithm was kind to me tonight and put this awesome video in my path. Awesome musicians-
Kicking it. What an ensemble of amazing players.
Just a cookin' and a boilin' ! Can't not move to the groove! 😋
Groove!!!!!
The Saddest day in my life, when I left this Vinyl Masterpiece in the back window of my Buick 76 Duece n a Quarter after a Saturday Night party, woke up on a Bright Sunday afternoon with a Deathly Shudder remembering this was left in a Sealed Oven warped Oh the Agony when I pulled it out the Furnace 😢
Growing up as a kid I always wanted to be Herbie Hancock because he was so great at this.
Incredible footage ❤️❤️
Yeah, even the video work is amazing! 👍🏼
Pure genius! IQ level is through the roof on this entire set!
This is great footage
This is going on a play list
Lots of people think im weird for the music I dig but its all good it brings peace to my soul something they'll never understand.
Nah, this is great music.
I appreciate your taste in music.
@@JustDatBoi thanks bro
I do understand you!
Anyone who thinks you're weird for liking this, they're the weird ones 😂
Who wants to be considered normal in a effed up world like this?
Amazing.