# Herbie Hancock explains how he composed Watermelon Man … Video

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2019/08/17/herbie-hancock-explains-how-he-composed-watermelon-man-video/
- Published: 2019-08-17T15:22:51+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**Herbie Hancock explains how he composed Watermelon Man and how Mongo Santamaria
influenced it. He then performs both the original 1962 and the 1973 Headhunters 
versions.**

“Mongo” Santamaría (April 7, 1917 – February 1, 2003) was a rumba quinto master 
and an Afro-Cuban Latin jazz percussionist. He was an integral figure in the fusion
of Afro-Cuban rhythms with R&B and soul, paving the way for the boogaloo era of 
the late 1960s. His 1963 hit rendition of Herbie Hancock’s “Watermelon Man” (recorded
on December 17, 1962) was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998.

![Image result for Mongo Santamaria](https://i0.wp.com/yukj0bmjp0-flywheel.netdna-
ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/Santamaria_mongo.jpg?w=640&ssl=1)

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