“Watermelon Man” was written by Herbie Hancock for his 1962 debut album, Takin’ Off. The tune was inspired by the calls of street vendors in Chicago, and it became a hit when Mongo Santamaría recorded a Latin version in 1963. Hancock later reinvented it as a funk groove on his 1973 album Head Hunters.
The form is a 16-bar blues, usually in F. It starts with eight bars of F7, then four bars alternating Bb7 and F7, then a closing section with C7, Bb7 and back to F7, often with a stop-time figure at the end. The melody is a catchy, repeated riff that’s easy to memorize and fun to play. The groove sits somewhere between soul jazz, funk and Latin, depending on the version.
For improvisation, the F blues scale and F Mixolydian are your main sounds. Use the blues scale for gritty, soulful phrases and Mixolydian to outline the dominant chords. When the tune moves to Bb7, play the A flat (the seventh) and D (the third) to show the change. Keep your phrases rhythmic and riff-based; this is a groove tune, and repetition is your friend. Leave space so the rhythm section can lock in.
Practice with a funky or Latin play-along, playing short riffs and repeating them. Then try a call-and-response exercise: play a two-bar phrase, then answer it with a variation. Bassists should learn the classic bass groove, and pianists should practice syncopated comping.
Common mistake: playing too many notes and losing the groove. Fewer notes, more rhythm.
Transposing tip: tenor and trumpet players read it in G, alto players in D. Keep your copy of the lead sheet in your instrument’s key so you can jump in at any jam.
Recordings to study: Hancock’s 1962 original, Mongo Santamaría’s 1963 hit, and the Head Hunters funk version. Learn more about the composer on Herbie Hancock’s Wikipedia page, and find more soul jazz lead sheets on Minedit.