Fat Albert Rotunda (album)

Fat Albert Rotunda is the eighth album by jazz keyboardist Herbie Hancock, released in 1969. It also was the first album that Hancock had on the Warner Bros. Records label, since leaving Blue Note Records. The music was orignally done for the TV special Hey, Hey, Hey, It's Fat Albert, which later inspired Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids TV show. Fat Albert Rotunda, along with Mwandishi and Crossings was reissued in one set as Mwandishi: The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings in 1994.

About the Album
On this album Hancock changes his style radically and takes instrumental soul music rather than jazz as the basis of his compositions. Many songs also hint at his forthcoming jazz-funk style that he fully approached a few years later. A perfect example of classic songs, such as "Tell Me a Bedtime Story" (which later turned up also on the 1978 Quincy Jones album, "Sounds...and Stuff Like That" in a more funk-esque type song) and "Jessica" (which later turned up on the 1977 Hancock album, VSOP: The Quintet.) The song Jessica also was sampled by Hip-Hop producer Havoc for Mobb Deep's now classic Shook Ones Pt. II.

Track listing
All Songs composed by Herbie Hancock. (Copyright Hancock Music Company-BMI)


 * 1) "Wiggle-Waggle" - (5:51)
 * 2) "Fat Mama" - (3:49)
 * 3) "Tell Me a Bedtime Story" - (5:01)
 * 4) "Oh! Oh! Here He Comes" - (4:08)
 * 5) "Jessica" - (4:13)
 * 6) "Fat Albert Rotunda" - (6:29)
 * 7) "Lil' Brother" - (4:26)

Personnel

 * Herbie Hancock — piano, electric piano
 * Joe Henderson — tenor sax, alto flute
 * Joe Farrell - tenor sax
 * Garnett Brown — trombone
 * Johnny Coles — trumpet, flugelhorn
 * Joe Newman - trumpet
 * Buster Williams — electric & acoustic bass
 * Albert "Tootie" Heath, Bernard Purdie — drums
 * Eric Gale - guitar

Production

 * Arranged & Conducted By Herbie Hancock
 * Produced By David Rubinson
 * Recorded & Engineered By Rudy Van Gelder

Later Samples

 * "Fat Mama"
 * "If My Homie Calls" by 2Pac from the album 2Pacalypse Now