Today, The Headhunters have shared plans to mark their 50th anniversary with a series of highly anticipated international tour dates, which will take the project currently co-led by Bill Summers and Mike Clark through Canada and Europe next month. The news follows the release of their meticulously recorded live album, tracked on Feb. 9, 2023, at New York’s Brooklyn Bowl.

The Headhunters’ newly dropped tour dates will kick off tomorrow, Oct. 25, when the ensemble takes a stand at New York’s Cafe Wha? From there, they will roll through Ithaca, N.Y., where they’re billed to perform at Deep Dive the following night. Then, they’ll jump across the pond, arriving in Paris on Nov. 2, for a show at New Morning. The next night, they will move on to Zurich and play at JazzNotJazz. 

After a few days away from the stage, The Headhunters will turn up in Copenhagen for a performance scheduled for Nov. 7 at Loopen. The next night, they’ll play in Gothenburg, Sweden, followed by a pair of dates, Nov. 10 and 11 at London’s Jazz Cafe. The group’s final appearance lands on Nov. 18 at the Antigonish Jazz Festival in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. 

The tour dates arrive after the band delivered their 50th-anniversary live set, mixed and mastered in New Orleans by the talented Keenan McRae. The album features an array of their greatest hits, including the iconic tracks “Watermelon Man,” “Chameleon,” “Butterfly,” and the latest original “Rocking At The Mole House” from the studio album Speakers In The House.

“We live this every day. We have some secrets to give to the youth of the world. We’re not musicians, we are physicians – we heal people,” offered Summers via a press release. After the dissolution of the original Herbie Hancock format, the contemporary group also features Clark on drums, Kyle Roussel on keys, Donald Harrison on alto saxophone, and Chris Severin on seven-string bass. 

To purchase tickets to the band’s upcoming tour stops, visit their official website. 

Read Headhunters’ 2023 profile from Relix here.

The Headhunters 50th Anniversary Tour Dates:
Oct 25 – Cafe Wha? – Manhattan, N.Y.
Oct 26 – Deep Dive – Ithaca, N.Y. 

Nov 2 – New Morning – Paris
Nov 3 – JazzNotJazz – Zurich

Nov 7 – Loppen – Copenhagen
Nov 8 – Nefirtiti – Gothenburg, Sweden

Nov 10 – Jazz Cafe – London

Nov 11- Jazz Cafe – London
Nov 18 – Antigonish Jazz Festival – Antigonish, Nova Scotia