Awhile ago, I wrote up a quick review of Herbie Hancock’s Head Hunters album, which was one of the early jazz/R&B fusino albums.  I really got into it, especially the surround version on SACD.  The music grew on me as well, and it was with some surprise that I realized I owned the follow-up album, Thrust, and hadn’t really listened to it at all.   Having listened to it for a good part of the summer, it has also grown on me, and actually is a worthy successor to Head Hunters.  The earlier album featured a more stripped down, earthy approach to the music than “Sextant”, which was too off the wall for my taste.  However, Thrust takes that simpler formula and adds just a couple of added layers to take the music a bit further ahead.  Harvey Mason is replaced by Mike Clark on drums, giving the band a slightly more rock oriented beat, but still laying in a solid funk groove.  The tight funk of “Palm Grease” and the sublime “Butterfly” are my two favorites on this album.   The remastered version sounds fantastic, by the way.  This album gets a high recommendation from yours truly, and I feel most who liked Head Hunters will appreciate this one.