Sean Trane This double live album is the logical chapter recap of HH’s HH phase, and Flood is a good but not perfect double live. Graced with an impressive fish & volcano artwork, it features the Headhunters’ normal line-up, augmented by Dwayne McKnigth on guitar and of course HH on keys. Well outside the fact that the album exposes HH (the album) in its majority, it doesn’t tend to forget Thrust (three tracks) but Man-Child (the latest release at the time) is only present with one track, albeit the 20 mins Hang up.

Not only are the four HH tracks present, but he expands again his Watermelon 60’s hit , but also the standard Maiden Voyage (using a Weather Report approach), hinting at HH’s future return to more standardized jazz with his VSOP and the now-too chart-minded funk of the Secrets album. Of the Thrust album, three tracks are present: Spank-A-Lee, slowly bringing the jazzy starting concert to a funkier beat affair, Butterfly (where the group tightens-up then starts trancing away and Actual Proof, which has Maupin’s flute and Herbie’s piano even more upfront.

Well, this double live album is a correct summary of HH’s HH years, but it’s unfortunate that one album is too little represented… Man Child under-represented is definitely a “faute de gout” that is not that easy to forgive. Hence, the half star taken away.