Poppy Ajudha reworks Herbie Hancock’s "Watermelon Man"

Ajudha's version of "Watermelon Man" is the fourth single to be shared from the Blue Note Re:imagined album, following on from Skinny Pelembe’s reworking of Andrew Hill's composition "Illusion", Jorja Smith’s take on St Germain’s "Rose Rouge", and Ezra Collective’s cover of Wayne Shorter’s "Footprints".

"Watermelon Man" is Ajudha's first new release since April's "Strong Womxn".

Speaking about her Herbie Hancock rework, Ajudha explains, "Herbie's "Watermelon Man" was my first thought when asked to imagine a track from the Blue Note catalogue. It's an iconic song and one that has been with me throughout my life."

Ajudha adds, "I based the lyrics on my research of Watermelon Men in America, aiming to capture what it may have been like to be a black man in America at that time - newly emancipated but still heavily oppressed - and the race relations that had brought him to this point. I wanted to broaden the concept of the "Watermelon Man" to the way that black people in the US and UK throughout history have been denied an understanding of where they came from and the truth of a violent history within the western world. It feels ever more relevant today with the BLM movement coming to the forefront of our lives and was an important direction for me to take the song in."

As well as featuring Poppy Ajudha, Blue Note Re:imagined will also include recordings from Shabaka Hutchings, Nubya Garcia, Mr Jukes, Steam Down, Emma-Jean Thackray, Jordan Rakei, Fieh, Ishmael Ensemble, Blue Lab Beats, Melt Yourself Down, Yazmin Lacey, and Alfa Mist.