HUMAN BITES (all 3 takes)

This is how I remembered things, as posted back on December 14, 2020 on Facebook: "Here's a track that Steve Jordan and I played on, Don Grolnick’s "Human Bites" from his Hearts & Numbers album. I remember cutting this -with Steve and me set up - drumsets facing one another's just like that cover photo of the Buddy Rich/Max Roach album. We did one take and went into the control room to listen. Listened. Looked at one another and we both kind of just shook our heads and one of us said, "Okay ... we know what to do." And we went back into the drum booth (at the Power Station ... I seem to recall that we did this in "B") and made this take. The tag at the end was not planned ... I took a chance and kept going (I'm playing the 18" bass drum kit) ... Steve joined in, Michael Brecker soon followed. It was so much fun! To be honest, this is one of my favorite recordings that I've ever done. Don Grolnick was a genius who knew how to bring out the best in anyone and everyone. With Will Lee, Clifford Carter, Hiram Bullock and Michael Brecker.
Take human bites!”
Lo and behold, I found the cassette from that evening containing THREE takes of the tune. Take 3 was the choice for the album, and that tag ending was a chance occurrence but it happened during the run-down of the song before tape started rolling. Steve and I did look at each other, but it took 2 more takes to get it “right.”
For musically historical purposes, and for those who might be interested, here are all three versions in sequence. Speaking of sequence, Clifford Carter programmed the synth bass line, Will Lee was in the studio because some other music was recorded that evening but he is not heard on “Human Bites” (‘though it does sound like Will’s voice telling us to “Take Human Bites.”)
Memory and conflation are wild things to ponder, but then again, so are these tracks. Photos from my camera, mostly of Don and Mike (with one shot of Clifford as well as 2 photos of me w/ Don, and guitarist Jeff Mironov from one of the Hearts & Numbers sessions). ENJOY!