Is it common knowledge that the tempo on "Chameleon" is all over the place?

Sending out a bat signal to the jazz folks to lmk, I just know this song as the Herbie Hancock song that kicks ass but idk any of the lore behind it

Yeah, for super long groove tunes there’s something pretty special about ending up in a faster tempo, and not knowing how you got there. Hard to pull off, though

Oh yeah, when the original hook comes back in it's FLYING - love it

The tempo also pushes on Cantaloupe Island. I think the accel is part of the charm since they’re all doing it together

remembering my metal drummer buddy introducing me to this so we could try playing it ... what was he cooking???

It's pretty noticeable if you're paying attention, and in my opinion it's one of the main aspects of the recording that makes it feel so cool, dirty, and gratifying.

You probably already know this, but Earth, Wind & Fire’s September also speeds up.

LOL. Yes, anyone with 👂 can hear it. It's cool tho. Nice vibe. Feels pretty organic. I'm a click nerd but this type of music feels more natural to just let the musicians play and fluctuate in real time.

None of it’s done to a click. It starts getting a little faster the second time through the main structure, then accelerates quite a bit with the busier digressions that start at 7:10. There might be an edit there, but if there is it’s a really good one.

Yup, it’s better this way :)