"Chameleon" is a jazz fusion standard composed by Herbie Hancock with Bennie Maupin, Paul Jackson and Harvey Mason,[3] all of whom also performed the original 15:44 full-length version on the 1973 album Head Hunters,[4] and featuring solos by Hancock and Maupin.
The song has a characteristic bass line and is set to a funk beat.
For the most part, it is built entirely on a two-chord vamp: a i-IV in B♭ Dorian (B♭m7 and E♭7).
[5] The piece's signature 12-note bass line was played by Hancock on an ARP Odyssey,[6][7] as was one of the keyboard solos.
The other keyboard solo was played on a Rhodes piano.