Description

Herbie Hancock – Takin’ Off – 180 Gram Vinyl Record

Herbie Hancock’s Takin’ Off is one of those debut albums that doesn’t sound like a first step—it sounds like an arrival. Recorded for Blue Note in 1962, it introduces Hancock as a composer and bandleader with a fully formed voice: harmonically adventurous, rhythmically sharp, and deeply rooted in groove. The session pairs him with an all-star hard bop lineup—Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Dexter Gordon on tenor sax, Butch Warren on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums—creating a quintet sound that’s crisp, swinging, and instantly engaging, with the kind of natural momentum that makes the whole record feel alive from the first downbeat.

The album’s calling card is “Watermelon Man,” a funky, bluesy masterpiece that became a crossover hit and a jazz standard—proof that Hancock could write something irresistibly catchy without sacrificing sophistication. But Takin’ Off runs deeper than its famous opener: across six Hancock originals, the band moves effortlessly between strutting hard bop drive and late-night lyricism. There’s forward motion and snap in the rhythm section, gleaming horn lines that cut through the mix with character, and Hancock’s piano playing right at the center—nimble and modern, always pushing the harmony forward while keeping the groove locked in.

Played straight through, Takin’ Off feels like a perfect entry point into Blue Note’s early-’60s sound and into Hancock’s larger story: soulful enough to feel immediate, smart enough to reward repeat listening, and confident enough to hint at the groundbreaking work he’d do next. It’s a classic that works for both newcomers and lifelong jazz listeners—an album where melody, swing, and invention meet in exactly the right balance.

Brand new, never played and still in the factory plastic

Track Listing
Watermelon Man
Three Bags Full
Empty Pockets
The Maze
Driftin’
Alone And I