Herbie Hancock - Takin' Off

Why It Belongs in Your Collection

Takin’ Off is Herbie Hancock’s debut album as a leader for Blue Note, and it still feels like a confident first statement. It includes “Watermelon Man”, one of Hancock’s best-known early compositions, but the whole record is worth spending time with — a strong hard bop session with a properly impressive line-up.

This is a good one for anyone building a Blue Note shelf: accessible, important, and still very listenable without feeling like a museum piece.

The Sound and the Story

Recorded in 1962, Takin’ Off catches Hancock right at the start of his Blue Note journey. There’s a bluesy, swinging feel throughout, with Freddie Hubbard and Dexter Gordon giving the front line plenty of character.

“Watermelon Man” is the obvious entry point, but tracks like “Driftin’” and “Alone and I” show the more lyrical side of Hancock’s writing. It’s a debut album, but it does not sound tentative — the compositions are already clear, memorable and full of personality.

Pressing, Condition and Care

New / sealed vinyl copy.

2019 UK/EU Blue Note 80 Vinyl Edition, pressed on 180g vinyl. This edition is part of Blue Note’s 80th anniversary reissue series and presents the original 1962 album on LP.

Your record will be packed carefully and sent in secure vinyl mailer packaging.

About This Release

Takin’ Off was Herbie Hancock’s first album for Blue Note, recorded at Van Gelder Studio in May 1962 and released later that year. The session features Hancock with Freddie Hubbard, Dexter Gordon, Butch Warren and Billy Higgins, with all six tracks composed by Hancock.