The producer Alfred Lion (co-founder of Blue Note Records) was known for spotting young talent and giving them creative freedom: he bet on Herbie Hancock was mostly a sideman (he'd played with Donald Byrd and Coleman Hawkins) until this point and he was only 22 years old at the time of this recording.

Takin' Off, recorded on May 28, 1962 at Van Gelder Studio in New Jersey, sign his debut as a leader. The record will be release in 1962 and it's a landmark recording not only because it introduced Hancock as a major new jazz pianist and composer, but also because it featured a track that became a jazz standard: "Watermelon Man". This composition often considered one of the strongest jazz debuts of the 1960s and became an unexpected hit, crossing over into popular music; it was later reimagined by Mongo Santamaría and reached the pop charts, helping establish Hancock's reputation early in his career.

With an incredible all stars as Freddie Hubbard, Dexter Gordon, Butch Warren and Billy Higgins this album blends hard bop with catchy, soulful grooves: all the compositions already show Hancock's gift for memorable melodies, rich harmonies, and rhythmic inventiveness, qualities that would define his career in both acoustic and electric jazz.

HERBIE HANCOCK / TAKIN' OFF