Herbie Hancock - Takin' Off - XRCD24 CD

Herbie's Blue Note debut features the incomparable horn duo of Freddie Hubbard and Dexter Gordon (both at their creative peaks), blowing out Hancock's angular, bluesy tunes with passion and finesse.

The album kicks off with the classic "Watermelon Man"; the songs are largely uptempo hard-bop until closing with the sparkling, late-night ballad "Alone and I." The pianist's forays into experimentation are displayed in the strange rhythm section solos and the lack of thematic resolution on "The Maze" or the 32-bar broken phrasing on "Three Bags Full."

The sound is pure early-'60s Rudy Van Gelder: muted piano, in-your-face horns and rhythm section in your living room.