Herbie Hancock's Blue Note 4109 Takin' Off is a Nice Beginning

Pianist Herbie Hancock's debut as a leader Takin' Off is one of his best, though none of his Blue Notes should be missed.

Recorded and released in 1962, it is a stellar record. Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Dexter Gordon on Tenor sax, Butch Warren on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums foretell the caliber of music.

Takin' Off is best known for the would be hit from Mongo Santamaria "Watermelon Man".

Hancock's original here is not as Latinized as Santamaria's for sure, It's just damned good hard bop.

Believe me, it's funky for sure, but in a Horace Silver kind of way. Trumpeter Hubbard and saxophonist Gordon play on the funkiness too. I like Gordon in particular here, he doesn't usually sound like this. Seems a little rougher his tone.

Billy Higgins does some interesting things also on the track during Herbie's Solo. Listening again as I am writing this, Herbie sure does sound like Horace Silver here. I do consider Herbie the superior pianist, Listening to the Miles Davis 65-68 quintet pretty much proves that point. But I really like Herbie when he is feeling his funky vibe.

So how's the rest of the album?

 Well, honestly, the rest of the albums is as good or better than the track the album is known for "Watermelon Man". "The Maze", "Driftin", "Three Bags Full", "Alone & I", and "Empty Pockets" are all solid hard-bop. The Ballad "Alone and I" is a showcase for Dexter Gordon, who is my favorite of all the ballad players.

The rest of the album, is what I would call fine advanced, but not too out there hard bop. A fantastic toe tapping debut from an all time great.

Of course this album does not come close to what was to come. Maiden Voyage, and Speak Like A Child for instance, as something new to the jazz vocabulary.

Takin' Off has a blowing session vibe to me. I feel like the music was made for the label more than the artist. A cutting your teeth, paying your dues album perhaps.

Right now original high grade vinyl copies of Takin' Off are selling for $250 or more, if the past is any indicator, that not at all cheap price will seem like bargain basement prices in the years to come. Just in the past 3 years I have seen so many 60's issued Blue Note spike.

Even 1970's liberty label copies of 4109 are bringing 30 bucks in lesser condition. Won't be long and those will likely be out of hand price wise too.