TAKIN' OFF

The official debut solo album of a man now considered a legend in jazz and popular music, Herbie Hancock shows should promising skills here with 'Takin' Off.' Primarily a hard-bop album, this young pianist hadn't yet incorporated the fusion style he is known for into his music, but what we have for is a sensible piece of jazz, with a couple of tracks that are now considered jazz standards. While Hancock's work would only improve from here, 'Takin' Off' is a pleasant listen, taking the rhythm n' blues style that had dominated the African American music scene to that point, and meshing it with the comparatively modern jazz sound that would dominate the man's career.

While this is indeed a work of Hancock's work, it would be foolish to deny the talent of the other musicians that have taken part in the work here. Although many of the album's hooks are conveyed through Herbie's sharp playing, there is some talented musicianship at the hands of the supporting caste here. While quite standard for the genre, each musician does bring a skilled sound to the table, with trumpeteer Freddie Hubbard in particular. There's an uplifting and charming sound here, and while the majority of the composition here is based around blues-based chord structures, the songwriting does work very well for some crafty jazz soloing overtop. The piano, saxophone and trumpet all get their turns to strut their stuff; pulling some catchy hooks into their tasteful soloing.

The music here might be a tad more memorable than on latter works, but it does feel quite a bit more tame than the more inventive jazz work that would come in Hancock's career. Things here are quite structured in terms of the jazz style (especially bop numbers like 'Watermelon Man') which makes it quite a bit less challenging to get into, but there are plenty of tasteful solos to keep things generally interesting throughout. Even this early on, it should have been clear that there were great things waiting for Hancock. A very pleasant piece of jazz music.

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