Jazz LP HERBIE HANCOCK “Takin’ Off” BLUE NOTE 84109 VAN GELDER Liberty NM HEAR

$

49

Artist:   HERBIE HANCOCK

Title:   “Takin’ Off”

Label:   BLUE NOTE ~ BST 84109.  Stereo pressing on medium weight vinyl. 

Labels are blue and white, without deep groove. 

Label address is “BLUE NOTE RECORDS * A DIVISION OF LIBERTY RECORDS, INC.” on both sides. 

“VAN GELDER” is stamped in the runout groove on both sides. 

Personnel:  

Freddie Hubbard – trumpet

Dexter Gordon – tenor sax

Herbie Hancock – piano

Butch Warren – bass

Billy Higgins - drums. 

Condition: 

DISC:  NM- with 100% of original gloss, as clean as can be found.  Appears to have been played one or two times at most, and handled with care.  Fidelity is superb.  A great sounding disc you will never need to upgrade.

Labels are clean except small oval sticker on Side One label, with the number 493 neatly written. 

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JACKET:  VG+ to VG+++ with reasonably clean front and back panels.  Nice seams and corners.  There is some darkening of the white border on the front panel, and the reverse displays some moderate surface wear.  The front also displays a slight stain on the top left where it appears a round price sticker was removed.  Not perfect, but overall very presentable.

Track Listing: 

Side One:

• Watermelon Man
• Three Bags Full
• Empty Pockets 

Side Two:

• The Maze
• Driftin’
• Alone and I

Review: 

“Herbie Hancock's debut as a leader, Takin’ Off, revealed a composer and pianist able to balance sophistication and accessibility, somewhat in the vein of Blue Note's prototype hard bopper Horace Silver.  Yet while Hancock could be just as funky and blues-rooted as Silver, their overall styles diverged in several ways: Hancock was lighter and more cerebral, a bit more adventurous in his harmonies, and more apt to break his solos out of a groove (instead of using them to create one).  So even if, in retrospect, Takin’ Off is among Hancock's most conventional albums, it shows a young stylist already strikingly mature for his age, and one who can interpret established forms with spirit and imagination.  Case in point: the simple, catchy "Watermelon Man," which became a Hancock signature tune and a jazz standard in the wake of a hit cover by Latin jazz star Mongo Santamaria.  Hancock's original version is classic Blue Note hard bop: spare, funky piano riffing and tight, focused solo statements.  The other compositions are memorable and well-constructed too (if not quite hit material); all have their moments, but particular highlights include the ruminative ballad "Alone and I," the minor-key "The Maze" (which features a little bit of free improvisation in the rhythm section), and the bluesy "Empty Pockets."  

The backing group includes then up-and-coming trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon, bassist Butch Warren, and drummer Billy Higgins.  

All in all, Takin’ Off is an exceptional first effort, laying the groundwork for Hancock to begin pushing the boundaries of hard bop on his next several records.”

(courtesy Steve Huey, allmusic.com.)

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