In some respects Herbie Hancock's first recording as a leader typifies the hard-bop/funk of many late-'50s/early-'60s Blue Note productions (notably Horace Silver's tight-knit group). At the same time, Hancock's lyrical bent and pliable comping point toward the greater abstraction and open-ended, chamber dimensions to come. Blue Note's splendid remastering brings the underrated bassist Butch Warren's bedrock sonority into focus, while Dexter Gordon's laconic virility meshes surprisingly well with the pianist's quicksilver palette. And for those who want to hear the original, unadulterated version of Hancock's earliest signature composition "Watermelon Man," look no further. The disc is rounded out by additional, previously unissued alternate takes. --Jed Distler
Takin' Off,Herbie Hancock,Capitol,Hard Bop,Jazz,Modal Music
Jazz Music:
- Tambo [Import] [Original recording remastered]
- Thank You, Duke! Our Tribute to Duke Ellington
- The Best of Marlena Shaw
- The Bird of Red and Gold
- The J. Way
- The Yardbird Sessions
- This Place
- Tribute to Kenny G
- Turn It Over [Import] [Original recording remastered]
- Village in Bubbles [Import]
Jazz Music
Popular Music popular_music_07
Music Review: 25 Favoritas en Coro Sagrado
Joseph Martin Kraus: Symphonies - Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment / Anthony Halstead
Music: Arias [Hybrid SACD] [Hybrid SACD] [SACD]
Mendelssohn: Midsummer Night's Dream Op61; Schubert: Symphony in Bm No8, D759
Lonely Town [Original recording remastered] [Import]