Chicago-born pianist/composer Herbie Hancock had already made his mark when, in 1962, he recorded 'Takin' Off' for the Blue Note label; it was his first under his own name. At only twenty-two years of age, the company offered him a solo contract which would allow him to record a number of rightly revered albums throughout the Sixties. The release of 'Takin' Off' almost immediately singled out Hancock as one to watch, the hard-bop message delivered in striking fashion by the leader and his sidemen. Incidentally, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, only a couple of years Hancock's senior, already had a couple of albums under his belt for Blue Note, and these were as well received as the pianist's own debut disc would be.