Herbie Hancock - Takin\' Off [Cisco Records 180g] 24-bit/96kHz 
Posted By : aksman | Date : 15 Apr 2010 07:21:10 |


Herbie Hancock - Takin\' Off
Cisco Records 180g / Cisco CLP-7050 (BST-84109)
Mastered by Kevin Gray @ AcousTech, Camarillo
Vinyl rip in 32-bit/192kHz (converted to 24/96 & 16/44.1) | FLAC | m3u, cue & Log
Artwork | 875/270 mb incl. rexcovery |& FileFactory | Jazz | 1962

Allmusic.com rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars

MAN, was I surprised! The vinyl was absolutely silent. No surface noise whatsoever. It was like the scuff marks were a figment of my imagination. This is more like it! To these ears, Takin Off was never one of Rudy Van Gelder’s better recordings, but Cisco did some real wonders with it on their 180g vinyl pressing. The soundstage is wider than ever before and the dynamics are noticeably improved. All the instruments are clear as a bell.
There was some brief, very minor, static in the right channel at the very end of Empty Pockets, but other than that, this was a perfect pressing. Warm, and full of life. Much better than the CD! - Steve Marshall/thenightowl.com
	

Takin Off is the debut album of jazz pianist Herbie Hancock originally released on May 28, 1962 for the Blue Note label as BST 84109. The recording session included Freddie Hubbard on trumpet and veteran Dexter Gordon on tenor saxophone. The album was a typical hard bop LP, with its characteristic two horns and a rhythm section. The bluesy single Watermelon Man made it to the Top 100 of the pop charts, and went on to become a jazz standard. The album has been called *one of the most accomplished and stunning debuts in the annals of jazz.*

Review

Herbie Hancocks debut as a leader, Takin Off, revealed a composer and pianist able to balance sophistication and accessibility, somewhat in the vein of Blue Notes 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 Hancocks 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 Santamaría. Hancocks 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 some collective improvisation by the rhythm section), and the blues 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.
- Steve Huey/AMG


Track listing

All compositions by Herbie Hancock.

Side A

      1. Watermelon Man  7:09
      2. Three Bags Full  5:27
      3. Empty Pockets  6:09


Side B

      4. The Maze  6:45
      5. Driftin  6:58
      6. Alone And I  6:25



Personnel

      * Herbie Hancock — piano
      * Freddie Hubbard — trumpet
      * Dexter Gordon — tenor saxophone
      * Butch Warren — bass
      * Billy Higgins — drums


Technical Log

RCM Hannl limited with Rotating Brush
Music Hall MMF 9.1 Turntable
Tonearm: Pro-Ject 9cc evo with Pure Silver Wires
Cartridge: Nagaoka MP-500
Brocksieper Phonomax (Tube Phono PreAmp)
E-MU 0404 external USB 2.0 Audiointerface
Interconnections : Silent Wire NF5
Adobe Audtion 3.0 recording software
iZotope RX Advanced 1.21 for resampling and dithering

Vacuum cleaning - TT - Brocksieper Phonomax - Laptop - Audition 3 (32/192) - manual click removal - analyze (no clipping, no DC Bias offset) - converted to 24/96 with iZotope RX Advanced 1.21 - split into individual Tracks - FLAC encoded (Vers. 1.21)

No silence been removed, please burn gapless to match original tracklayout.