• 4 1/2 STARS ALL MUSIC GUIDE
• INCLUDES 1 BONUS TRACK
 
CONTAINS NEW SPECIALLY PREPARED LINER NOTES BY PENGUIN GUIDE TO JAZZ'S WRITER BRIAN MORTON AND BY PARIS' PRESTIGIOUS JAZZ MAGAZINE
"As one musician of the time put it, once that record came out, you heard 'Watermelon Man' everywhere; kids were playing it on jukeboxes, it was on the radio, guys were trying to do it in the subway. You knew at once it was special.” Penguin Guide to Jazz
"Very few jazzmen have had the chance to score such a tremendous hit with their first album as Herbie Hancock did with Takin’ Off. It presented the bluesy hit 'Watermelon Man' to the world. The song would be covered by countless bands and performed in every imaginable style, subsequently becoming one of the most famous jazz standards. This is an album whose contrasts announce the exceptional diversity of an unparalleled career." Jazz Magazine
 
PERSONNEL:
Freddie Hubbard (trumpet)
Dexter Gordon (tenor sax)
Herbie Hancock (piano)
Butch Warren (bass)
Billy Higgins (drums)
Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, May 28, 1962
(*) BONUS TRACKS:
Donald Byrd (tp), Pepper Adams (bar), Herbie Hancock (p), Butch Warren (b), Billy Higgins (d).
Englewood Cliffs, N.J., September 21, 1961.
 
SIDE A:
A1 WATERMELON MAN
A2 THREE BAGS FULL
A3 EMPTY POCKETS
A4 HUSH (*)
 
SIDE B:
B1 THE MAZE
B2 DRIFTIN’
B3 ALONE AND I