Three Bags Full

Dexter Gordon (tenor sax), Freddie Hubbard (trumpet), Herbie Hancock (piano), Butch Warren (bass) and Billy Higgins (drums). From the album Takin’ Off (1962).

Herbie Hancock is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist and composer with a musical career spanning more than five decades. He is one of the most revered and controversial figures in jazz, and has participated in almost every advance in electronic and acoustic jazz and rhythm and blues during the last third of the 20th century and the 21st century. Although initially influenced by Bill Evans, he perfectly dominates blues, gospel, funk and modern classic novelties.

His way of playing the piano and keyboards is personal, with his own harmonic and rhythmic urban and complex language. Having studied engineering, is prepared for electronics, being one of the first masters to play the Fender Rhodes electric piano and the Hohner clavinet. He also uses synthesizers and computers, but his favorite instrument is still the piano. Hancock started playing this instrument at age 7 and soon became a child prodigy. In 1961 Donald Byrd invited him to join his group in New York and was hired by Blue Note Records. He also played with Phil Woods and Oliver Nelson.

After a short introduction by the rhythm section, Gordon and Hubbard come in to expose the theme, which has a melody with changes in key. At once Hubbard begins a paused solo that enriches with innovative phrases while Warren changes the atmosphere of the composition introducing walking. Then Gordon enters playing in a more understandable manner with a coherent and dynamic discourse. The next to intervene is Hancock using unknown harmonies and the group re-exposes the theme leaving him alone at the end fading out.