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. Hancock had emerged as a child prodigy, studied at the liberal arts college Grinnell and eventually got a job offer from trumpeter Donald Byrd. All the material on ‘Takin’ Off’ came from the pianist’s own hand but it was one track in particular that really took off. The Latin-based ‘Watermelon Man’ , as one writer remarked, ‘'Watermelon Man' alone must have earned Hancock more in BMI copyright returns than most jazz composers see in a whole career.’