"Three Bags Full" from Herbie Hancock's 1962 Blue Note debut Takin' Off is an original composition that demonstrates Hancock's early interest in unusual time signatures and rhythmic frameworks. Set in D minor with a 16-bar form played in waltz time at approximately 164 BPM, the piece has a buoyant, lilting quality that provides contrast to the album's more blues-based material. Trumpeter Freddie Hubbard leads the solo section with four spirited choruses, navigating the waltz feel with the rhythmic assurance and technical brilliance that would make him one of the most celebrated trumpeters in jazz history. Dexter Gordon follows with four choruses of tenor saxophone that demonstrate his ability to swing convincingly in any meter, his big tone filling the waltz framework with characteristic warmth. Hancock closes the solo section with five ambitious choruses of piano improvisation, using the extended solo space to explore the tune's harmonic possibilities with the inventive voicings and rhythmic sense that would become his trademarks. The waltz meter was relatively uncommon in hard bop, and Hancock's decision to include it on his debut album signals the compositional curiosity that would lead him to ever-more adventurous musical territory in the years ahead. The performance captures a young composer discovering the breadth of possibilities available within the jazz tradition.
