Throughout college he continued his passion for the piano and soon caught the attention of trumpeter Donald Byrd. Soon after in 1961, Hancock moved to New York, where his career began to take off. He accompanied various bebop groups at the time, all led by Miles Davis. With this different style of music, Hancock used arrhythmic beats mixed with a unique harmonic style in order to make the sound of the piano come alive, making the sound more colorful, something that fit into Davis’s style of music. He also signed to Blue Note Records as a solo artist. His debut album titled, Takin’ off gained a tremendous amount of success. The album showcased some of his major hits including “Watermelon Man” and “Maiden Voyage”.