Driftin' is a hard bop tune written by Herbie Hancock. It appears on his 1962 debut album Takin' Off, released by Blue Note. The original recording features Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Dexter Gordon on tenor sax, Butch Warren on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums, and it was cut on May 28, 1962 at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. The track runs about 6:58 on the LP and showcases Hancock's soulful, melodic piano alongside Gordon's expressive saxophone solos, giving Driftin' a bluesy, intimate feel. It helped establish Hancock's early sound and, with Watermelon Man, contributed to the hard bop and soul jazz flavors of the album. A remastered version was released in 2007 as part of the expanded Takin' Off reissue.
