After Herbie Hancock had recorded his first five groundbreaking solo albums for Blue Note between 1962 and 1965, he focused for a while on his work in the Miles Davis Quintet and composing film music. It was not until 1968 that he released his sixth solo album for Blue Note. With "Speak Like A Child", recorded with bassist Ron Carter and drummer Mickey Roker (reinforced by a brass trio for one number), he said he was building on the previous album "Maiden Voyage" "in terms of using simple, singable melodies". "I've been trying to work on my swing for a long time," he said at the time. "And of all the albums I've made, this is the most swinging."