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Joe Henderson: Power to the People
by Tom Greenland
Joe Henderson enjoyed widespread popularity only late in his career, when his cover albums for Verve achieved high (for jazz) sales figures, but since the early '60s he had been making excellent records, both as a sideman and a leader. Here at last is 1969's Power to the People, one of his best recordings made for Orrin Keepnews' Milestone label, previously available only as part of the boxed set The Milestone Years. Power to the People features ...
Continue ReadingJoe Henderson: Power To the People
by David Rickert
The late sixties were an exciting time for jazz, although not a lucrative one. Faced with a declining market share due to the popularity of rock music, jazz musicians were forced to find an audience by pursuing new avenues in composition and instrumentation. Joe Henderson, a much beloved player for the Blue Note label was dropped in the late sixties. Orrin Keepnews, who certainly could recognize great talent when he saw it, signed him to his newly ...
Continue ReadingJoe Henderson: Inner Urge
by Norman Weinstein
This brilliant remastering of saxophonist Joe Henderson's most emotionally urgent album also raises the possibity that it is the ultimate showcase of his distinguished career. The deference to Coltrane is obvious: pianist McCoy Tyner and drummer Elvin Jones are on board on every selection, although shifting their styles to mesh with Henderson. The deference to Getz is more subtle, coming clear on Henderson's stingingly lyric ballad feature, “You Know I Care," and his melodic recasting of Cole Porter's “Night and ...
Continue ReadingFreddie Hubbard: Red Clay
by David Rickert
Like Stanley Turrentine, Freddie Hubbard's best work was always in the service of others until he signed with Creed Taylor's CTI label. He then released a trio of albums that represents his crowning achievement as a leader. Red Clay finds him in the company of Herbie Hancock, who played a large part in defining jazz fusion, as well as heavyweights like Ron Carter, Joe Henderson, and Lenny White. The title track kicks off the record with a funky ...
Continue ReadingJoe Henderson: Joe Henderson In Japan
by Derek Taylor
Certain things happen on stage in front of an audience that can’t be captured in a studio. This maxim is particularly true in the case of jazz music and this disc makes the fact abundantly clear. “Joe Henderson in Japan,” a straight forward, no-frills title that gives an indication of the artist and the place, but little more. The cover and liners are equally esoteric- the former picturing a shirtless Joe, afro in full bloom, scratching his jowl in cross-legged ...
Continue ReadingJoe Henderson: In Pursuit of Blackness / Black is the Color
by Robert Spencer
Rather famously, Joe Henderson released a series of albums for Milestone in the early Seventies that courted popular acceptance in a variety of ways: most notably, he played modal proto-world music with Alice Coltrane and added an electric piano and other frou-frou to his ensembles in order to catch the fusion crowd. Nothing worked, and these albums are generally regarded as inferior both to the series of Blue Notes that preceded them and the Grand-Old-Man Verve releases of the present ...
Continue ReadingJoe Henderson: Porgy & Bess
by AAJ Staff
In the early 90's, Joe Henderson “reappeared" as a major star on the jazz scene with a Grammy winning tribute album to Billy Strayhorn. Since then, his new label, Verve, has released a steady stream of well received theme albums by Henderson, and the latest addition to that series is Henderson's attempt at the Gershwins' Porgy & Bess. After the fairly traditional Strayhorn tribute, Henderson enlisted the services of guitarist John Scofield for his tribute to Miles Davis. After a ...
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