Hot Track: Punjab

On Joe Henderson's 1965 album In 'n Out, the listener enjoyed five giants for the print of one. The tenor saxophonist and trumpeter Kenny Dorham were joined by powerful cookers: pianist McCoy Tyner and drummer Elvin Jones were two-thirds of John Coltrane's rhythm section, while bassist Richard Davis had recorded with Eric Dolphy on Out to Lunch (1964). Recorded for Blue Note in April 1964, In 'n Out features three Henderson originals and two by Dorham. This is a perfect album, so it's tough to pick a favorite, but Punjab is up there. Henderson's modal composition is stormy and swings restlessly between bright and dark tones. The music here is a reflection of its times—lyrically hopeful but fed up with the era's racism and suppression of black identity. The brilliant cover design was by Reid Miles.

Here's Joe Henderson's Punjab...