![]() ![]() Joe stepped out with his quartet gem “Inner Urge” in November of ’64. collaborated on five exceptional albums in 1963-64 trading leadership and sharing all other responsibilities. Joe Henderson literally exploded onto the jazz scene in 1963 thanks to mentor Kenny Dorham and the support of Blue Note Records. He might start quite humbly, building in intensity, evolving a run that, despite rhythmic byways, harmonic leaps, and occasional flurries of impossibly quick notes, felt highly developed and coherent, as though he had chosen to make his statement the last word. Inevitably, his solos began as a commentary or reflection of the solo before his. Because of his devotion to spontaneous invention, you would never hear it again.Īs an ensemble player, he was the ultimate listener. Not only had you never heard what he was doing before. There isn’t just one box where Joe Henderson landed.Īnd there was another aspect to his playing. In his field of view and arms embrace were musicians hewing to sensitive and respectful interpretations, as well as players whose instincts were to the extremes of rhythm, register, tempo, and emotion. Control and tranquility on ballads like “Serenity.” Burningly feverish on “In ‘N Out.” Playful and offbeat on the Monk-like “Isotope.” He was reliably explosive when playing hard bop, fresh and disarming when he chose to play more free, soulful and familiar delving into things with a more Latin tinge. But Henderson’s playing made the musicians who came after him feel as though he had paved a path they could follow.Īs for us listeners, Henderson expressed everything he wanted by always playing the tune. Or the otherworldly compositional idiosyncrasies of Shorter. No one could touch Coltrane’s harmonic depth bordering on spirituality. And what sets Henderson apart from the others might be his accessibility. Evaluating Henderson’s gift on tenor inevitably raises comparisons with his contemporaries John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, and Wayne Shorter.
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