The O'Zone | Joe Henderson: A Slight Return

Consider me part of the Joe Henderson cult, it takes just a couple of notes from his burly, intellectual tenor for me to know it’s Joe. In conversations about tenor saxophone the names that surface first are Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins and Wayne Shorter, but Joe Henderson usually would get mentioned after these luminaries. In his later years when he was recording for Verve, he was elevated to elder statesman status.

Look at Wayne Shorter, a Jazz Messenger, in Miles Davis’s second great quartet and founding member of Weather Report, all that gets attention. Henderson’s resume is stellar — especially as a sideman — (Joe played with a Miles band that wasn’t recorded), but…

Well anyway, at one point, he was eventually considered “Greatest Living Sax Player” with respect to Wayne and Sonny.

My first exposure to Joe Henderson was as a sideman on Weather Report founder and bassist Miroslav Vitous’ album Mountain in the Clouds…originally titled “Infinite Search” but reissued and renamed after Miro had achieved fame with Weather Report. With a stellar band on the recording along with Joe and Miro was John McLaughlin, Herbie Hancock, and Jack DeJohnette, Henderson was a major presence, particularly on the Eddie Harris’ classic “Freedom Jazz Dance.” So much so I started scanning record bins for all things Joe Henderson.

Initially, what I found were his recordings for the Milestone label, which marks the mid-point of his four-decade storied career. One of those Milestone albums that I found in a cut out bin was the inspiration for this missive the 1973 cult favorite “Multiple.”

The album has returned to vinyl more than 50 years after its initial release as part of Craft Recordings and Jazz Dispensary’s Top Shelf series. It’s a perfect replication of the original with an upgrade made from the original analog tapes pressed on 180-gram vinyl.

As soon as I saw an ad on Facebook, I immediately ordered it and waited anxiously for its arrival.

A word about Craft Recordings/Jazz Dispensary efforts towards bringing out scarce and long unavailable recordings.

I’m grateful! My original copy of “Multiple” was already scratchy and dog eared to begin with as I first got it used. To be able to hear it on pure analog without the pops and scratches was just wonderful, and a boon to a Crate Digger like me.

A quote from their website: “Jazz Dispensary aims to curate and consolidate these multiple, highly potent strains of sound under one roof — a one-stop cornucopia of mind-expanding, high-grade selections drawn from the finest sources. With knowledgeable, sound sommeliers as guides, Jazz Dispensary brings deep catalog gems to the table, offering bespoke selections to match every mood and inspire an elevated conversation that places these underappreciated yet eminently provocative pieces in their proper place as jewels of American creative music.”

I’ve gone from crate diggin’ to internet hunting and already have acquired a pretty nice collection with titles like:

— Woody Shaw-Blackstone Legacy

— Melvin Sparks-Spark Plug

— Gary Bartz-The Shadow Do!

— Azar Lawrence-Summer Solstice

And that’s just for starters.

Music from Milestone, Prestige, and Fantasy, long unfindable, has returned to Jazz Dispensary. An audiophile I asked likes the availability of long unavailable music, but questions consistent quality and price.

That’s a new source for albums I have longed for and missed, but let me tell you about the album. It’s 1973. A year of profound change in the United States. Recession, Job losses, Peace accords, Civil rights, Roe v Wade, Watergate, oil embargo, social upheaval. And in Jazz...ELECTRICITY!

By the time he recorded “Multiple,” Joe had already released all his Blue Note Catalog with classics like “Inner Urge” and “Mode for Joe” as well as sideman work with Herbie Hancock, Andrew Hill, and Lee Morgan. His first Milestone recording, “The Kicker,” sounded very like his Blue Note recordings, but as he released more on the label, he got harder to classify and more experimental.

“Multiple” included electronic instrumentation, overdubs, and various studio effects in addition to a group of respected musicians in his ensemble. Keyboardist Larry Willis, who Joe met in his brief association with Blood Sweat & Tears, Bassist Dave Holland, and Drummer Jack DeJohnette, who both worked with Miles and Avant-Garde Blues Guitarist James “Blood” Ulmer.

It’s an album that doesn’t fit neatly in cookie cutter classifications (not unlike Joe and his band) and is filled with daring musical elements and reflects the times of its recording. Multiple is a rediscovered jewel and is a perfect fit for the resurgence of 70s spiritual jazz fusion. It’s nice to see its return and thus Joe Henderson’s return.

Artwork is from Joe Henderson's "Multiple" album.