Blue Note's Doubletime series combines live sessions previously issued on two single albums onto one double CD. One of the first releases was Joe Henderson's brilliant tenor sax recital recorded live at the Village Vanguard in 1985. The State of the Tenor, Vols. 1 & 2 features Henderson backed only by bass and drums in a setting that pays homage to his prime stylistic source, Sonny Rollins, while displaying his prime skills in an ideal forum. The 14 selections range from customary standards to Henderson originals, and include compositions by Sam Rivers, Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus, and Horace Silver. It is not only a fine trio outing, but a series of performances in which Henderson strips songs to their essence, turning them into his own vision.
For at least his fourth recording in six years heading a pianoless trio, the great tenor Joe Henderson (along with bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Al Foster) is heard on his own "Inner Urge," an original blues, two lengthy versions of "Body and Soul" and three other jazz standards. This Italian import is particularly recommended to listeners not that familiar with Henderson's playing, for he brings new life to these often overplayed compositions.
Flugelhornist Art Farmer's fourth and final LP for CTI also features tenor-saxophonist Joe Henderson. The material (which includes originals by Clare Fischer, Joe Zawinul, Don Grolnick and Mike Mainieri) is not the most memorable and the funky rhythm section (which is greatly expanded) does not really blend all that well with the styles of Farmer and Henderson so this set is not as exciting as one might hope.
Joe Zawinul was a fantastic composer, musical visionary who pioneered the use of electric piano/synthesizers in modern music. He composed the soul jazz hit Mercy Mercy Mercy for Cannonball Adderly. In a Silent Way (1969) and Pharaoh's Dance for the seminal album Bitches Brew (1970) for Miles Davis and formed the Jazz Rock Fusion Band Weather Report with saxophonist/composer Wayne Shorter in 1970. After the demise of WR he formed his own world fusion band called The Zawiful Syndicate in 1988 and recorded three albums.
A key link between Joe Henderson's earlier years at Blue Note and his later, freer work for Milestone – recorded in a style that's got plenty of Blue Note hardbop touches, yet also done with a sense of freedom that you'd never expect from that label! Joe's grooving in a straight, yet angular mode – working with a sextet that include Mike Lawrence on trumpet, Grachan Moncur III on trombone, Kenny Barron on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums – all in a mix of soulful, exotic, and slight Latin styles – a sound that's clearly influenced by the work of Horace Silver at times, but carried off beautifully by Joe in a bold, young tenor voice.
In Pursuit Of Blackness (1971). The first 120 seconds or so of "Mind Over Matter" feature Joe Henderson, Stanley Clarke, and underground luminaries Lenny White (drums) and George Cables (keyboard) engaged in free-form, expressionist, abstract improv and then, in a short contained explosion, Henderson starts blowing his tenor like he's spitting out rounds of bullets from a gun. A torrent solo follows and, just when you think the song won't let up, in comes Curtis Fuller's trombone and then Pete Yellen's flute…
This is one of the odder Joe Henderson recordings. The four lengthy selections not only feature the great tenor-saxophonist but the piano and harp of Alice Coltrane (during one of her rare appearances as a sideman), violinist Michael White, bassist Charlie Haden, percussionist Kenneth Nash and Baba Duru Oshun on tablas. The somewhat spiritual nature of the music (Henderson's compositions are titled "Fire," "Air," "Water" and "Earth" ) and the presence of Alice Coltrane makes these Eastern-flavored performances rather unique if not all that essential: an early example of world music in jazz. This recording has been reissued as part of Henderson's eight-CD Milestone box set.