Joe Henderson
★★★★
Power To The People
CRAFT RECORDINGS/
JAZZ DISPENSARY. DL/LP
1969 classic from the tenor sax man, reissued on vinyl for the first time in 50 years.
The titles of Joe Henderson’s LPs in the late ’60s and early ’70s – Black Is The Colour; In Pursuit Of Blackness; If You’re Not Part Of The Solution… – suggest an artist tuned in to the political mood of the times. Listening to those records now you also hear a musician in ferment, embracing a new free-flowing intensity that happily incorporated synthesizers, congas, Latin rhythms, and vocals. The best example of Henderson’s audacious post-Blue-Note eclecticism is this diverse and delightful set. Featuring Ron Carter on bass, Jack DeJohnette on drums, Mike Lawrence on trumpet, Herbie Hancock playing both acoustic and electric piano, PTTP moves from reflective ballads (Black Narcissus; Opus One-Point-Five; Lazy Afternoon) to hyperactive space-jazz (Afro-Centric; the title track) and improvised wildness (Isotope; Foresight And Afterthought), with Henderson’s horn always walking a brilliant bright line between order and destruction.