Jazz Archives

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. The song ends with what almost sounds like the soundtrack to an absurd dream. It's a 13-minute tune broken up into suites and, although it may not be the album's best, it's possibly its most enthralling, and it typifies this album's place in Henderson's Milestone discography -- not his best, but enthralling. There are songs with nouveau-bop heads ("No Me Esqueca") and all-in burners ("A Shade of Jade"). Although the album is rhythm-heavy, it was recorded a couple years before Henderson's funk cloud would really thicken -- Joewas still swinging here ("Invitation"), which ain't so bad. Still, despite the obvious highlights, this undersold gem is a must-listen if only to check "Gazelle" (recorded live) and hear a head-nodding bassline from Ron McClure backing Henderson and Woody Shaw at their fieriest.

:::Review by Vincent Thomas:::

Joe Henderson - In Pursuit of Blackness (1971)

A1. No Me Esqueca 7:08

A2. Invitation 7:36

A3. A Shade Of Jade 7:41

B1. Gazelle 7:34

B2. Mind Over Matter 13:16

Credits

Bass – Ron McClure (tracks: A2, B1), Stanley Clarke (tracks: A1, A3, B2)

Congas – Tony Waters (tracks: B1)

Drums – Lenny White

Piano [Electric] – George Cables

Saxophone [Alto], Flute, Clarinet [Bass] – Pete Yellen (tracks: A1, A3, B2)

Saxophone [Tenor] – Joe Henderson

Trombone – Curtis Fuller (tracks: A1, A3, B2)

Trumpet – Woody Shaw (tracks: A2, B1)

:::Review by Scott Yanow:::

Lee Morgan - The Rumproller (1965)

1. The Rumproller 10:26
Written-By – Andrew Hill
2. Desert Moonlight 9:22
Written-By – Lee Morgan
3. Eclipso 6:53
Written-By – Lee Morgan
4. Edda 7:19
Written-By – Wayne Shorter
5. The Lady 7:30
Written-By – Rudy Stevenson
6. Venus Di Mildrew 6:26
Written-By – Wayne Shorter

Credits
Bass – Victor Sproles
Drums – Billy Higgins
Piano – Ronnie Mathews
Tenor Saxophone – Joe Henderson
Trumpet – Lee Morgan

Black Fire, Andrew Hill's debut record for Blue Note, was an impressive statement of purpose that retains much of its power decades after its initial release. Hill's music is quite original, building from a hard bop foundation and moving into uncharted harmonic and rhythmic territory. His compositions and technique take chances; he often sounds restless, searching relentlessly for provocative voicings, rhythms, and phrases. Black Fire borrows from the avant-garde, but it's not part of it -- the structures remain quite similar to bop, and there are distinct melodies. Nevertheless, Hill and his band -- comprised of tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, bassist Richard Davis, and drummer Roy Haynes -- are not content with the limitations of hard bop. Much of the music is informed by implied Afro-Cuban rhythms and modal harmonics, resulting in continually challenging and very rewarding music. Hill's complex chording is thoroughly impressive, and Henderson's bold solos are more adventurous than his previous bop outings would have suggested. Their expertise, along with the nimble, unpredictable rhythm section, help make Black Fire a modern jazz classic.

:::Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine:::

Andrew Hill - Black Fire (1963)

1. Pumpkin 5:22
2. Subterfuge 8:02
3. Black Fire 6:53
4. Cantardos 5:39
5. Tired Trade 5:48
6. McNeil Island 2:55
7. Land Of Nod 5:45

Credits
Bass – Richard Davis

Drums – Roy Haynes
Piano – Andrew Hill
Saxophone [Tenor] – Joe Henderson

Hi Everyone!

Some of you might find it very useful an interesting as I recently have updated the following links:

John McLaughlin – Extrapolation (1969)

Peter Brötzmann - Machine Gun (1968)

Guthrie Govan - Erotic Cakes (2006)

V.S.O.P. - The Quintet (1977)

Donald Byrd - A New Perspective (1963)

Keith Jarrett – My Song (1977)

Randy Weston – Tanjah (1973)

Andrew Hill – Judgement (1964)

Miles Davis - In a Silent Way (1969)

Chick Corea – My Spanish Heart (1976)

Duke Ellington - Money Jungle (1962)

John Coltrane - Giant Steps – Deluxe Edition (1959)

 

Enjoy!

Sometimes written off as an also-ran to her more famous husband, Alice Coltrane's work of the late '60s and early '70s shows that she was a strong composer and performer in her own right, with a unique ability to impregnate her music with spirituality and gentleness without losing its edges or depth. Ptah the El Daoud is a truly great album, and listeners who surrender themselves to it emerge on the other side of its 46 minutes transformed. From the purifying catharsis of the first moments of the title track to the last moments of "Mantra," with its disjointed piano dance and passionate ribbons of tenor cast out into the universe, the album resonates with beauty, clarity, and emotion. Coltrane's piano solo on "Turiya and Ramakrishna" is a lush, melancholy, soothing blues, punctuated only by hushed bells and the sandy whisper of Ben Riley's drums and later exchanged for an equally emotive solo by bassist Ron Carter. "Blue Nile" is a case where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts; Coltrane's sweeping flourishes on the harp nestle in perfectly with flute solos by Pharoah Sanders and Joe Henderson to produce a warm cocoon of sound that is colored by evocations of water, greenness, and birds. Perhaps as strong as the writing here, though, are the performances that Coltrane coaxes from her sidemen, especially the horn players. Joe Henderson, who can always be counted on for technical excellence, gives a performance that is simply on a whole other level from much of his other work -- freer, more open, and more fluid here than nearly anywhere else. Pharoah Sanders, who at times with John Coltrane seemed like a magnetic force of entropy, pulling him toward increasing levels of chaos, shows all of the innovation and spiritual energy here that he is known for, with none of the screeching. Overlooked and buried for years in obscurity, this album deserves to be embraced for the gem it is.

:::Review by Stacia Proefrock:::

Alice Coltrane - Ptah The El Daoud (1970)

1. Ptah, The El Daoud 13:58
2. Turiya And Ramakrishna 8:19
3. Blue Nile 6:58
4. Mantra 16:33

Credits
Bass - Ron Carter
Composed By - Alice Coltrane
Drums - Ben Riley
Harp, Piano - Alice Coltrane
Saxophone [Tenor], Flute [Alto, Left Channel] - Joe Henderson
Saxophone [Tenor], Flute [Alto], Bells [Right Channel] - Pharoah Sanders

Carried by its almost impossibly infectious eponymous opening track, The Sidewinder helped foreshadow the sounds of boogaloo and soul-jazz with its healthy R&B influence and Latin tinge. While the rest of the album retreats to a more conventional hard bop sound, Morgan's compositions are forward-thinking and universally solid. Only 25 at the time of its release, Morgan was accomplished (and perhaps cocky) enough to speak of mentoring the great Joe Henderson, who at 26 was just beginning to play dates with Blue Note after getting out of the military. Henderson makes a major contribution to the album, especially on "Totem Pole," where his solos showed off his singular style, threatening to upstage Morgan, who is also fairly impressive here. Barry Harris, Bob Cranshaw, and Billy Higgins are all in good form throughout the album as well, and the group works together seamlessly to create an album that crackles with energy while maintaining a stylish flow.

:::Review by Stacia Proefrock:::

Lee Morgan - The Sidewinder (1963)

1. The Sidewinder (10:21)
2. Totem Pole (10:11)
3. Gary's Notebook (6:03)
4. Boy, What A Night (7:30)
5. Hocus-Pocus (6:21)
6. Totem Pole (Alternate Take) (9:57)

Credits
Artwork By [Cover Design] - Reid Miles
Bass - Bob Cranshaw
Drums - Billy Higgins
Photography [Cover Photograph, Liner Photographs] - Francis Wolff
Piano - Barry Harris
Producer - Alfred Lion
Recorded By, Remastered By - Rudy Van Gelder
Reissue Producer - Michael Cuscuna
Saxophone [Tenor] - Joe Henderson
Trumpet, Written-By - Lee Morgan

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.

 

1 Fire (11:07)

2 Air (9:53)

3 Water (7:33)

4 Earth (13:15)

Bass - Charlie Haden

Congas, Bells, Gongs, Sakara Drum, Percussion - Kenneth Nash

Drums - Leon Ndugu Chancler (tracks:1, 3

Engineer - Rick Heenan

Flute [Wood] - Kenneth Nash (tracks: 3)

Narrator - Kenneth Nash (tracks: 4)

Piano, Harp, Tamboura, Harmonium - Alice Coltrane

Producer - Orrin Keepnews

Saxophone [Tenor], Flute, Flute [Alto] - Joe Henderson

Tabla, Percussion - Baba Duru Oshun

Violin - Michael White

All music composed by Joe Henderson

Recorded at Village Recorders, Los Angeles, Ca., on October 15, 16, 17, 1973

Remix Engineer: Skip Shimmin (at Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, Ca.)

Recorded between trumpeter Freddie Hubbard's better-known classics Red Clay and First Light, Straight Life is actually arguably Hubbard's greatest recording. Hubbard, joined by an all-star group that includes tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, keyboardist Herbie Hancock, guitarist George Benson, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Jack DeJohnette, is frequently astounding on "Straight Life" (check out that introduction) and "Mr. Clean," constructing classic solos. The very memorable set is rounded off by the trumpeter's duet with Benson on a lyrical version of the ballad "Here's That Rainy Day." This exciting CD is essential for all serious jazz collections.

 

Recorded at Van Gelder Studios, November 16, 1970