Joe blows

[Chrome]

Saturday, right before I went to bed, I put on something kind of groovy and relaxing to help me wind down ... Grant Green's "Idle Moments."

Then, on Sunday, I wanted to get bagels, but the only bagel place I can stand is 20 minutes away, so I took a disc in my car ... something more challenging, because I was going alone and would be able to concentrate on the music ... Andrew Hill's "Point of Departure."

You can probably see where I'm going with this ... was there anyone else who was so versatile on the same instrument as Joe Henderson? I mean, others have different, distinctive voices for different horns they play, but Henderson is able to excel in different settings with the same instrument.

[Late]

Joe's adaptability to virtually any setting was indeed one of his strong suits. His pairing with Kenny Dorham is still one of my favorite front lines. Interesting, too, that he was on both of Blue Note's chart-topping singles back in the day: "The Sidewinder" and "Song for My Father."

Chrome, if you don't have it already, you'll want to check out Alice Coltrane's Ptah, the El Daoud to hear Henderson in yet another setting ... and excelling. A great record (despite the weird cover).

[Tom in RI]

There is a nice article and discography in Jazz Improv this issue on Joe Henderson (he's on half the covers and Dave Leibman is on the other half, go figure).