JOE HENDERSON

CONSONANCE

Resonance Records

Joe Henderson, tenor saxophone/composer; Joanne Brackeen, piano; Steve Rodby, bass; Danny Spencer, drums.

In February of 1978, at Joe Segal’s famed Jazz Showcase in Chicago, saxophone titan, Joe Henderson and his quartet packed the place.  Five decades later, his music remains relevant and inspirational. It is still exciting, alive and fierce.

Joe hired Joanne Brackeen as his pianist of choice.  She is always a dream to listen to in amazement. Joanne Brackeen was a maverick in the jazz world,  where few women were gifted enough to accompany someone like Joe Henderson.

“Sometimes he would take a twenty or twenty-five minute solo. To make sure I got equal time, he would leave the stage and walk outside,” Joanne Brackeen recalled the respect and admiration Joe Henderson showed for her talent.  “We never talked about the music.  What you heard is the way we talked.”

“A lot of club owners would never hire music like ours. I think it was fantastic that Joe Segal had the nerve to hire us,” Joanne Brackeen affirmed.

Brackeen was born in California and greatly influenced by Charlie Parker during her early days in Los Angeles.  She cut her teeth playing with Dexter Gordon, Art Farmer, Charlie Haden, Billy Higgins and Bobby Hutcherson.  In 1965, she moved to New York City. Inside this double CD set, there is a wonderful 28-page booklet that tells you private stories of these marvelous musicians, who were at the height of their careers. The first song, “Mr. PC, says it all. It’s a John Coltrane composition and it swings so hard, I could hardly catch my breath.  Steve Rodby’s bass is flying right along side of Joe Henderson’s saxophone.  I usually refer to a “walking” bass, but in this case, Rodby is definitely flying top speed, prodded by Danny Spencer on drums.  Wow!  You have just got to hear the speed and dexterity of this music to truly appreciate my description.

This is the music I loved as a teenager and beyond.  The energy and creativity is spontaneous and unregulated. The moments, like the music, are improvised and flying free. Joe Henderson is playing “live” and he’s doing it his way. There are no studio producers telling him his solo is too long or too short.  There is no club owner monitoring his spontaneity.  He is a bird flying above the norm, giving praise to Coltrane and all the other inspired musicians who encouraged him to be himself.

The first disc ends with Charlie Parker’s composition, “Relaxin’ at Camarillo.”  This album shows that Joe Henderson had the rare ability to be of his time without being trapped by time. His artistic value is reflected in every song, every arrangement, every second of this recording. I am spellbound!!!  His band is as innovative and timeless as the music they play.  Also, I am in awe at the speed and excitement Joanne Brackeen puts into every solo.  She goes on and on, powerful as a spaceship taking off from Cape Canaveral.  She speeds into space without a parachute and takes us with her.  How can she play that fast and with such accuracy, I wonder? This album will stop you in your tracks and nail you in place!

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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