Joe Henderson – State of the Tenor Vol. 1: Blue Note Tone Poet Series (180g Vinyl LP)

From November 14 to 16 in 1985, the Joe Henderson trio held court at the Village Vanguard for a legendary 10-set engagement, some of which was recorded for Blue Note and released in 1986 as two volumes under the declarative banner The State of the Tenor. The saxophone titan was 48 at the time, and sat comfortably at the top of the heap among his peers. The great pugilist of the instrument, his muscular approach was reflective of the brash sensibility of the ’80s; the heavy hitters joining him onstage, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Al Foster, complemented Henderson’s take-no-prisoners style with a sense of airy restraint, swinging big when they needed to fill in the negative space.

On The State of the Tenor, Volume 1, Henderson pays tribute to saxophone titans like Sam Rivers on his gorgeous ballad “Beatrice.” Henderson was hard-edged where Rivers was lush, manic and disjunctive. He further shows his tender side on the ballads “Ask Me Now,” one of two Thelonious Monk tunes on Volume 1 and a staple of his repertoire, and “Happy Reunion,” a delicate tune that features Henderson as the bull in Duke Ellington’s china shop.” On “Isotope,” Henderson’s lone original, he takes the tune in a more radioactive direction, and it is here where his explosiveness goes nuclear. “Loose Change,” Carter’s sole compositional contribution, offers a glimpse into the straight-ahead hard bop playing that made Henderson’s name.

Musicians:
Joe Henderson, tenor saxophone
Ron Carter, bass
Al Foster, drums

Tracklist:

1. Beatrice
2. Friday The Thirteenth
3. Happy Reunion
4. Loose Change
5. Ask Me Now
6. Isotope