Multiple (Remastered 2025) Joe Henderson

• 1 Tress-Cun-Deo-La (Remastered 2025) 10:34
• 2 Bwaata (Remastered 2025) 10:56
• 3 Song For Sinners (Remastered 2025) 06:20
• 4 Turned Around (Remastered 2025) 06:38
• 5 Me, Among Others (Remastered 2025) 07:04
• Total Runtime 41:32

Info for Multiple (Remastered 2025)

The early Seventies were a time of accommodation for jazz and rock. Joe Henderson even had a brief 1971 stint in the horn section of Blood, Sweat and Tears; and Larry Willis, keyboard player on this album, joined BS&T shortly after Henderson left. The stellar band assembled here shows more of these fusion leanings than it might if assembled today–one doubts that Henderson would ask Willis to play electric keyboards, or drummer Jack DeJohnette to place as much emphasis on funk rhythms. (Dave Holland, a recent Henderson collaborator, still has his electric bass in mothballs.) This is not to discount Multiple‘s distinct energy and groove, or its uniqueness in Joe Henderson’s discography with its overdubs (including the leader’s vocals) and the brief presence of James "Blood" Ulmer. DeJohnette and Holland each contribute tunes, plus an infectious, uncoiling momentum that makes the date a most congenial meeting of giants.

"Multiple is a bellwether album for jazz fans. You can tell a lot about listeners' ear and where their tastes reside based on whether they're big fans of Multiple, indifferent toward it, or don't like it at all. Joe Henderson's career arc has three major nodes -- his hard bopping '60s era, his '70s fusion stint, and his later reincarnation as a Grammy-winning, critically acclaimed, standard-blowing sage. Of these three, Henderson's '70s run is often underappreciated or, in some cases, dismissed and even mildly maligned. The detractors are usually those with more traditional and, at times, stodgy ears. Hip cats -- "with-it cats," as they said in the '70s -- loved Multiple Joe, Afrocentric Joe, semi-militant Joe, grooving Joe, burnin' Joe. Multiple is probably Henderson's greatest album from this era and its fans share a cult-kinship. Whereas most fusion artists of the day were spiking their jazz with rock guitar and "elements" of funk, there was a certain set (Gary Bartz, for example) who offered concentrated, pungent funk. You won't find a bassline like Dave Holland's "Turned Around" on a Return to Forever album. It's the Multiple rhythm section (Holland, a maniacally drumming Jack DeJohnette, and pianist Larry Willis) that makes it such a nasty set. The album's classic cut, "Tress-Cum-Deo-La," doesn't walk or bop; it struts with a pronounced limp, like the fellas who swaggered up urban avenues with tilted fedoras. And then there's Henderson, blowing some of the most impassioned solos of his career. There's an activism to his phrasing; you could hear it on Sly Stone records, but you could feel it here. That songs as majestic as "Bwaata" almost feel like afterthoughts is a tribute to this album's thorough mean streak. Those ignorant to the import of Henderson's Milestone albums -- especially Multiple -- might scoff at such high praise for what is viewed by some as a nonessential album thrown into the Henderson discography. Such is life for the unhip." (Vincent Thomas, AMG)

Joe Henderson, tenor saxophone (1-5), soprano saxophone (1), percussion (1, 3), flutes (1), vocals (1, 3)
Larry Willis, electric piano, ring modulator, Echoplex
James Ulmer, guitar (1)
John Thomas, guitar (3)
Dave Holland, double bass, electric bass
Jack DeJohnette, drums
Arthur Jenkins, congas, percussion

Recorded January 30–31, 1973, February & April 1973 at Mercury Sound Studios, New York
Produced by Orrin Keepnews

Digitally remastered

Joe Henderson
is proof that jazz can sell without watering down the music; it just takes creative marketing. Although his sound and style were virtually unchanged from the mid-'60s, Joe Henderson's signing with Verve in 1992 was treated as a major news event by the label (even though he had already recorded many memorable sessions for other companies). His Verve recordings had easy-to-market themes (tributes to Billy Strayhorn, Miles Davis, and Antonio Carlos Jobim) and, as a result, he became a national celebrity and a constant poll winner while still sounding the same as when he was in obscurity in the 1970s.

The general feeling is that it couldn't have happened to a more deserving jazz musician. After studying at Kentucky State College and Wayne State University, Joe Henderson played locally in Detroit before spending time in the military (1960-1962). He played briefly with Jack McDuff and then gained recognition for his work with Kenny Dorham (1962-1963), a veteran bop trumpeter who championed him and helped Henderson get signed to Blue Note. Henderson appeared on many Blue Note sessions both as a leader and as a sideman, spent 1964-1966 with Horace Silver's Quintet, and during 1969-1970 was in Herbie Hancock's band. From the start, he had a very distinctive sound and style which, although influenced a bit by both Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane, also contained a lot of brand new phrases and ideas. Henderson had long been able to improvise in both inside and outside settings, from hard bop to freeform. In the 1970s, he recorded frequently for Milestone and lived in San Francisco, but was somewhat taken for granted. The second half of the 1980s found him continuing his freelancing and teaching while recording for Blue Note, but it was when he hooked up with Verve that he suddenly became famous. Virtually all of his recordings are currently in print on CD, including a massive collection of his neglected (but generally rewarding) Milestone dates. On June 30, 2001, Joe Henderson passed away due to heart failure after a long battle with emphysema. (Source: Blue Note Records, Scott Yanow)

" class="ng-binding ng-scope">Joe Henderson with Chick Corea

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