Eddie Henderson – Witness to History (2023) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Eddie Henderson – Witness to History (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 55:59 minutes | 1,15 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Smoke Sessions

Trumpet legend Dr. Eddie Henderson celebrates the 50th anniversary of his debut album as a leader, 1973’s “Realization,” with the exhilarating new release “Witness to History.” The stellar quintet on this album bridges that half-century of music: lifelong collaborator George Cables returns once again to the piano bench. Henderson’s colleague in The Cookers, alto saxophonist Donald Harrison, and his more recent collaborator, bassist Gerald Cannon, have also appeared on the trumpeter’s recent string of releases for Smoke Sessions. They’re joined by legendary drummer Lenny White, who has reunited with Henderson in the studio for the first time since Realization 50 years ago). Henderson is also the subject of an upcoming PBS documentary “Dr. Eddie Henderson: Uncommon Genius,” set to arrive in February 2024 that charts his fascinating life in three disparate endeavors: as a medical doctor, as a pioneering figure skater, and, of course, as a legendary jazz musician. “My first trumpet teacher, way back in 1949, was Louis Armstrong,” recalls Henderson, “From that point on, I witnessed the evolution in music through Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Lee Morgan, Booker Little, Woody Shaw, John Coltrane, up to the present. I lived through the turmoil of the ’60s and ’70s and the rise of Black Power in this country. So, I have been a witness to history, and inevitably that rubbed off on me musically.” “Witness To History” traces Eddie Henderson’s evolution through a remarkable span of time, but it’s abundantly clear that he’s done more than watch from the sidelines as history unfolds. Dr. Henderson has made his own indelible mark on history, and this vital music reveals that he’s far from writing his final chapter.

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Eddie Henderson – So What (2002) [Japan] SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Eddie Henderson – So What (2002) [Japan]
SACD Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 56:26 minutes | Front/Rear Covers | 2,27 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/96 kHz | Front/Rear Covers | 1,1 GB

One of the most beautiful Eddie Henderson albums we’ve heard in years – a richly modal session with lots of classic influences, recorded beautifully, and with a feel that will make it a real standout! The set list includes some killer jazz standards – like Wayne Shorter’s “Prince Of Darkness” and “Footprints”, Miles Davis’ “So What” and “All Blues”, and Monk’s “Well You Needn’t” and “Round Midnight” – not to mention great versions of “Green Dolphin Street”, and “Old Folks”. And even though the tunes are classics, they’re played with the fresh modernism of the mid 60s Miles Davis quintet – a style that’s got angular edges, but also some deeply soulful moments – played with elegance by a group that includes Bob Berg on tenor, Dave Kikoshi on piano, Ed Howard on bass, and Billy Hart and Victor Lewis on drums.

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Eddie Henderson – Shuffle and Deal (2020) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Eddie Henderson – Shuffle and Deal (2020)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 59:02 minutes | 1,09 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Smoke Sessions

It’s never been wise to bet against Eddie Henderson. Not that the trumpet great is a gambling man, despite what the jackpot ride and shades-masked poker face on the cover of his invigorating new album, Shuffle and Deal, might imply. “I play War, but that’s about it,” Henderson jokes. “I’m not sophisticated enough for more than ‘high card wins.’”

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Eddie Henderson – Collective Portrait (2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Eddie Henderson – Collective Portrait (2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:08:29 minutes | 1,42 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Smoke Sessions Records

“I DON’T LIKE TO WRITE IN ALL OF THE NOTES,” says legendary trumpeter Eddie Henderson with a laugh, ”Miles always said, ‘just write a sketch and let all the musicians fill in.’ He’d say, ‘A collective portrait is better than a self portrait.’” It was advice that resonated with a young Eddie Henderson who, even after 40-something years, still relies on it as a primary organizing principle for his music. Eddie is someone who thrives on—requires really—a group that embodies the risk-taking and creative freedom that Miles encouraged and for Collective Portrait he has chosen some of the very best: Gary Bartz, George Cables, Doug Weiss and Carl Allen. Eddie says that he knew “instinctively” that this combination would have just the musical chemistry he wanted. Eddie, George and Gary have been making music together since the 1970s when he was still based in California and having them together again, he decided to revisit some of this Blue Note Records “hits” from that era, some of which have been famously sampled in recent years by acid jazz and hip hop artists. With updated arrangements, they breathe new life into “Sunburst,” “Dreams,” “Morning Song,” and “Beyond Forever.” They also delve into some of the iconic works of the hard-bop trumpet canon—“Gingerbread Boy,” “Zoltan” and “First Light”—giving Eddie an opportunity to put his personal stamp on these works made famous by Miles, Woody Shaw and Freddie Hubbard respectively. Of course, no one today plays a ballad quite like Eddie Henderson and there are several memorable ones in this set including “Together,” which Eddie’s wife, Natsuko wrote for him in celebration of their 20 years together.

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Eddie Henderson – Be Cool (2018) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Eddie Henderson – Be Cool (2018)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:17:00 minutes | 1,46 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Smoke Sessions

Before he walks out the door on his way to a gig, 77-year-old trumpeter Eddie Henderson always gets two words of advice from his wife: be cool. The legendary trumpeter has taken that mantra to heart, and on Be Cool, his new release on Smoke Sessions Records, he shows just how hot cool can get.

Of course, if you’re going to be cool it helps to surround yourself with the coolest of the cool, and Henderson has done just that: his smokin’ quintet also features saxophonist Donald Harrison, pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Essiet Essiet, and drummer Mike Clark. Together, the band conjures smoldering funk, lush ballads, broad-shouldered swing, and bristling bop – in all, a prismatic display of the many facets of cool.

“For me, ‘be cool’ means compose yourself and don’t act jagged, musically or personally,” Henderson offers. “One connotation is to not play so erratically, to push the envelope to the edge but not go over. It’s like going fishing: if you’re not prepared when you throw your line out there, you might catch Jaws instead of a minnow. Personally, it’s about playing with people who love each other and share a good chemistry.”

That’s undoubtedly the case with the group Henderson has convened for his second Smoke Sessions outing as a leader. His relationship with Barron stretches back more than three decades, to the early days following his return to New York in the mid-’80s after a decade spent practicing medicine in San Francisco. He’s been working regularly with Clark in recent years, especially in the Wolff & Clark Expedition, the drummers co-led band with pianist Michael Wolff. But they also share roots in the fusion bands of Herbie Hancock – Henderson with Mwandishi and Clark immediately after with Headhunters. Essiet, meanwhile, has been a constant in Henderson’s recent bands, while he’s shared stages with Harrison under the auspices of the super-group The Cookers.

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