With the release of this CD, the executives at
Verve
and their marketing staff proved that yes, indeed,
jazz
can sell. The veteran tenor
Joe Henderson
has had a distinctive sound and style of his own ever since he first entered the
major leagues yet he has spent long periods in relative obscurity before reaching his current status as a
superstar. As for the music on his "comeback" disc, it does deserve all of the hype.
Henderson
performs ten of
Billy Strayhorn
's most enduring compositions in a variety of settings ranging from a full quintet with trumpeter
Wynton Marsalis
and duets with pianist
Stephen Scott
, bassist
Christian McBride
, and drummer
Gregory Hutchinson
to an unaccompanied solo exploration of
"Lush Life."
This memorable outing succeeded both artistically and commercially and is highly recommended. ~ Scott Yanow