Personnel: Joe Henderson (tenor saxophone); Don Friedman, Kenny Barron (piano); Ron Carter (bass); Jack DeJohnette, Louis Hayes (drums).
Recorded at Plaza Sound Studios, New York, New York on September 27, 1967 and May 16, 1968. Originally released on Milestone (9017). Includes liner notes by Orrin Keepnews.
Digitally remastered by Phil De Lancie (1995, Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California).
Joe Henderson has been a driving force in the jazz community since the early 1960s. Indeed, his skill and conceptual approach to music helped to define contemporary jazz. Certainly, he greatly influenced the "young lions" of the 1980s, who in turn brought renewed integrity to straight-ahead jazz. This 1968 album sees the tenor saxophonist in fine form. His composition "The Bead Game" is decades ahead of its time; jazz simply doesn't get any more advanced than the soloing heard here by pianist Don Friedman and Henderson himself. Meanwhile, Jack DeJohnette's driving eighth notes on the ride cymbal also add great urgency and gusto to this tune. Elsewhere, Cole Porter's gentle "I've Got You Under My Skin" fits in surprisingly well alongside the solo-heavy originals; this is due, in large part, to the sophisticated harmonic language employed by pianist Kenny Barron. In general, all seven tracks illuminate the improvisational prowess of this band.
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