Collective Portrait

"On COLLECTIVE PORTRAIT, the fiery-toned trumpeter revisits 10 fusion classics in an intimate, small-ensemble setting. By removing these tunes from their familiar context, the musicians—Gary Bartz on alto saxophone, George Cables on piano and Fender Rhodes, Doug Weiss on bass and Carl Allen on drums—are able to freely explore the melodic aspects of the material. This is no easy task because fusion, with its high-energy vamps and complex melodies, almost beckons for electronic enhancement. But here, Henderson and his crew provide all the power needed." -- Brian Zimmerman, Downbeat, February 2015 "This quintet isn't a regular band, but Gary Bartz, Eddie Henderson and pianist George Cables have been recording together since the '70s. Their easy rapport helps make this date a winner. Carl Allen and bassist Doug Weiss came to the fold later, but they can track the pianist beat for beat." -- Kevin Whitehead, NPR's Fresh Air, 5 March 2015 #1 JazzWeek radio chart for 3 weeks "Mr. Henderson’s great flights of creativity and melodic invention will send shivers down the spines of many lovers of virtuosity. This in itself would endear COLLECTIVE PORTRAIT to all who give it an ear." -- Raul da Gama, JazzDaGama, 16 March 2015 Eddie Henderson thrives on—requires really—the risk-taking and creative freedom found in abundance on his album COLLECTIVE PORTRAIT. “I don't like to write in all the notes,” says legendary trumpeter Eddie Henderson with a laugh, “Miles always said, ‘just write a sketch and let all the musicians fill in. A collective portrait is better than a self portrait.’” His mentor's advice still resonates with Henderson who, 40-something years later, still relies on it as a primary organizing principle for his music. For this COLLECTIVE PORTRAIT, Henderson chose musicians that he knew “instinctively” would have just the musical chemistry he wanted, and also happen to be some of the best of the best: Gary Bartz, George Cables, Doug Weiss and Carl Allen. Henderson, Cables and Bartz 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.