Joe Henderson: Consonance: Live At The Jazz Showcase

After 15 years in the vaults, Consonance: Live at the Jazz Showcase represents the first fruits of "Jazz Detective" producer Zev Feldman's expedition into the tape archives of Chicago club owner Joe Segal. Working with Joe's son Wayne Segal, Feldman and Resonance Records founder George Klabin have prepared a quartet of vinyl sets, recorded live at The Jazz Showcase, for Record Store Day 2026, with CD and digital releases to follow a week later. Joining Joe Henderson's triple LP (or 2 CD) on this quartet of live releases are Mal Waldron, Ahmad Jamal and Yusef Lateef, with many more planned in the future. It is an absolute treasure trove that—if further releases reach the heights of Consonance—will represent a major new contribution to jazz history.

A remarkably consistent musician, Henderson came to the Jazz Showcase in Chicago for a five-night stand in February 1978 having completed a remarkable series of albums for the Milestone label from 1968 to 1977 featuring a slew of luminaries including Alice Coltrane, Woody Shaw, Herbie Hancock, Jack DeJohnette, Ron Carter and George Cables. Joining the tenor man on the stand for Convergence were three musicians with whom he had a diverse set of connections. Pianist JoAnne Brackeen had played steadily with Henderson from 1972-1975 before striking out on her own; bassist Steve Rodby had played with Henderson while attending the Jamey Aebersold Jazz Workshops summer camp as a teenager; and drummer Danny Spencer had played with Joe's brother Leon Henderson as part of Detroit's The Contemporary Jazz Quintet, who recorded a pair of worthy albums for Blue Note Records at the close of the 1960s.

Thankfully, the setting allowed the group to stretch out and play with abandon for an attentive audience, and the club's microphones were well-positioned to capture every nuance of the music in sound that is truly stellar for an archival recording. Five of the nine tunes here top 22 minutes, with a sixth clocking in at 16. Even at this length, not a note is wasted, the musical structure remains taut, and all four players bring extraordinary invention to their solos. Brackeen, in particular, is a revelation: while the influence of McCoy Tyner is clear, her solos reveal the originality of her harmonic choices, her ability to spin melodic lines at great speed, and her reserves of energy. Rodby, only 23 at the time of these recordings, already exhibits the remarkable facility and versatility that would soon lead to his three-decade stint with Pat Metheny. Spencer comes from the Elvin Jones school of powerhouse, polyrhythmic drumming and is often worth focusing on for his propulsive swing and exciting, well-structured solos.

The repertoire is all one could hope for in a set like this, offering the well-known show tune "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise," Bronisław Kaper's 1950 film theme-turned jazz standard "Invitation," "Good Morning Heartache," a tune first recorded by Billie Holiday and played continuously across Henderson's career, Charlie Parker's "Relaxin' at Camarillo," Thelonious Monk's "Round Midnight," John Coltrane's "Mr. P.C.," and three classics by the leader: "Inner Urge," "Recorda Me," and "Isotope."  It is a classic jazz offering a wide range of interesting harmonic structures and rhythmic variety. It is truly difficult to identify individual highlights, given the melodic invention and power in Henderson's playing, the constantly sympathetic accompaniment of his band, the broad sweep of the swing, and the high energy level. "Mr. P.C.," with an astonishing solo by Brackeen, does stand out as possibly the most impressive traversal of this classic minor blues since Coltrane himself, as does one of the greatest-ever versions of "Recorda Me," a Latin rhythm tune first presented on Henderson's debut album as a leader, Page One (Blue Note Records, 1963). "Good Morning Heartache" is given a rather joyful reading, its initial pathos transformed by some sprightly Henderson soloing that even includes a cheeky quotation of "The Irish Washerwoman" jig. The supremely swinging "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise" rivals the famous live recording by Henderson's influence, Sonny Rollins, on A Night At The Village Vanguard (Blue Note Records, 1957).

This is an essentially perfect live recording that captures, in wonderful sound quality, one of the greatest tenor saxophonists of all time fronting a fantastic band before an audience of serious jazz fans. It is every bit the equal of other live Henderson classics If You're Not Part of the Solution, You're Part of the Problem (Milestone, 1970) and The State of the Tenor: Live at the Village Vanguard (Blue Note, 1985). That it has now been presented so beautifully by Resonance Records—with extensive liner notes featuring interviews with Brackeen, Rodby, and Spencer—after having lain unheard in Joe Segal's vault for nearly 50 years is cause for great celebration.

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