Eddie Henderson's Miles Legacy At Mermaid Arts Centre

Eddie Henderson's Miles Legacy
Mermaid Arts Centre
25th Bray Jazz Festival
Bray, Ireland
May 3, 2026

It was a night of double celebration at Mermaid Arts Centre for the closing act of Bray Jazz Festival 2026. Firstly, BJF was celebrating its 25th edition, a milestone that speaks volumes for the dedication—and tenacity—of the festival's founding directors, Dorothy & George Jacob. Secondly, Eddie Henderson was celebrating the music of Miles Davis in his centenary year. And as if that were not enough to cheer about, the support band was CEO Experiment, reunited after a hiatus of nine years.

You have to go back to 2017 and a triumphant concert at Dublin's Sugar Club for the last occasion on which Peruvian drummer Cote Calmet, Venezuelan pianist Leopoldo Osio and Hungarian electric bassist Peter Erdei played as CEO Experiment. On that gig, (see review) the Ireland-based trio expanded to a quintet, with guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel and tenor saxophonist Michael Buckley spicing things up nicely. It seemed that CEO Experiment was geared for take-off in a big way. Right on cue, Irish bureaucracy cleared its throat, pronouncing that Calmet had to leave the country due to visa rules. He found a very welcoming home in Granada, Spain, where he has since thrived in the country's extensive jazz culture.

Osio revived the band as Next Experiment in 2019, with an expanded line-up—sans Calmet. Its debut, Next Experiment: (Self produced), was launched on this very stage at BJF 2024, supporting Dave Douglas and Trish Clowes. With Calmet back on Irish turf for a handful of gigs with his old sparring partners, CEO's set looked both to the past and the future, with three road-tested compositions followed by three newly minted ones. The addition of Spanish alto saxophonist Carlos Ligero from Calmet's Afro-Peruvian jazz band Phisqa prompted emcee Ellen Cranitch of RTE Radio fame to sagely introduce the band as CEOL Experiment—ceol being Irish for music. The stars had clearly aligned.

Chops abounded, but in Osio's and Ligero's flowing excursions on the fleet opener "CEO Experience," melody was carried like a battle flag. The more measured tempo of "Portrait," with a telling solo from Erdei, underlined that lyricism is as much a currency of CEO Experiment as the rhythmic complexity that embraces South American rhythms and, with Osio occasionally switching to electric keyboards, a certain jazz-fusion knottiness. Osio's caressing piano intro set the tone on "Nossa Historia," with Ligero's melodious narrative borne on probing rhythmic currents.

Subtle flamenco flavors colored Ligero's "Gorrión," the saxophonist's keening solo pushing Osio to similar heights. Joropo rhythms from the Venezuelan plains cantered through a lively Osio composition, the pianist's free-flowing solo buoyed by Calmet's bustle. Swirling electric keys, simmering bass and potent drums powered "Foli," an animated staple of Phisqa's gigs. With Ligero and Calmet driving each other on, the quartet turned up the heat in a heady finale that brought many in the Mermaid to their feet.

If CEO Experiment had brought a sense of occasion to the evening, Eddie Henderson brought the weight of history into the room.

Even a brief résumé of Eddie Henderson's life and career reads like a film script. His mother was a dancer in the Cotton Club. His father, a doctor, took Miles Davis into the family home for two weeks when Eddie was a teenager studying classical music. Davis took Eddie to see his band play, and a light switched on in the youngster's head that has never dimmed. Eddie Henderson had a lesson with Louis Armstrong, and studied with Freddie Hubbard and Lee Morgan. He became the first African-American to compete at the National Figure Skating Championship, was a key member of Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi band and practiced as a doctor for many years.

For this tribute to Miles Davis in his centenary year, Henderson had assembled an international quintet of some experience: Piero Odorici on tenor saxophone; Joshua Ginsburg on bass; Vladimir Kostadinovic on drums; and Danny Grissett on piano. Without preamble, the quintet launched into "Four," Henderson leading the charge with a fine solo before the baton passed through each member of the band. The quintet visited Davis tunes from the '50s and '60s, covering the shift from bop to modal jazz along the way. The head-solo-solo-head format was unwavering, and the interpretations of "Gingerbread Boy," Wayne Shorter's "Footprints" and set-closer "The Theme" were, if truth be told, somewhat rote, with little divergence from the course of the originals.

Predictable and a little safe it may have been, but there was no escaping the quality of the musicianship, nor the cohesion of the unit. The vastly experienced Odorici impressed each time he stepped up to solo—his tone warm and embracing, his attack fluid and melodious. Grisset also stood out for his distinctive, less-is-more voicing, eschewing the temptation to grandstand. But it was Henderson who cut deepest on the ballads that peppered the set. With muted trumpet, his wistful lyricism on "Someday My Prince Will Come," "Flamenco Sketches" and a gorgeous reading of "Old Folks" sounded uncannily like Davis.

The band had barely left the stage following the closing hurly-burly of "The Theme" when there was an undignified flow of people towards the exit. Thankfully, Henderson returned, igniting the approval of the crowd—most of whom had stayed—before leading the band through "Milestones." At 85 years of age, Henderson is sounding as good as ever. Another 15 years and the tributes will be coming in for this remarkable individual.

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