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Black Narcissus

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A later album from Joe Henderson's ultra-hip 70s period for Milestone – a sweetly electric session with the mighty Patrick Gleeson on keyboards! Gleeson is as strong of a force here as he is on other essential albums from the time – including some of Herbie Hancock's work – and the keyboardist handles E Mu Polyphonic synth, which really fits the flowing style of the music! Henderson's great, as always, on tenor – blowing the instrument with a searching quality that's a fair bit different than some of his contemporaries, a unique space that further pushed the instrument in the years after the passing of John Coltrane. The rhythm section holds its end up nicely too – bringing in some key modal moments with players who include Joachim Kuhn on piano, JF Jenny-Clark on bass, and Bill Summers on drums. Tracks are a bit more open than some of Joe's early 70s work – but still done with a hip Bay Area groove – and titles include "Black Narcissus", "Hindsight & Forethought", "Amoeba", and a studio version of "Power to the People", which Henderson had done earlier on a live set. (Cover has a small cutout hole, but is nice overall.)  © 1996-2013, Dusty Groove, Inc.