It's hard to delve too much into 1960s jazz without coming across tenorman's Joe Henderson's name both as a leader and a sideman. And although I've managed to avoid devoting this space for a full fledged review of a selection out his rich catalog until now, he's gotten plenty of mention from me. He was there on pivotal jazz releases like Larry Young's Unity and Freddie Hubbard's Red Clay, while his Page One debut album as a leader landed a spot on my Five Fantastic Debut Albums of Jazz list. As succinctly put by my blogmate Nick Deriso, Henderson's horn was "a dash of Coltrane and Rollins, but with a heavy dose of welcome romanticism."
Just last month Joe's name popped up again in my review of Herbie Hancock's Fat Albert Rotunda. It was 1969 and Henderson was a member of Hancock's sextet, the one that recorded this album and The Prisoner earlier in the year. Having gone two years without recording his own record, Henderson took a break from touring with the band in May of that year, took the bandleader into the studio with him and recorded Power To The People.
Complemented by a full array of top tier musicians like Hancock (keyboards), Ron Carter (bass), Jack deJohnette (drums), and Mike Lawrence (trumpet), Henderson assured that his record wouldn't be wanting for musicianship. But top-notch support was already a given on Henderson records.
Rather, the distinguishing feature of this album is that for the first time, Henderson begins to deviate from the hard bop formula that served as the template for all his prior releases. Being that this was the late sixties, the times were rapidly changing, and songs titles like "Power To The People" and "Afro Centric" were indicative of the shifting attitudes of that time, especially with the younger generation (even though Henderson was already over thirty at the time of these recording sessions). 
Likewise, the music itself was updated; for the first time on a Henderson album, electronic instruments were used on some tracks. This came in the form of Herbie Hancock's Fender Rhodes and Ron Carter's electric bass. But Henderson cautiously dipped his toes in the waters of contemporary music; this isn't the full plunge into fusion taken in recording sessions Hancock participated in just four months earlier: Miles Davis' In A Silent Way. Instead, Henderson treats us to a wide palette ranging from proto-fusion to bop to free jazz. And why not? He was equally capable of handling it all.
Starting with the delicate waltz "Black Narcissus", Henderson employs gentle touch on the tenor while Hancock provides pastel figures on the Rhodes and Carter flutters to the upper register of his acoustic bass in his trademark style. Another Henderson original, the shuffling "Afro-Centric," again has Hancock on electric piano and here he provides a thoughtful solo.
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