Eddie Henderson: Witness To History

If the title hadn't already been used for a 1950s television series, I Led Three Lives would be the ideal title for the upcoming documentary about Eddie Henderson, who would be a fascinating subject in each of those lives: as a medical doctor, as a pioneering figure skater and, of course, as a legendary jazz musician. The film is scheduled for release in 2024 on PBS under the equally apt title Dr. Eddie Henderson: Uncommon Genius. The process of making the documentary has forced Henderson not only to look back on his own life, but also to reflect on the many significant events and influential personalities he has encountered over his nearly 83 years on this planet. On his exciting new album Witness To History, due out September 15 via Smoke Sessions Records, Henderson has assembled a collection of musicians and material that represent key points along this momentous timeline. "My first trumpet teacher was Louis Armstrong in 1949," recalls Henderson, who met the trumpet icon through his mother, a dancer at Harlem's famed Cotton Club. "From then on, I saw the music evolve through Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Lee Morgan, Booker Little, Woody Shaw, John Coltrane to the present. I lived through the turmoil of the '60s and '70s and the rise of Black Power in this country. I was also fortunate to come in contact with people like Sugar Ray Robinson, Joe Louis and Willie Mays. So I was a witness to history, and that inevitably rubbed off on me musically." The release of "Witness To History" coincides with the 50th anniversary of Henderson's 1973 debut album, "Realization." The high-powered quintet on this album bridges that half-century of music, with George Cables, with whom he has collaborated throughout his life, returning once again to the piano bench. Henderson's colleague in The Cookers, alto saxophonist Donald Harrison, and his younger colleague, bassist Gerald Cannon, also appear on the trumpeter's recent releases for Smoke Sessions. They are joined by legendary drummer Lenny White, who reunited with Henderson in the studio for the first time since "Realization" 50 years ago.

Price: $29.98

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