An analysis of the many great recordings by Joe Henderson of “Isotope” is a subject deserving of another article someday. It is one of his most iconic compositions, which is probably the reason Blue Note issued a previously unheard version as a teaser for the announcement of this album, recorded live with pianist McCoy Tyner in 1966. Here is another fine version of the saxophonist’s signature blues that was able to spark some excitement around the release of Forces of Nature.
Before launching into a discussion about the rest of the music, all of which is outstanding, it is worth looking back on the mostly forgotten location in which it was recorded…
Unlike other New York clubs of the time, like the Village Gate or the Vanguard, Slugs’ Saloon was located in a particularly dangerous area of Manhattan’s East Village. Patrons routinely found themselves victims of muggings or general violence outside, and sometimes even inside, the venue (the shooting of trumpeter Lee Morgan by his wife is probably the most well-known incident there). “Slugs’ was a den of iniquity”, remembers American pianist Richie Beirach, who spent countless nights in the audience there during the mid-Sixties. Yet, despite its surroundings, Slugs’ regularly played host to performances from the most innovative and inspirational, mostly black, jazz artists of the time: “It could be so scary, but the music there was the kind you wouldn’t hear anywhere else”, said Beirach (*).
Forces of Nature: Live at Slugs’ is a testament to how this was an environment in which musicians like Henderson and Tyner would thrive musically. The aptly named recording documents a particularly special performance from a super-band co-led by the two legends. They are joined by the late Henry Grimes on bass, and a young (at the time) Jack DeJohnette on drums; forces of nature indeed.
They hit the ground running with a burn-out, the title track from Henderson’s 1964 recording In ’n Out. Naturally, he takes the first solo, and it is immediately striking how flowing and swinging his lines are at this blistering tempo, while so intelligently constructed. Tyner comps for about the first quarter of the sax solo before dropping out, just as he would typically do with Trane in these moments. Tension builds while the sax so utterly locks in with the drums that they start to anticipate the beginning and ends of each other’s phrases. DeJohnette simultaneously dances between the time and orchestrates in his characteristic manner, while Grimes and his rock-steady walking lines serve as the glue in these more eruptive moments. After the lengthy sax solo comes to a close, Tyner takes over and matches all that energy on what sounds like an upright piano! It is a magical track. One to listen to on repeat.
A particularly beautiful rendition of the standard “We’ll be Together Again” follows, with standout performances again coming from Tyner and Henderson. Then comes another extended up-tempo blues called “Taking Off”, quite similar in vibe to “In ‘n Out” except for its collectively improvised head and being in a minor key. While it also features superb performances from all, placing these two tracks with their lengthy runtimes and sheer forces of energy so close together in the set is, for better or worse, quite intense. That said, it’s a minor critique in the context of what is happening and is mostly counter-balanced by a ballad being sandwiched in between. The final two tracks, both a little shorter in runtime, are Tyner’s “The Believer” (originally recorded with John Coltrane in 1958), and lastly “Isotope”.
What a remarkable document this is. We get to hear Joe Henderson recorded in a live setting alongside the pianist most featured on his early recordings, while at the same time witnessing his coming association with DeJohnette start to bloom. It is a convergence of pasts and futures for all of the musicians at arguably their most fertile periods of development. Forces of Nature: Live at Slugs’ is one of the most astounding posthumous albums to be released in a long time, and the producers deserve huge commendation for releasing such important music so authentically, instead of trying to edit down any lengthy runtimes. It cannot be recommend enough.
Release date is today, 22 November.
(*) Many thanks to Richie Beirach for his memories of Slugs’ Saloon.
2 responses
Give the drummer some: according to Blue Note’s announcement of this album “the tape has been in DeJohnette’s personal archives for nearly 60 years.” We can all rejoice that he excavated it and put it into Blue Note’s hands.
Exactly. Phenomenal performance and recording. Maybe there’s a few more gems in Jack’s box?