Henderson of course recorded some great albums on Milestone and I’m trying to track them down. Got the brilliant ”Power to the People” in the spring, found Henderson in Japan last year, and now ”The Elements”, which I got in yesterday. Featuring Henderson on tenor and flutes, Alice Coltrane on piano, harp etc. We also have Michael White on violin (a personal favourite instrument in jazz), bass master Charlie Haden, Leon Chandler on drums, Kenneth Nash on percussion and wood flute, and also Baba Duru Oshun on percussion.
We are treated to four Henderson originals, named after the four elements. It’s spiritual, it’s progressive, it’s ethnic, it’s all of the things you’d want from a 70’s jazz album. Henderson is always a revelation every time you sit down and listen to him, but his performance here is quite special to say the least. Haden is one of the true masters on the double bass. Always on point. Alice Coltrane is top notch on this one as well. I especially love her celestial harp playing. I’m on the hunt for some of her output as a leader on Impulse.
So which is my favorite element out of the four? Hard to choose, but the epic and transcendent “Earth” is special.
A splendid album indeed.