Pete La Roca's Basra

For those down for some good-time, soul jazz, the Latin-funk of "Candu" shows Henderson, Pete La Roca, and Steve Kuhn at their funky best. "Candu" shows how this album, from 1965, can be free, modal, experimental, engage in balladry as well as keep things rooted in the blues, with the bass solo so clear on Swallow's solo. The eponymous track, "Basra," takes things in a Middle-Eastern and Indian route, named after the ancient trading town in southern Iraq, which, coincidentally, is where the majority of the Afro-Iraqi population dwells. As a modal composition based on one chord and with obvious "Eastern" themes, it is hard not to think of Coltrane's "Ole" or similar work by Yusef Lateef, but this remains uniquely La Roca. The song evokes a snake, twisting and turning as the stereotypical snake charmer controls him. Naturally, Henderson really shines here, showing off some Coltranesque moves while Henderson's mastery of percussion shows off quite well as the droning bass and La Roca provide rhythm. Here one can catch a glimpse of the Joe Henderson who would perform similarly in the 1970s with Alice Coltrane, especially on albums such as Ptah, the El Daoud. La Roca's drum solo works quite well too, utilizing space, Kunh's piano and the bass to avoid overplaying, but responding to the charm that has thus enthralled the snake. The exoticism of the album carries further however, into "La Malaguena," a classical composition by a Cuban composer of the 19th century.

Based on Andalusian music, this is the track that bears the mark of Coltrane's Ole Coltrane more than any other Spanish-themed jazz song. Like "Ole," it is based on Spanish classical music infused with the folk music of Al-Andalus, reflecting gitano, Moorish, Jewish, and other influences from Africa and Europe. The piano riff and driving bass provide a propulsive force with Henderson's soaring saxophone recalling the composition's debts to Spain's Moorish past. Henderson's avant garde leanings show themselves, while La Roca's drumming and Swallow's bass sound reminiscent of "Ole" by Coltrane, especially with Henderson's Coltrane-like blowing. As for Kuhn's piano solo, he does not sound too similar to McCoy Tyner, but frantically echoes the same Moorish influences. The ballad of the album, "Lazy Afternoon," reminds me of a similarly-titled song by the Roots, but does more justice to how a lazy Sunday afternoon feels than they, with sweet tones and a gentle tempo, almost reminiscent of something from Wayne Shorter's Speak No Evil."Tears Come From Heaven" is a quirky, thoughtful tone poem, with a longing theme and spirited drumming by Pete La Roca. As with most of the album, Henderson's improvisational presence establishes this hard-swinging number's post-bop credentials, sounding like contemporary Coltrane and Wayne Shorter, with perhaps a touch of John Gilmore in atonal and bop vocabulary. La Roca's solo also displays dexterity. "Eiderdown," by Swallow, features a contemplative, mid-tempo swing that sounds, well, okay, but nothing in comparison to "Basra" and "La Malaguena" or "Tears Come From Heaven."

Basically, listen to this album if you enjoy avant-garde Joe Henderson, imaginative drumming and compositions, and jazz with Spanish and Middle-Eastern themes often featuring Latin rhythms. Essential for any collection of 1960s Blue Note jazz, and illustrative of Joe Henderson's brilliant output in the 1960s and early 1970s, blending free, modal, atonal, Latin, and other influences from the best of jazz saxophonists in the 1960s. Moreover, the likely influence of Ole Coltrane does not weaken the album's "Basra" nor "La Malaguena." In fact, the unique voice of Henderson, though reminiscent of Coltrane or perhaps John Gilmore and other adventurous musicians of the period, is nonetheless utterly his own. The blasting use of the upper registers, honks, squeaks and other typical sounds of free jazz are not fully part of his repertoire at this stage, so it's a great example of Henderson's playing in this intermediate stage between the free and fusion jazz of the 1970s and his bop roots. Moreover, Kuhn's piano solo on "La Malaguena" is nothing short of beautiful, haunting brilliance like a deluge of sound enveloping the listener while La Roca swings. Who said jazz musicians can't play classical?