EDDIE HENDERSON

4.5 stars. It seems like everyone wants to compare this to Henderson's debut "Realization" which is one of those "Mwandishi" offshoots and a challenging masterpiece to say the least. This is Eddie's fourth studio album from 1976 and it's melodic and often very Miles-like. I love how samey the music is here, it's not in a hurry and there is so much going on most of the time. Julian Priester adds his trombones to the proceedings. We also get soprano sax, bass clarinet and flute. Add some tasty electric piano, clavinet and synths. Mike Clark does most of the drumming but Billy Hart plays on the closer. Congas and percussions and how about Paul Jackson on bass. I just can't get enough of this album.

I love the chilled sounds on the funky opener "Inside You" with those spacey synths and upfront bass as Henderson plays over top. "Nostalgia" is another highlight. That bass intro that actually continues throughout is so cool. Some sparse horns and electric piano as beats and cymbals help out. "Dr.Mganga" is an interesting title but Mganga is the name Eddie took when with Herbie's bunch and of course Henderson is a Doctor hence the title. What a song though. So much going on and I can't get enough of that electric piano. How about that trumpet! "Dark Shadow" ends it and it opens with bass clarinet as percussion sounds and atmosphere help out. Trumpet joins in too as this plods along and that bass clarinet continues almost non stop.

For me this album is all about the mood and "sound". Interesting to have so much going on at often a mid to slow pace. I'm just fascinated with this one.

A fine if somewhat Jazz-Fusion album. "Sunburst" favors a distinct soul/funk flavor over more chops oriented Fusion. But don't let that fool you, this line up is chock full of that era's heavyweight Jazz musicians. George Duke, Alphonso Johnson and Julien Priester to name a few.

As stated previously, the emphasis is on funk beats, but they are often accented with spacey, psychedelic tinges. Henderson displays a heavy Miles Davis influence, particularly when adding effects to his lines. His cleaner sounds also hint at Freddie Hubbard as well. Maybe, it's because I am a bassist but Alphonso Johnson is really on fire on this session as well. The title track finds Johnson on electric bass and working in tandem with Buster Williams on upright. Their exchanges are really excellent, impressive yet tasteful.

This is really great stuff, but not one to go to for really fiery soloing. This is atmospheric with great, head bobbing grooves. Highly recommended.

A former alumni of both Herbie Hancock and Pharoah Sanders, trumpeter Eddie Henderson belongs to that small group of first-rate performers who lit up the early part of the 1970's with their quicksilver fusion of jazz and rock. Essentially in the same stylistic mould as Billy Cobham, Lenny White, Miles Davis and Hancock, Henderson issued his first solo album, 'Realization', in 1973 before subsequently enjoying a steady stream of work over the next three decades as both main-man and side player. However, for the best of Henderson as a solo performer look no further than his stellar 1975 album, which blends funky rhythms, spacey fusion soundscapes and classic jazz-rock ingredients into a refreshingly upbeat whole. Featuring a slightly more commercial sound than Billy Cobham's first two LP's but still firmly rooted in the classic 1970's fusion style, 'Sunburst' treads a slick line between attention-grabbing funk strut and progressive-tinged space-bop, the album gradually moving through from the playful opener 'Explodition', to the beautiful galactic swirls of 'Involuntary Bliss', the dense, star-kissed synth-jazz of the title-track, and eventually, to the blissed-out psych- fusion of album highlight 'Galaxy'. The longer 'Sunburst' plays, the deeper into progressive territory you get. As a result, 'Sunburst' proves a dazzling slices of early-seventies fusion, both for the jazz-funk crowd and all you lovers of Miles Davis and McLaughlin's Mahavishnu crew. Certainly up there with the likes of 'Spectrum', 'Big Fun' and 'Crossings', 'Sunburst' may well be the peak of Henderson's impressive career. The only problem? At the time of writing, 'Sunburst' isn't available on CD. Pity. STEFAN TURNER, STOKE NEWINGTON, 2013

Urban space funk fusion

In keeping with my recent crush on all things Mwandishi, I thought it was about time Eddie Henderson received his fair slice of the pie. I think it rather strange, that albums such as Sextant and Crossings are held in high esteem - both of them ornamenting the top 20 of the fusion chart, when Realization, whilst still boasting the same players ie Herbie Hancock, Billy Hart, Bennie Maupin, Pat Gleeson, Buster Williams, and Lenny White - gets next to nothing in terms of marketing. The fact of the matter is, that just like many other people who visit the forum here, I too learned of this album through Greg(Logan. The man with a thing for Sean Connery in red leather), who has been promoting this record ever since the battle of Waterloo.

For those of you who are into the Mwandishi sound, that is highly experimental fusion not unlike that you'd encounter on a Miles Davis album from around the same time, then you should be placing your order of this one right now. Realization is undeniably part of the big powerful and abstract boom of skilled jazz musicians breaching out in whatever psych/funk/rock constellation that sounded good to them. It's deep jungle music this - it throws you into the hot perspiring trance mode - jigging, swaying, bouncing and bobbing. Especially on this very release, you get the gist of what Herbie later on would crystallize in form of Head Hunters. The funky feel just shines through - making Realization one of the more easy approachable Mwandishi albums - at least according to my ears. Though not entirely funk per se, the way the drums and bass intertwine, compliment each other and just flat out zoom, writhe, contort and heave the actual rhythm side of things is downright masterly.

The trumpet of Henderson is easy recognisable. It stutters majestically on top of the proceedings - cockadooodling wildly over the music like an inspired rooster at sun-dawn. All through Realization the trumpet is never far away, either spreading some light whispering notes over loosely played electric piano bits - or up front in your face pachyderm warning calls. Teamed up with a definitively more spacey expression than Maupin's Jewel in the Lotus - much credited to Gleeson's murky and worming electronics, Realization roams an altogether different part of this band's explorations. It isn't as avant guarde as the former though, which again points towards my initial thoughts about Realization: This one should indeed be a no-brainer, if one is considering checking out a Mwandishi record. It is by far the most welcoming of the lot - even more so than Crossings.

If any of you people should feel interested in trying out fusion with a distinctive spacey funk vibe to it - one that is performed by some of the most gifted musicians, then Realization is an easy bet. I listen to it whilst driving, chilling, making dinner, working out - or just when I'm making my way down the streets of the city, highly intoxicated by the wondrous kick I get out of this urban jungle music flowing through my body, all the while I'm sniffing in the cool of the night, the smell of gasoline - bobbing along to the city beat like a real life McCoy hooked on jazz rock and the starry night city groove.

'Sunburst' is Henderson's third album and the first that he released after the 1972 'Mwandishi' sessions that led to his first two albums. The line-up still features various members from the Mwandishi line-up, bar notable absentee Herbie Hancock. The music is quite different though. The year is 1975 and fusion had lost much of its edge and experimentalism, and as a result lost much of it appeal for me.

This album largely follows the main taste of the day, with funky fusion and shorter 'catchy' compositions, at least compared to the free-jazz based improvisations and psychedelic sound of the early 70's. There are still some traces of Henderson's earlier spacey sound, the title track and 'Galaxy' are excellent examples. Also his emotive trumpet playing remained intact. But the main part of the album can be put in the section 'energetic funk fusion with brilliant musicianship'. And by brilliant musicianship I never mean dazzling solos or 'speed of light' finger exercise, but rather the concentrated and dynamic interplay that the band achieved here. Some of the tracks weigh a bit too light for me though, and despite their obvious qualities, I can go without easier going pieces like 'Hop Scotch' or 'Involuntary Bliss'.

I believe this is a very good album from its era but compared to Henderson's previous album I will need to settle for 3.5. Recommended if you want a more accessible introduction to Henderson's superb trumpet playing.

Henderson's second solo album was recorded in October 1973, only half a year after his brilliant "Realization". The line-up remained unchanged but for the drum position, this time occupied by Eric Gravat and Billy Hart. The rest of the band are his Mwandishi cohorts, Herbie Hancock included.

The music is still of the psychedelic experimental kind but the change in drummers brought in more groove. At times the rhythms almost sound like 90s drum&bass dance music. Henderson's trumpet is the main soloing instrument and it transports these intricate break-beat rhythms to higher, almost spacey realms. The dazzling opener is a perfect representative of the new style and one of the most accomplished pieces of the album.

The second half of the album starts with the more experimental "Dreams", a more free-jazz inclined piece that provides a welcome variation to the more accessible and funkier material around it. The word "funky" must be taken with a grain of salt though, don't expect the heavily syncopated rhythms of the title track in a club near you any time soon.

I must admit I had neglected this album at first; it is issued on 1 CD with the dazzling "Realization" and after hearing that masterpiece I rather choose for a bit of silence rather then another 40 minutes of just slightly less amazing material. But that's not fair, it's entirely excellent in its own right.

— First review of this album —

Eddie Henderson's tribute to one of his strong influence - trumpeter Lee Morgan. All the team is of highest quality,sound is pure acoustic, and compositions are played not too far from originals.

What means - excellent jazz band plays hard-bop and post-bop jazz and it sounds almost like it would be year 1965, not 1995. Very few soul elements added don't change the sound radically.

It's not easy to speak about such release there - even according to modern jazz standard (for 1994, year of release) such music should be tagged as vintage. For PA, pure acoustic post- bop is far from any relation with jazz fusion at all.

So - album obviously for jazz lovers only. But if you like such music - this release is really good!

Eddie Henderson's solo debut was excellent fusion album, one between best that genre releases of all time. Two years (and one album) later recorded " Sunburst" is really good album, but not on the same league.

Some line-up changes happened; there is no more Herbie Hancock on board (he is replaced by very capable keyboardist George Duke, but not the same league as well). Between other newcomers you can find Julian Priester on reeds and new electric bassist Alphonso Johnson. Still a very "star" line-up!

Music there is similar to their debut, but main (and important) change is funky rhythms. For sure, it was common trend in early 70-s, and Eddie Henderson's record isn't exception. But as result they loosed spacey and slightly psychedelic atmosphere for the favor of funk (same happened with Hancock's solo albums as well). But with that changes music missed part of its magic, became possibly more accessible, but not such excellent. Somewhere on second album's part you will hear even openly cheesy compositions!

Good album, but far from excellent debut and strong second album! My rating is 3+.

Realization is the first of two Eddie Henderson albums that were recorded by the Mwandishi band, known from Herbie Hancock's highly acclaimed early 70s albums. Only the drummer got substituted. The music is very similar to that on Crossings and Sextant , and features very elaborate psychedelic jazz fusion.

The main difference with the albums released under Hancock's name is the focus on Henderson's trumpet playing. Clearly influenced by Miles Davis, Henderson blows our breath away with his emotional strikes and stabs on the instrument, expressing pain as easily as joy or sadness. The rhythm section provides a very involved and engaging backbone, that, just like the Hancock albums, borders on funk but is still too complex and stubborn to groove as easily as later and more accessible mid 70s fusion albums.

Talking about gems, this one takes the cake. And best of all it's easy and cheap to get as it is paired with Henderson's other Mwandishi album Realization on one CD that I bough for a mere 6.55£. Easily my best bargain in years.

I honestly believe Hancock's "Mwandishi" Trilogy's albums are possibly the best jazz fusion recordings ever. "Realiztion" is the album ,played by the same Hancock's Mwandishi team, with RTF drummer Lenny White only added. The main difference between albums released under Hancock's name and Eddie Henderson's solo is that there on this album Eddie is soloing trumpeter on the front of the sound.

Music in general is very in Mwandishi key with spacey keyboards, slightly psychedelic sound, excellent musicianship of all collaborators (including great Lenny White drumming) and Miles Davis inspired Eddie Henderson trumpet soloing. In fact, you can think about this album's music as Mwandishi with soloing trumpeter recordings.

The time is right for such experimental jazz fusion, and all musicians are on the top of their technical and artistic form. So - you have there absolutely great album, must have release for any listener, interested in best ever jazz fusion music for his collection.Masterpiece!