I don’t know if it can officially be called a renaissance, but there has certainly been a wave of resurgent interest in jazz saxophonist Joe Henderson in recent years including numerous reissues of sought after Blue Note rarities as well as live archival releases. Craft Recordings, via its soul-jazz-centric subsidiary Jazz Dispensary, recently kicked off its new “Top Shelf” series celebrating the label’s 10th Anniversary by reissuing Henderson’s much sought after 1968 Milestone Records release Tetragon.
Long-out-of-print, the geometrically titled-themed album celebrates the four-sided universe of the quartet, showcasing effectively two different 4×4 (if you will) groupings of stellar instrumentalists. Featured are drummers Jack DeJohnette and Louis Hayes as well as pianists Kenny Barron and Don Friedman. Bassist Ron Carter provides grounding glue along with Henderson to deliver a seamless album listen of remarkable continuity.
Another audiophile joy worthy of the Craft/Jazz Dispensary branding, Tetragon features all-analog mastering by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and is pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Fidelity Record Pressing in Oxnard, California (you can read more about this newer but top rated pressing facility at their website here). A quality production inside and out, the tip-on style cover features heavy duty sturdy cardboard and a beautiful laminated cover which makes the eye catching pop-art cover design look as good (and maybe even better than!) the rare originals.
As far as I can tell the only difference is that original pressings (as seen in online photos) had a more blue-ish label color than the lavender-purple variant on the new edition.
That said, a quick look at Discogs underscores Tetragon‘s scarcity, with only five original copies available in the United States at the time of this writing in at best VG+ condition with prices in the $200-300 range.
Musically, Tetragon focuses on post-bop sounds. While the title track at first may feel a bit angular, after a few listens I’ve found its melodic charms welcoming. Sequentially, it makes perfect sense to follow it with the Bill Evans-meets-Dave-Brubeck-esque “Waltz For Sweetie.” This sets the stage for Ron Carter’s subtly swinging “First Trip” and then wrapping with Cole Porter’s familiar classic “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.”
I think you get the idea that all the parts of Tetragon fit together neatly like a puzzle which you can hear in full flower on “The Bead Game.” A showcase for group’s connection and inspired improvisation, this is perhaps the most outside track on the album floating somewhere between the more dissonant spaces of mid period Coltrane and early Chick Corea or perhaps Keith Jarrett
While I am a relative latecomer to Mr. Henderson’s music — a beautiful original mono copy of his 1966 Blue Note smoker Mode For Joe scored a couple of years back at the flea market for $10 kickstarted my interest — I’m beginning to see a pattern of excellence leading me to think that (like McCoy Tyner) there are no bad Joe Henderson albums. I’m glad to add Tetragon to my collection and am excited to continue exploring more of his catalog.
Where to buy: $38 at Amazon
Tip: In case you missed it, you can read my review of Joe Henderson’s fine 3LP live set Consonance, which came out for Record Store Day this year, by clicking here].
Mark Smotroff is a deep music enthusiast / collector who has also worked in entertainment oriented marketing communications for decades supporting the likes of DTS, Sega and many others. He reviews vinyl for Analog Planet and has written for Audiophile Review, Sound+Vision, Mix, EQ, etc. You can learn more about him at LinkedIn.
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