Eddie Henderson’s 1976 jazz-funk fusion album Heritage is set to return to vinyl on July 18 when it will be reissued as part of Blue Note Records’ Classic Vinyl series.
Henderson came to prominence as a member of Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi in the early-70s after which he recorded a pair of seminal jazz-funk fusion albums for Blue Note—Sunburst (1975) and Heritage (1976)—the latter featuring a forward-looking crew with Julian Priester, Patrice Rushen, Paul Jackson, Mike Clark, Billy Hart, Mtume, and others.
Born in New York City, Eddie Henderson was given an informal trumpet lesson by the iconic Louis Armstrong aged just 9, and he continued to study the instrument as a teenager in San Francisco, after his family moved there in 1954 and he attended the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He also followed a parallel career in medicine and psychiatry and, after completing his medical degree at Howard University in Washington D.C., he returned to the Bay area for his medical internship and residency. However, Henderson’s supposed week-long gig with Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi band led to a three-year job as a full-time musician, lasting from 1970 to 1973.
In addition to the three albums recorded by the group under Hancock’s name, Henderson recorded his first solo two albums, Realization (1972) and Inside Out (1973), with Hancock and the Mwandishi group. His solo debut for Blue Note was 1975’s Sunburst, followed by Heritage in 1976: a collection heavy on vibe and rife with fierce grooves, dark textures, and intricate arrangements recorded at the Wally Heider studio in San Francisco.
Henderson later concentrated on his medical career, though he returned to playing jazz during the 1990s. He played with pioneering jazz greats including Elvin Jones, Johnny Griffin, Slide Hampton, McCoy Tyner, Benny Golson, Joe Henderson, Max Roach, Jackie McClean, Dexter Gordon and Roy Haynes.
The new Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition of Eddie Henderson’s Heritage is in stereo and all-analog. It has been mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.
Buy Eddie Henderson’s Heritage on vinyl now.
