Multiple

In 1963, pianist Bill Evans began using the studio to layer his piano and record Conversations With Myself, while the next year John Coltrane famously overdubbed his voice chanting the title of A Love Supreme, and Miles Davis – with producer Teo Macero – used the studio itself as an unofficial band member to make a fusion of rock and jazz. But a decade on, Joe Henderson still faced critical grumbling for using multi-tracking to expand the dimensions of the music. Case in point, 1973’s Multiple, a career highlight that was ignored for decades. It wasn’t fusion per se, but Henderson fused plenty of things here: free jazz, funk, spiritual vibes, and more. “Tress-Cun-Deo-La” is a lilting samba plunked inside a raucous Blaxploitation strut, brimming at the edges with bells, interweaving horn lines, Henderson’s chants, wordless moans, and the like. “Bwaata” is a gentle ballad tethered to the muscular rhythm section of Dave Holland and Jack DeJohnette. Henderson – on a short list for greatest tenor players of the 20th century – delivered one of his most adventurous efforts here and Multiple is a must-hear for fans thinking jazz was in decline that decade.