So Near, So Far (Musings for Miles)

At the tail end of his career, tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson recorded a series of tribute albums featuring compositions by Antonio Carlos Jobim, Billy Strayhorn, and Miles Davis. This set features a band composed of three players who worked with Davis at different points in his career: guitarist John Scofield (early ’80s), bassist Dave Holland (late ’60s), and drummer Al Foster (early ’70s and early ’80s), but almost all the music comes from his 1950s and early 1960s recordings, except for “Circle,” from 1965’s Miles Smiles, and “Side Car,” a 1968 piece that wasn’t released until the mid ’70s. The music is deceptively restrained; on first listen, it’s possible to be lulled into a trance by the familiar melodies and the generally simmering vibe, but when you come back around, the sharp edges begin to poke through and the through-line from Henderson’s adventurous, even startling 1970s material to this becomes apparent.