Michael Henderson

[Winemule]

As I type, I'm listening to "What I Say," from Miles Davis's "Live/Evil" recording. I think Henderson was 19 years old. With John McLaughlin, Keith Jarrett, Gary Bartz, etc.

Really deep, textured sound. Anybody know what Michael's setup was for that recording?

 

[markjazzbassist]

been diggin "on the corner" lately.

any idea what wah/filter henderson is using?

 

[chicago_mike]

Morley Power Wah Fuzz. Funny, on the first reissue, the liner notes say a mutron.

That was my first Miles album/cd. The most important album I ever bought.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Although I truly loved Bernard Edwards, if I could have been any bassist during the 1970s, it would have been Michael Henderson. Here is a short Soul Train interview that I guess is from the Solid period. He is one of the few guests taller than Don Cornelius!

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Here is a great song from Going Places (1977) called I'll Be Understanding. I believe this is the first album where Henderson used fretless. He sounds great, but he is 1/2 sharp if I remember correctly.

That said, it might have just been my old record player. It played everything a 1/2 step sharp.

 

[getbent]

There are two Stevie Wonder live albums, circa 1970, that feature Michael Henderson on bass, "Stevie Wonder Live" and "Live at the Talk of the Town". Not sure if they were ever reissued on CD, but you can get them off iTunes, and I can't recommend them enough. It's a 50/50 split between sappy ballads/showtunes and insane soul/funk workouts, especially "I Was Made to Love Her" and "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day".

I originally thought it was Jamerson, since the bass playing is so inventive and fluid, but it's actually an 18-year old Henderson tearing it up, back to front. It's pretty jaw-dropping stuff, and even more impressive for much he dialed it back when he joined Miles' band ("Tribute to Jack Johnson" is one of my all time jams)

 

[dfp]

There are two Stevie Wonder live albums, circa 1970, that feature Michael Henderson on bass, "Stevie Wonder Live" and "Live at the Talk of the Town". Not sure if they were ever reissued on CD, but you can get them off iTunes, and I can't recommend them enough.

^this! Michael Henderson takes the Jamerson concept and runs with it, tears it to pieces on this live stuff. Has a gritty tone, is that tube amp distortion?