JAZZ REVIEW : Smooth Sounds From Henderson

Tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson’s appealing musicality, based on his smooth, round sound, deft and agile technique, gifted melodic approach and ability to be original and emotional in any style from funk to avant-garde, has kept him in the upper echelon of the acoustic jazz business for almost 30 years.

Opening a six-night stand Tuesday at Hollywood’s Catalina Bar & Grill, the 53-year-old Henderson remains a pleasure to hear. Working with an on-the-money New York-based rhythm section--Kevin Hays on piano, Peter Washington on bass and Mike Hyman on drums--the hornman, as he has throughout his fertile career, consistently came up with ideas that both had a sweet, singing quality and pushed the music forward.

“Jinrikisha,” a tune from his 1963 Blue Note debut LP, “Page One,” that proved to be just as fresh today as when it was written, was an ideal opener and was typical of what followed. As the song swayed between stop-time and open-the-gates swinging sections, Henderson played ideas that have become essences of his musical language: vaults from the bottom of the horn to the top with consummate ease; passages where a group of notes was repeated rapidly, then one changed, then another so that the sonic colors ran like smeared paint; sudden shifts of tone from very loud to whisper quiet; series of notes that were just plain pretty; and statements that had rhythmic dynamism.