JAZZ REVIEW : Peak Performance From Henderson

Call it state-of-the-art jazz week at Catalina Bar & Grill. Joe Henderson, Charlie Haden, Eric Reed and Joe Chambers--all in one group. It just doesn’t get much better than this.

From the first moment of the opening set Tuesday (the engagement continues through Sunday), it was obvious that placing Henderson as headliner with three such illustrious companions would result in an event to remember.

The tenor saxophonist’s extended soloing on “Stella by Starlight” was an astonishing example of his ability to play with the unfettered liberation of free jazz while still remaining in touch with the harmonies of the music.

As the program continued, Henderson grew even stronger. At 54, he is clearly at the peak of his powers. His playing brought life and vigor to pieces such as “Body and Soul” with a style that blends something new and original out of the four streams of post-bebop energy radiating from Eric Dolphy, Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins.

Henderson’s accompanists matched him on every count. Reed is an explosive young talent, whose soloing bristled with long, soaring melodies and an audience-grabbing sense of musical whimsy. Haden, a bit more subdued than usual, nonetheless played a series of intensely introspective choruses and laid down subtle, interactive bass lines.

The rarely-seen Chambers deserves to be heard more often. The Swiss-watch precision of his ride cymbal and the Max Roach-like mastery of drum tones and timbres were superb illustrations of the fact that good drumming can be as musical as it is percussive.