Eddie Henderson to Release New LP “Witness To History” on Vinyl

Trumpet Legend Eddie Henderson Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of His Debut Album with a Stunning New Recording Reflecting on His Musical Evolution

Witness To History is Available Now on CD and Digital and
on Vinyl on February 2 via Smoke Sessions Records

Featuring Pianist George Cables, Saxophonist Donald Harrison, Bassist Gerald Cannon and
Drummers Lenny White and Mike Clark

The Documentary, Dr. Eddie Henderson: Uncommon Genius, Will Have its World Premiere at Smoke Jazz Club on Wednesday, February 7

The Screening Will Be Followed by a Discussion Session with Filmmakers and Henderson, and a Duo Performance by Henderson and his Longtime Collaborator George Cables

Eddie Henderson Quintet Uncommon Genius Premiere Celebration Shows Featuring Donald Harrison, George Cables, Gerald Canon and Lenny White
Thursday, February 8 Through Sunday, February 11 at
Smoke Jazz Club
Tickets on Sale Online

If it hadn’t already been used for a 1950s television series, I Led Three Lives might have been an ideal title for the upcoming documentary about Eddie Henderson, who would be a fascinating subject in any one of those lives: as a medical doctor, as a pioneering figure skater, and of course as a legendary jazz musician. As it is, the film is scheduled to premiere on PBS in 2024 under the equally apt title of Dr. Eddie Henderson: Uncommon Genius.

If the process of making the documentary has forced Henderson to look back over the impressive scope of his own life, it’s also led him to ruminate on the broad sweep of momentous events and influential figures that he’s encountered over the course of his nearly 83 years on the planet. On his exhilarating new album Witness to History, due out today via Smoke Sessions Records, Henderson has assembled a collection of musicians and material that represent key points along that consequential timeline.

“My first trumpet teacher, way back in 1949, was Louis Armstrong,” recalls Henderson, who met the trumpet icon through his mother, a dancer at Harlem’s famed Cotton Club.

“From that point on, I witnessed the evolution in music through Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Lee Morgan, Booker Little, Woody Shaw, John Coltrane, up to the present. I lived through the turmoil of the ’60s and ’70s and the rise of Black Power in this country. I was also fortunate to come into contact with people like Sugar Ray Robinson, Joe Louis, and Willie Mays. So, I have been a witness to history, and inevitably that rubbed off on me musically.”

The release of Witness to History arrives on the 50th anniversary of Henderson’s debut as a leader, 1973’s Realization. The stellar quintet on this album bridges that half-century of music: lifelong collaborator George Cables returns once again to the piano bench. Henderson’s colleague in The Cookers, alto saxophonist Donald Harrison, and his more recent collaborator, bassist Gerald Cannon, have also appeared on the trumpeter’s recent string of releases for Smoke Sessions. They’re joined by legendary drummer Lenny White, who has reunited with Henderson in the studio for the first time since Realization 50 years ago.

Three lives, eight decades, more than fifty years of incredible music. Witness to History traces Eddie Henderson’s evolution through a remarkable span of time but listening to this captivating album, it’s abundantly clear that he’s done more than watch from the sidelines as history unfolds. Dr. Henderson has made his own indelible mark on history, and this vital music reveals that he’s far from writing his final chapter.

“Witness to History” was produced by Paul Stache and Damon Smith,and recorded live in New York at Sear Sound’s Studio C on a Sear-Avalon custom console at 96KHz/24bit and mixed to 1/2″ analog tape. Available in audiophile HD format.

The Documentary Film, Dr. Eddie Henderson: Uncommon Genius, is Available for Broadcast on PBS Through NETA, and Features World Renowned Jazz Great Dr. Eddie Henderson

Dr. Eddie Henderson: Uncommon Genius, which will begin broadcasting on national PBS stations on February 3, 2024, highlights the extraordinary life of Edward “Eddie” Henderson, who grew-up amidst the Harlem Renaissance. His mother danced for Duke Ellington’s Cotton Club while his father sang with the Charioteers on the Bing Crosby Show. Henderson took his first trumpet lesson with Louis Armstrong and later studied with Miles Davis. Family friends constituted a who’s who of celebrities, including Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Willie Mays, and Jesse Owens.

Dr. Eddie Henderson: Uncommon Genius oﬀers a portrait of one of jazz’s greatest living artists, but too, unpacks the journey of an American hero who served our nation in the Air Force, overcame racial barriers to become America’s first professional Black figure skater, and persisted to earn a medical doctorate and practice medicine, all before launching his more than sixty-year storied career as a jazz artists whose resume boasts of stints with Herbie Hancock, Art Blakey, Dexter Gordon, and more.

Celebrate Black History Month by celebrating a life of uncommon genius and the unparalleled accomplishments of Dr. Eddie Henderson.

For more information on Dr. Eddie Henderson: Uncommon Genius, please visit: www.uncommongenius.us

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