McCoy Tyner & Joe Henderson | “Forces of Nature: Live at Slugs’”

BLUE NOTE ANNOUNCES NOV. 22 RELEASE OF
FORCES OF NATURE: LIVE AT SLUGS’

NEVER-BEFORE-ISSUED 1966 LIVE RECORDING OF JAZZ LEGENDS
McCOY TYNER & JOE HENDERSON LEADING A QUARTET WITH
HENRY GRIMES & JACK DEJOHNETTE AT THE NYC JAZZ SHRINE

Blue Note Records has announced the November 22 release of Forces of Nature: Live at Slugs’, a never-before-issued live recording of jazz legends McCoy Tyner and Joe Henderson leading a stellar quartet with bassist Henry Grimes and drummer Jack DeJohnette at the hallowed lost NYC jazz shrine, Slugs’ Saloon, in 1966. The release was produced by Zev Feldman, Jack DeJohnette, and Lydia DeJohnette, and is available for pre-order now as a 2-LP set, 2-CD set, and digital download.

Tyner and Henderson had been forging a strong musical bond on Blue Note through the mid-60s with Tyner appearing on Henderson’s 1963 debut Page One as well as his 1964 albums In ‘N Out and Inner Urge, while Henderson would appear on Tyner’s own Blue Note debut The Real McCoy in 1967. The Slugs set list included two Henderson compositions that were originally recorded on his Blue Note albums: a blistering half-hour exploration of “In ‘N Out” and a joyous romp through “Isotope” which is available to stream or download today.

Forces of Nature includes an elaborate booklet with rare photos by Francis Wolff, Raymond Ross, and Robert Polillo; plus liner notes by esteemed author and critic Nate Chinen, and interviews and statements with DeJohnette, Jason Moran, Joe Lovano, Joshua Redman, Christian McBride, Nasheet Waits, and Terri Lyne Carrington. Originally recorded by the legendary engineer Orville O’Brien — who recorded classic 1960s jazz albums such as Freddie Hubbard’s The Night of the Cookers, Charles Tolliver’s Music Inc. and Alice Coltrane’s Journey to Satchidananda — the tape has been in DeJohnette’s personal archives for nearly 60 years. The 2-LP 180g vinyl set is transferred from the original tape reel and mastered by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab, who also mastered the 2-CD and digital.

The credits for Forces of Nature: Live at Slugs’ are as follows:

Side A:

1. In ‘N Out (26:44)
Written by Joe Henderson

Side B:

1. We’ll Be Together Again (14:15)
Written by Carl Fischer, Frankie Laine

Side C:

1. Taking Off (28:18)
Written by McCoy Tyner, Joe Henderson, Jack DeJohnette, Henry Grimes

Side D:

1. The Believer (10:05)
Written by McCoy Tyner

2. Isotope (7:03)
Written by Joe Henderson

McCoy Tyner: piano
Joe Henderson: tenor saxophone
Henry Grimes: bass
Jack DeJohnette: drums

Recorded live at Slugs’ in New York, NY in 1966

Produced for release by Zev Feldman, Jack DeJohnette, Lydia DeJohnette
Executive Producer: Don Was
Associate Producer: Zak Shelby-Szyszko
Recorded live by Orville O’Brien at Slugs’, New York, NY in 1966
Mastered by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab, Salina, KS

Blue Note Records