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Ernie Henry


Bright Moments

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Geez!

FWIW, the first time I encountered Orrin Keepnews, some 30+ years ago, I thanked him for the Henry recordings. He looked "mock shocked" and said something like Amazing, I thought those were just good deeds leading to nothing, just like my Johnny Lytle sessions - but someone recently mentioned those too. Then he slapped me on the shoulder and walked away.

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Geez!

FWIW, the first time I encountered Orrin Keepnews, some 30+ years ago, I thanked him for the Henry recordings. He looked "mock shocked" and said something like Amazing, I thought those were just good deeds leading to nothing, just like my Johnny Lytle sessions - but someone recently mentioned those too. Then he slapped me on the shoulder and walked away.

I don't understand about the Lytle sessions. Weren't his records fairly popular by the jazz record co. standards of the time? Or was that just his later stuff for Prestige (or was it Muse?) -- or did his stuff never sell much for anybody?

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BTW Bright Moments, the girl in the photo at the bottom of your post looks tantalizingly familiar to me (as well as just tantalizing), but I can't quite place her. Is it Doris Day before she got so blonde?

I had assumed it's a retro-style shot of Scarlett Johansson, but right-clicking the image and looking at "Properties" suggests that it's Marilyn Monroe...

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Geez!

FWIW, the first time I encountered Orrin Keepnews, some 30+ years ago, I thanked him for the Henry recordings. He looked "mock shocked" and said something like Amazing, I thought those were just good deeds leading to nothing, just like my Johnny Lytle sessions - but someone recently mentioned those too. Then he slapped me on the shoulder and walked away.

I don't understand about the Lytle sessions. Weren't his records fairly popular by the jazz record co. standards of the time? Or was that just his later stuff for Prestige (or was it Muse?) -- or did his stuff never sell much for anybody?

I didn't understand it at the time and just guessed OK didn't have a clue.

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He can be heard with the Tadd Dameron Sextet on "Our Delight", The Squirrel", "The Chase" and "Dameronia". Not sure where these tracks are currently available. I have them on The Fabulous Fats Navarro Vol 1 (Blue Note BLP 1531).

There is more excellent Henry with Navarro on Savoy in 1947. It seems to me that his style was essentially fully formed, even at that time. The sound comes from Bird, but his rhythmic- linear conception is all his own. His line on *Tadd Walk* is a good example - expressive, swinging, he is able to somehow manipulate his horn to play it exactly as he conceives it, in all its quirkiness ... quirky to the point that at times it seems about to go off the rails ...

Apparently he was part of Monk's working quartet in 1956, which would have been worth hearing ...

While very different in conception, there appear to me to be some surface similarities to Ornette in his playing, a point I think I remember Larry also making at some time...

Q

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He can be heard with the Tadd Dameron Sextet on "Our Delight", The Squirrel", "The Chase" and "Dameronia". Not sure where these tracks are currently available. I have them on The Fabulous Fats Navarro Vol 1 (Blue Note BLP 1531).

Pretty sure they're on The Complete Blue Note and Capitol Recordings of Fats Navarro and Tadd Dameron. Don't have the set on hand, but recall a photo including Henry in the booklet.

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Interesting item on Ebay. It looks like a comp of his Riverside leader dates + sidman appearances. Nonetheless it has a pretty cool cover:

http://cgi.ebay.com/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem...em=150212490567

Japanese reissue of a "post mortem" release on Riverside.

I tried reading the notes on the back of the jacket and yeah, I gleaned that they were definitely talking posthumously about Henry.

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Finally tracked down the Dizzy Orchestra at Chester, Penn., 6/57, on the Jazz Unlimited label. This contains 3 solos by Henry. The longest, *Dizzy's Business*, is a potent, stark reminder of his talent and originality. Great Diz, great band, great soloists including Lee Morgan, Billy Mitchell, Benny Golson etc.

Q

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