Jazz Saxophonist Joe Henderson Dies
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Three-time Grammy winning tenor saxophonist Joe
Henderson, long one of jazz insiders' best-kept secrets, died Saturday of
heart failure following a long bout with emphysema. He was 64.
``His heart just failed on him,'' said his sister, Phyllis Henderson,
from Lima, Ohio, Saturday night.
Henderson stopped playing publicly more than a year ago due to his
health problems.
Henderson's lyrical style, often said to be reminiscent of the
legendary Stan Getz, brought him critical acclaim.
``He was one of the most inventive saxophone players,'' said Sonny
Buxton, a former jazz club owner in San Francisco who booked Henderson at
Milestones in the mid-1980s.
``You could hear roots coming out of Lester Young, Stan Getz,'' Buxton
said. ``There was a wailing, a search in his playing. Within just a few
notes you knew that it was Henderson.''
Henderson played steadily throughout his career, recording albums and
performing jazz concerts or low key jams with other jazz elite.
His Verve recordings, after signing with the label in 1992, paid homage
to other jazz greats such as Billy Strayhorn on ``Lush Life,'' Miles
Davis on ``So Near, So Far'' and Antonio Carlos Jobim on ``Double
Rainbow.'' Those recordings landed him three Grammys.
Those close to him nicknamed Henderson ``The Phantom'' for his ability
to drop out of sight, seeking escape from the emotional demands of his
art and profession.
Henderson was born in Lima, Ohio. He studied at Kentucky State College
and Wayne State University before spending two years in the U.S.
military.
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