Joe Henderson made many albums over his long and storied career, but there are two that I return to again and again – both largely electric, and both on the Milestone label: 1969’s Power To The People, and this banger from 1973.
Multiple is sometimes compared to Bitches Brew – not just because of its electrified bombast, but also because it’s a bit of a bellwether album for jazz fans. As AllMusic writer Vincent Thomas noted, “you can tell a lot about a listener’s ear and where their tastes reside based on whether they’re big fans of Multiple, indifferent toward it, or don’t like it at all”.
I don’t know what it says about me, but I’m definitely a fan. Despite the presence of virtuoso guitarists James ‘Blood’ Ulmer and John Thomas, this isn’t axe-heavy fusion; the emphasis is more on dense funk (think Sly & The Family Stone’s There’s A Riot Goin’ On) and hardcore electronics, Willis making use of the new goodies available to him. It sounds nasty, dirty, but supremely, sinuously funky (and reminiscent of parts of Woody Shaw’s Blackstone Legacy), largely thanks to the locked-in rhythm trio of DeJohnette, Holland and Willis.
The swaggering ‘Tress-Cum-Deo-La’, is the standout cut, but the epic ‘Bwaata’ runs it close. This is an ultra-heavy 1970s jazz-funk album with a real mean streak, and all the better for it.
As with all JDTSS releases, this is a wonderful-sounding all-analogue cut by Kevin Gray, packaged in an authentic tip-on sleeve. Acquire now, fusioneers!
Kevin Whitlock - Jazzwise
