One of the major discoveries of the 1960s, Joe Henderson was a sensation in the jazz world from the start. His sound on tenor was very original and immediately recognizable. He could play both inside (hard bop) and outside (free jazz) with ease, often alternating between the two. And he never seemed to create an uninspired chorus.

After debuting as a member of Kenny Dorham's group, Henderson was with the Horace Silver Quintet at the time that he recorded Inner Urge in 1964. It is apparent from the start of this quartet date with McCoy Tyner and Elvin Jones that Henderson was a giant very much in their league despite his youth. In addition to contributing a pair of future standards with "Isotope" and "Inner Urge" and his inventive alteration of "Night And Day," Henderson's explorative solos are full of fire, their own logic, and unpredictability.

His playing reflects both the turmoil and the passion of the 1960s along with his brilliant musicianship. Inner Urge is endlessly fascinating, one of the most important jazz recordings of the era and a highpoint in the career of Joe Henderson.

This pressing is on SRX Vinyl. SRX stands for “Silent Running Xperience.” SRX is our own proprietary formula, conceived and developed by Rick Hashimoto of Record Technology and manufactured by TPC Plastics. Its noise floor is fathoms lower than any other vinyl we know of out there past or present. Records pressed with it look like normal black discs until you hold them up to the light and see that they are translucent and smoky, silvery gray in color. The near-perfect silence of SRX Vinyl virtually frees the music from groove noise and draws you further into the listening space, setting it in relief so distinct, full and spacious it’s nearly sculptural. You hear more of what’s on the original tapes, not only of the notes played on the instruments but the experience of the event itself. That's why we call it Silent Running Xperience.

Like all Music Matters Jazz releases, this is cut from the original analog tapes, mastered by Ron Rambach and Kevin Gray at Cohearant Audio, and pressed at Record Technologies Inc (RTI). The gorgeous gatefold jacket is from Stoughton Printing in City of Industry, California and includes exclusively licensed photos from the original session inside.

See more Joe Henderson records here.