When Joe Henderson emerged out of nowhere in 1963 and was presented by trumpeter Kenny Dorham, it must have confused many in the jazz world. Henderson sounded nothing like John Coltrane or Sonny Rollins, he could play both hard bop and very free with ease, and he had his own musical vocabulary. While most jazz musicians spend their early years emulating their heroes, Henderson had his own distinctive sound and did not belong to any one style.

It is no wonder that Alfred Lion immediately signed him to Blue Note, for Henderson's originality was just what the hard bop world needed. On Our Thing, the great tenor performs his own brand of inside/outside music in a quintet with Dorham and Andrew Hill. His solos are stunning displays of virtuosity and ideas that still sound fresh today. Even over 45 years later, no one sounds like Joe Henderson.

Like all Music Matters Jazz releases, this audiophile vinyl reissue is mastered from the original analog tape and pressed on 180g virgin vinyl at RTI in Camarillo, CA. The highest quality gatefold cover features original session photography on the inside.

See more Joe Henderson records here.