Bruce A. Henry
Chicago, Illinois, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2021 | SELF | AFTRA
Music
Press
We can’t turn away when Bruce is on stage. His presence is simultaneously commanding and approachable. His joy is contagious. He nearly overpowers with emotion, leaving one breathless but still standing. When he improvises it’s as if creating a ceremonial chant from ancient fragments. His voice is his horn, and he can swing like Goodman, spin and spiral like Parker, or levitate like Coltrane. - JazzInk
Back in this fan's formative listening years, the record racks had a section that carried the label “Rhythm & Blues.” There you'd find everything from early Motown--Smoky Robinson and the Marvelettes, The Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, Marvin and Tammi, the Temptations and the Supremes; and from other labels specializing in “soul sounds”: Gene McDaniels, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, Ray Charles...
I mention this bit of history because vocalist Bruce A. Henry sounds very much like a forward extension of that tradition, a carrying on of the things Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield were doing as the decade of the sixties drew to a close, bringing in a jazz spirit and an uplifting Afro-Centrism into a soul/blues/jazz mix.
And that is a very good thing.
Henry's Connections opens with the soaring Gill Scott Heron/John Coltrane anthem ”Equinox,” pared down Coltrane Style--bass, drums piano, sax; then it rolls into a Langston Hughes poem, proud and unstoppably dignified, with music supplied by Henry: “Darker Brother/I Too Sing America.” In between lies Freddie Hubbard's “Red Clay,” and further on you'll find perhaps the highlight, a linked trio of Mongo Santamaria's “Afro Blue” and the Henry-penned “Africa Cries Prelude” and “Africa Cries.”
Henry's one and a half octave vocal range delves into a rich baritone on his haunting original, ”Moon,” and rises elsewhere to a creamy Bobby Blue Bland delivery--I'm truly reminded of Bobby Blue on “Red Clay” and “House of the Rising Sun.” A set that includes the occasional horn section, lady background vocals, infectious grooves--a cooking version of Earth Wind and Fire's “Mighty, Mighty”-- the bouncing percolation of “Afro Blue,” the solemn, spiritual reverence of “Africa Cries,” all this makes Connections an outstanding and original vocal effort, produced to near perfection.
- Dan McClenaghan
“This singer certainly has that special something. Bruce A. Henry has this magic in his voice and singing that makes each of his songs special . . . a great diverse album every discerning jazz fan should own.”
- Jazz-Not-Jazz, Germany
Bruce Henry's deep and eclectic jazz vocals have been heard throughout the world to glowing reviews and converted audiences. With a voice that is truly an instrument, Bruce brings a world music approach to his art, discovering new layers of spirit in his interpretations of compositions ranging from the Freddie Hubbard/Mark Murphy penned "Red Clay" to Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Sound of Music."
- Artist Quarter
For his final song, we wonder if we’ll hear “Nature Boy” or “The House of the Rising Sun,” two famous tunes Henry has made his own and each one a showstopper. Instead, we hear a song he has promised to someone in the audience: “The Second Time Around.” Accompanied by saxophone, it’s gorgeous, a singer’s song, with low, deep notes and caressing vibrato. Is it for his wife? It feels very private in a room packed with people who are hushed and listening hard.
- Bebopified
Accolades from various sources
- - Kari Gaffney
More Horace Silver, this time “All,” a song Henry got from Dean Brewington, “the first person I met in the state of Minnesota.” The lyrics (also by Silver) seem especially appropriate for Henry: “All time is now/all space is near/all minds relate/all souls evolve...all things are spirit/all is in mind.” His performances are engaging and entertaining, but they’re also deeply spiritual if you’re willing to let that part reach out and touch you. - Pamela Espeland
Discography
Solstice -1978
One Living Soul -1995
Songs of Inspiration - 2000
Connections - 2004
Live at The Dakota - Coming soon
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