Eddie Henderson @ London Jazz Festival, Pizza Express - Nov. 20

Eddie Henderson (trumpet); Matyas Gayer (piano); Arnie Somogyi (double bass); Stephen Keogh (drums).

Although he's been playing straight jazz for years now, the good doctor (he maintained a career as a doctor of medicine also) was one of the first jazz artists I listened to, back in the days of jazz-funk in the seventies. A fine trumpet player, at the time I'd have filed him with Freddie Hubbard and Donald Byrd.

And he introduced his pieces, generally giving the composer: Be Cool written by his wife who was there, Wayne Shorter's El Gaucho and Sweet and Lovely, in 3:4 time - in case anybody fancied waltzing - which he first heard by Booker Little or Frank Sinatra, who he thought may have written it, which I doubt.

He rested his lips for Nancy with the Laughing Face and the piano trio missed him not at all. I particularly liked Arnie's solo, which seemed more like a bass lead. Gasps could be heard as he told us Miles Davis stayed at his house by way of introducing an inspired version of On Green Dolphin Street.

Some tinkering with sound by all concerned brought on Phantoms by Kenny Barron which was followed by a Monk track I know well but can't name; one of the wonky ones, so that narrows it down. Which only left Cantaloupe Island by his old boss Herbie Hancock in his Mwandishi Band to conclude a scintillating set. My only criticism might be that it was too short, or maybe the time just flew over. 

I couldn't resist introducing myself and telling him I'd seen him in September as part of all-star group Echoes of an Era in Monterey, California and previously with another super-group the Cookers, though I told him the gig I'd just watched, with a European pick-up group, albeit fairly star-studded, would  be my pick.

We also discussed his big jazz-funk album Mahal from 1978 featuring Prance On and Cyclops which DJ Froggy and others played at 45 rpm, which he'd heard, perhaps because it's an additional track on the CD reissue. He told me he'd signed three copies at the earlier show that evening and I wondered if they'd turned up expecting a night of jazz-funk. 

He was well dressed in suit, shirt and tie; warm and friendly and when I asked my neighbour on the next table what made him pay a not insignificant cover charge to watch a jazz show in a pizza restaurant on his own he told me he's from Istanbul, had been working in the UK, loved jazz and Eddie Henderson is a leegend(sic). A gentleman too. Steve T