Scott Henderson, People Mover Review

Jazz

Scott Henderson, People Mover Review

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Scott Henderson is a fusion guitarist that blends blues and rock energy with the harmonic and melodic colors of jazz. His formative musical years where spent playing everything from Led Zeppelin to James Brown in clubs. Henderson was influenced by Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, Ritchie Blackmore, and his favorite blues guitarist Albert King. In 1991, Henderson was named by Guitar World as the #1 Jazz Guitarist, and in January 1992, he was named #1 Jazz Guitarist in Guitar Player’s Annual Reader’s Poll. His first solo blues album Dog Party won best blues album of 1994 in Guitar Player Magazine. Henderson is also in demand to share his knowledge with the current generation of guitarists. He is on the faculty at Musician’s Institute in Hollywood, where his Open Counseling sessions are some of MI’s most popular. He has also written columns for Guitar Player Magazine and many other guitar publications. Alfred Publishing has released Henderson’s instructional DVD entitled “Scott Henderson – Jazz Rock Mastery.” and his first transcription book “The Scott Henderson Guitar Book.”  His other two transcription books, “The Best Of Scott Henderson” and “Scott Henderson – Blues Guitar Collection” are available through Hal Leonard Publishing, as well as his instructional book “Jazz Guitar Chord System,” a revolutionary way for students to study the pluralities of jazz harmony. Henderson is now releasing a ten-song instrumental album titled, People Mover.

Connect with Scott Henderson: Website |

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Positives:

Henderson is both a lyrical and innovative guitar player and composer, that makes for double the listening pleasures.

Bottom Line:

People Mover is a fun listen from start to finish. Henderson has compiled a diverse set of music and the trio is very familiar with each other’s playing. Says Scott, “The music has a lot of interplay due to a busy touring schedule with bassist Romain Labaye and drummer Archibald Ligonnière. I'd say this album is a bit more harmonic than 'Vibe Station,' and the rhythm section plays a bigger role in the music. The challenge was to come up with new tones and effects I haven't used before, since like 'Vibe Station,' the songs are layered with multi guitar tracks.” Labaye and Ligonnière provide a rhythmic pad for Henderson to explore his improvisations of chords and single lines. “Primary Location” features a funky rock groove that has all the elements of Henderson’s compositional style with syncopated figures and an ever-moving harmonic landscape. Henderson uses a controller to expand his warm strat sound. “Satellite” is set to a straight-ahead swing feel. Henderson layers in many sounds, from steel pan mixed with guitar to full synth sounds. For his solo, Henderson takes the standard approach, playing with a clean tone and using a little more space and clearly outlines the changes. The title track is a fusion guitar extravaganza of funk, rock and blues all rolled into a jazz influenced package. Overall, People Mover pulls a lot of sounds from Henderson’s earlier Tribal Tech days, but this trio brings a new perspective to the music. The production and mixing is wonderful, as is Henderson’s playing and tone. That’s the short of it!

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