CELLAR MUSIC 21826 (RELEASED OCTOBER 9, 2026)
Since relocating to New York City from his native Canada, pianist Tyler Henderson has absorbed what he calls “The New York Sound.” According to Henderson, that sound is rooted in the soulful playing of his heroes, including John Hicks, Cedar Walton, Barry Harris and others. “These are the players who always made the music better in ways the other musicians often didn’t recognize,” he explains. Those influences are evident on The Long Game, Henderson’s second release, featuring the wonderfully tasteful support of bassist Caleb Tobocman and drummer Hank Allen-Barfield. More than merely emulating his heroes, Henderson has developed a style of his own, demonstrated across the album’s seven originals and two standards. Henderson’s fleet, crisp approach is both pure and joyous on originals such as “Covered Bridge Bounce,” with its Cedar Walton vibe; “Tokyo Nights,” which a nod to Bud Powell’s “Parisian Thoroughfare”; and the classic 12-bar blues of “Eight Ball,” featuring guest saxophonist Cory Weeds. Henderson’s use of block chords and delicate, flowing lines is ideally suited to his ballad “More Beautiful” and Jimmy Van Heusen’s “All This and Heaven Too.” His bluesier side emerges on “Lisa’s Tune,” which shifts from a Latin groove to a straight-ahead feel, and “The Green Groove,” with its classic Horace Silver-inspired funk. Tobocman and Allen-Barfield, who also accompanied Henderson on his debut release, Love Endures, share his passion for the “New York Sound,” delivering crisp, inspired performances throughout. Tobocman’s solo on “Covered Bridge Bounce” perfectly captures the tune’s rhythmic and harmonic charm, while Allen-Barfield’s restraint on ballads such as Cy Coleman’s “I’m Gonna’ Laugh You Out of My Life” enhances the subtlety of Henderson’s playing. Thanks to Henderson’s exceptional composing and playing, along with the polished contributions of Tobocman and Allen-Barfield, The Long Game does more than capture the “New York Sound” — it injects fresh vim and vigor into a tradition familiar to fans of hard-bop piano trios.
BOTTOM LINE: Baritone saxophone great Pepper Adams once observed that studying just one player to shape your sound is plagiarism, while studying many players is research. Pianist Tyler Henderson has done his research, drawing on pianists such as Bud Powell, George Cables and Kenny Barron, among others. The Long Game reflects those studies while bringing a fresh approach to a sound that remains familiar to hard-bop piano trio fans.
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