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RADIO March 10, 2020

The Arrival of Joe Henderson (1963 - 1967)

Joe Henderson may have been the most significant tenor saxophonist to emerge in the 1960s. Gary Giddins wrote that he is ..."an irresistibly lucid player, whose adroitness in conjuring stark and swirling riffs contributed immeasurably to two of the most durable jazz hits of the '60s, Horace Silver's 'Song for My Father' and Lee Morgan's 'The Sidewinder.'" In addition to those tunes, in previous programs in this series, we have also heard Kenny Dorham's 'Blue Bossa' from Henderson's first release ...

RADIO August 22, 2019

Joe Henderson on Milestone

By Bob Osborne

This week we feature a trio of Joe Henderson cuts from the late '60s-early '70s, showing his transition from the mainstream to the electric, plus another teaser from the Rubberband album by Miles Davis and a mixed bag of new and old releases. Playlist Miles Davis “Paradise (feat. Medina Johnson)" from Rubberband (Warner Brothers) 00:00 Joe Henderson “Black Narcissus" from Power to the People (Milestone) 07:00 Roger Rota, Matthias Bauer & Maria Lucchese “Incontro 1 to 4" ...

ALBUM REVIEW May 28, 2019

Joe Henderson: The State Of The Tenor • Live At The Village Vanguard • Volume 2

By Greg Simmons

If any jazz performance from the 1980s could be thought of as a landmark statement, Joe Henderson's live State of the Tenor sessions would surely float to the top of the list. Recorded at the Village Vanguard over three nights in November 1985 and originally released on Blue Note Records two years later, State of the Tenor -Live at the Village Vanguard -Volume 2 has now received a high-quality vinyl reissue treatment courtesy of the label's Tone Poet series, curated ...

ALBUM REVIEW August 25, 2017

Joe Henderson: The Elements

By Mike Jurkovic

Whatever era Henderson you champion or pine for--his dazzling side work with Horace Silver and Lee Morgan or, as a leader, the 60's defiant Inner Urge or Page One, the 70's fusion/funk explorer of Multiple or the revered elder statesman of his later years--The Elements delivers some damn fine head music. With its shifting atmospheres, dynamics, world music palette --harp, horn, piano, percussion; bass, violin; and all the bells and whistles of studio wizardry circa '73, Henderson and company presciently ...

ALBUM REVIEW January 3, 2017

Joe Henderson: Mirror, Mirror

By Glenn Astarita

As anticipated, Germany-based MPS' famed audio engineering expertise--besides its tenure as a prominent jazz record label-- lives up to expectations with a superb remastering effort of the 1980 LP led by tenor sax great John Henderson and a band featuring jazz giants, pianist Chick Corea, bassist Ron Carter and drummer, Billy Higgins. The packaging includes the original liners and a photo of the original master tape box. The 180-gram vinyl offering boasts a detailed soundstage, but more importantly ...

MY BLUE NOTE OBSESSION June 15, 2015

Joe Henderson: Page One – 1963

By Marc Davis

Joe Henderson is one of those jazz guys who made such a spectacular comeback late in life that you tend to forget how good he was in the beginning. Page One is all the evidence you need of Henderson's early heroics. Let's start at the end. The last four albums of Henderson's long, outstanding career were arguably his very best. Each was a tribute to music's past and each was amazing. In 1992, there was So ...

ALBUM REVIEW August 29, 2013

Joe Henderson: Mode for Joe

By Greg Simmons

Recorded and released in 1966, Mode for Joe was Joe Henderson's last session as a leader for Blue Note Records until 1985's State of the Tenor.True to form for the period, the recording features a cast of legendary players in peak form. In this case Henderson shares front line duties with a fiery Lee Morgan on trumpet and a young Bobby Hutcherson on vibes. Curtis Fuller's trombone adds low-end heft to the melodic statements. Forget that ...