June 18, 2024
By Dan Ouellette
During his 1960s tenure with Blue Note Records, tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson appeared on close to thirty albums as a valuable go-to session sideman. For starters, he contributed to Horace Silver’s Song for My Father, Andrew Hill’s Point of Departure, and Lee Morgan’s The Sidewinder—an impressive cross-section of top-line jazz classics from that period. Henderson also appeared with a wide range of Blue Note artists including Kenny Dorham, Grant Green, Blue Mitchell, Bobby Hutcherson, Duke Pearson, Larry Young, McCoy Tyner, and Herbie Hancock, among others. His ’60s leader dates for Blue Note, in contrast, consisted of just five sublime albums beginning with 1963’s stunning Page One and concluding with 1966’s spirited Mode for Joe.
On Mode for Joe, Henderson goes all-out, blowing a brawny tenor in the company of a dynamic septet, the largest band he assembled for his label dates. The secret weapon of Mode for Joe is pianist Cedar Walton, a veteran of Benny Golson and Art Farmer’s Jazztet group in the late ’50s and early ’60s as well as an alum of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers where, during his three-year stint, he proved to be a triple threat pianist/composer/arranger (he left the group in 1964). On Mode for Joe he not only contributes two compositions (the title track and “Black”) but also dazzles on the keys as a soloist in addition to an accompanist.
The rest of the band includes trumpeter Lee Morgan (in a rowdy, feisty mood; he also brings in his appropriately titled “Free Wheelin’”), trombonist Curtis Fuller (a charged soloist who paints a fine hue for the horn section harmonies), Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Ron Carter on bass and Joe Chambers on drums.
Mode for Joe smokes with passion and audacity throughout. Joe’s original, “A Shade of Jade,” opens the session with fire. His tenor stretches are bold, fast and even steamrolling. His solos glow with flames of red streamers. Bobby’s vibes glitter, Lee jumps into the fray with trumpeting fury and Cedar dances across the keys. Joe blows a wake-up call on the swinging title track then offers a shredded and torn solo akin to a clipped conversation. Bobby joins in with a lightly elegant touch, Curtis quietly connects and Cedar joyfully plays into the fade.
Another Cedar piece, “Black” has an ominous dark-horn open before it flies, with Joe’s torrid solo lines and swinging fluid notes lighting the tune and Chambers ending with a rolling drum exclamation. Henderson’s original “Caribbean Fire Dance” drives with a slight Latin inflection and explodes with excitement, both from the leader and Lee who both shout vociferously on their instruments. On all fronts, it’s youthful energy being unleashed while Cedar’s rhythmic undergirding keeps the tune tethered to earth. Chambers again spanks the drums with elation.
The next tune, the leader’s “Granted,” accelerates even more with Joe’s rollicking tenor inciting the band into intoxicating improvisational action. Bobby speeds on the vibes, Cedar soars, Lee titillates and Curtis rouses. But it’s Joe who thrills here. The delightful “Free Wheelin’” chills the proceedings down a degree or two as Carter’s bass line sets into motion a series of solos that feel like the whole gang is getting ready to close down a happy-go-lucky hang.
It’s a fitting cap to Henderson’s inital Blue Note association. He went on to record a dozen superb albums on Milestone Records, then returned to Blue Note for a one-off in 1985—The State of the Tenor: Live at the Village Vanguard, Vols. 1 & 2—a five-star trio outing recorded live at the famed NYC jazz club with Carter on bass and Al Foster on drums. This led to Joe’s ’90s run with Verve where his tenor grandeur finally received the wide recognition he deserved.
Get the Classic Vinyl Edition of Mode For Joe on the Blue Note Store
