Joe Henderson

Mode For Joe closed the run of five albums Joe Henderson made as a leader for Blue Note in the 1960s, and it is the one with the widest palette. Recorded on January 27, 1966, and released in September of that year, it surrounds his tenor saxophone with a septet of trumpet, trombone, vibraphone and rhythm section. The result is full of energy, and its title track holds one of his finest solos.

The front line brings together Lee Morgan on trumpet and Curtis Fuller on trombone, while Bobby Hutcherson's vibraphone adds a cooler, ringing layer to the harmony. The rhythm section is Cedar Walton on piano, Ron Carter on bass and Joe Chambers on drums. Rudy Van Gelder recorded the session, and Leonard Feather wrote the original liner notes.

Henderson's own A Shade Of Jade opens the album, with the whole band playing at white heat. The title track, written by Walton, is the centre of the record: a modal piece over which Henderson builds a solo of rare focus and heat. Henderson also wrote Caribbean Fire Dance and Granted, Walton contributed Black, and Morgan's swinging Free Wheelin' closes the set.

The five leader dates ran from Page One in 1963 through Our Thing, In 'n Out and Inner Urge to this one. In the same years Henderson was a key sideman on the label, on Andrew Hill's Point Of Departure, Morgan's The Sidewinder and Horace Silver's Song For My Father. In 1967 he signed with Milestone. DownBeat gave Mode For Joe four stars in its issue of December 1, 1966.

This Japanese Ultimate High Quality CD (UHQCD) was issued by Universal Music Japan in 2024 as UCCQ-9738. It is remastered by Kevin Gray and comes in a jewel case with obi and the original sleeve notes on the back inlay.