Joe Henderson- Strongest Blue Note Date?

[pasta]

For my money, Inner Urge seems to be the most inspired date I've heard that Mr Henderson did for BN.....And that's saying something considering the level of excellence of all his stuff from that period. Any other opinions on this? I'm on a Joe Henderson kick as of late...........

[Sundog]

I like them all very much. I guess it just depends on my listening mood. I've been playing Our Thing the most as of late. Andrew Hill is just excellent with Joe on this one.

[P.L.M]

For me too, it's his best date UNDER HIS NAME on BLUE NOTE.

Mostly because of the title tune and the killer EL BARRIO.

And also because Elvin & McCoy suit him perfectly.

But, I think (this has been repeated ad nauseam) than his best work is on other leader's albums (Andrew Hill, Pete La Rocca, Kenny Dorham, Grant Green, etc.)

Edited July 8, 2005 by P.L.M

[JSngry]

Inner Urge or Our Thing, depending on what mood I'm in. Thos two are masterly statements of What Joe Henderson Was. In' N Out gets an Honorable Mention, and that trio of albums sorta forms the "Must Have" Henderson BN list for me.

Page One seems a bit truncated, and although I love the writing on Mode For Joe, the actual playing by all concerned falls into the "you can hear the same thing only better on other albums" category for me. But I've run into a lot pf people over the years for whom MFJ is a serious favorite, so hey, just goes to show ya'.

[clifford_thornton]

Basra, Trompeta Toccatta, and Black Fire, followed by Inner Urge for me.

[brownie]

'Our Thing', ' Una Mas', 'Basra' and 'The State of the Tenor' are favorites! Among others.

Henderson was an incredibly consistent player when he was recording for BN...

[clifford_thornton]

Henderson was an incredibly consistent player when he was recording for BN...

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Almost to a fault!

[Rooster_Ties]

...and although I love the writing on Mode For Joe, the actual playing by all concerned falls into the "you can hear the same thing only better on other albums" category for me. But I've run into a lot pf people over the years for whom MFJ is a serious favorite, so hey, just goes to show ya'.

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I've always claimed MODE FOR JOE as my favorite, but come to think of it -- it's very likely because of the writing, and the arrangements for a three-horn front line (plus vibes) -- cuz I'm a sucker for BN's from the mid-60's with larger groups.

BUT, if you want to really get down to Joe's deepest and very best playing, and the most telepathic group interaction -- the nod should probably go to INNER URGE.

[Soulstation1]

the only bn leader cds i have for jh are

our thing - rvg

mfj - old version

Edited July 8, 2005 by Soulstation1

[Guy Berger]

For my money, Inner Urge seems to be the most inspired date I've heard that Mr Henderson did for BN.....And that's saying something considering the level of excellence of all his stuff from that period. Any other opinions on this? I'm on a Joe Henderson kick as of late...........

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I agree if we're talking about his work as a leader. I'd put Our Thing in 2nd place, and Jim Sangrey's assessments of MFJ and Page One seem on target to me. I've never gone crazy over In'n'Out (unless we're talking about the burgers) -- it's very good, something about that session sounds a little weird to me, as if the musicians aren't all on the same page.

BUT... overall I think Joe's best work on BN was as a sideman.

Guy

[sidewinder]

'Mode For Joe' and 'Our Thing' marginally get my vote, although they are all great (particularly 'Page One' and 'Inner Urge'). 'Mode For Joe' has a great group sound with inspired solos all round - sums up that whole era, really. 'Our Thing' is has the great Henderson/Dorham front line, most ably backed up by Andrew Hill. Hard to chose between all of them, all have their virtues.

[DrJ]

IN 'N' OUT is my all-time sentimental favorite, the first of Henderson's 60s Blue Note recordings I ever bought. Someone commented on the band sounding not quite all together, but I'd spin it this way: it sounds like they just showed up, pealed off the sport jackets, ran through the high points of the tunes quickly in preparation, and then just DOVE IN without over-thinking it, falling back on their (excellent) instincts.

For example, I love how Dorham and Joe aren't ever quite on sync during the (chop busting) melody portion of the title track...it sounds, well, REAL - not overly rehearsed or worked out, basically like you're in a club and the musicians have spontaneously decided to just go for some fairly tricky tunes they once played together but haven't rehearsed into submission.

So there's a wildness, a looseness, an on-the-edge thing in IN 'N' OUT, that ISN'T heard on any of the other Henderson Blue Notes (great though they are).

Also, just carefully listening to the remarkably on-form and unbelievably powerful rhythm section througout IN 'N' OUT alone is a wonderful way to spend an hour.

Finally, doesn't hurt that the compositions, loose though many are, are uniformly superb.

I love that recording.

Edited August 2, 2005 by DrJ

[Big Al]

Page One seems a bit truncated, and although I love the writing on Mode For Joe, the actual playing by all concerned falls into the "you can hear the same thing only better on other albums" category for me. But I've run into a lot pf people over the years for whom MFJ is a serious favorite, so hey, just goes to show ya'.

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I would be one of those people!

[JSngry]

Page One seems a bit truncated, and although I love the writing on Mode For Joe, the actual playing by all concerned falls into the "you can hear the same thing only better on other albums" category for me. But I've run into a lot pf people over the years for whom MFJ is a serious favorite, so hey, just goes to show ya'.

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I would be one of those people!

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I actually pulled out MFJ last week, just because, and I have a better/renewed understanding of why it's a favorite of so many people. The tunes are great, as are the charts, and there is definitely some fine playing going on.

The thing about it that doesn't quite "gel" for me, though, is the stylistic grouping of personnel. On the one hand, you've got the two Joes, Bobby Hutcherson, and Ron Carter sounding like they might want to go one way, and on the other, you got Lee, Curtis, and Cedar sounding like they're going a slighty different way. Sometimes these type things end up with everybody finding a common/comfortable middle ground, but here, it seems like it doesn't make anybody uncomfortable, not really, just that there's not as much "consensus" as there might have been. Maybe if Billy Higgins had been the drummer, or McCoy the pianist, that consensus might've been clearer. Or not!

Then again, that's jsut how I hear it, and maybe the hangups are all in my head. Distinctly possible!

[Guy Berger]

The thing about it that doesn't quite "gel" for me, though, is the stylistic grouping of personnel. On the one hand, you've got the two Joes, Bobby Hutcherson, and Ron Carter sounding like they might want to go one way, and on the other, you got Lee, Curtis, and Cedar sounding like they're going a slighty different way. Sometimes these type things end up with everybody finding a common/comfortable middle ground, but here, it seems like it doesn't make anybody uncomfortable, not really, just that there's not as much "consensus" as there might have been. Maybe if Billy Higgins had been the drummer, or McCoy the pianist, that consensus might've been clearer. Or not!

Herbie or McCoy at the piano. Freddie or Woody instead of Lee. Lee and Cedar were right for Joe in '63, not in '67.

Guy