Called “the phantom” by fellow musicians and dubbed the “bearded, goateed astronaut of the tenor sax” by a close friend, trumpeter Kenny Dorham, the enigmatic Joe Henderson recorded five albums for the Blue Note label that are uniformly regarded as jazz classics. Mosaic Records has gathered those records— Page One, Our Thing, In ’n Out, Inner Urge, Mode for Joe—plus Henderson’s sideman dates and alternate takes for Blue Note for a limited-edition, five-CD box set, The Complete Joe Henderson Blue Note Studio Sessions (Mosaic Records MD5-271).
Henderson’s music on Blue Note is cerebral but earthy; his dark, arid saxophone gusts soar with friendly ferocity. Such Henderson standards as “Blue Bossa,” “Recorda Me,” “Caribbean Fire Dance,” “Punjab,” and “A Shade of Jade” share the rare quality of sounding eternally fresh, inner seams bristling with energy and Henderson’s unique sonic logic.
Mastered from 24-bit transfers from Rudy Van Gelder’s original tapes, the discs all sound clear, rich, and dynamic, and the box is still available. Grab yours while you can, though: It’s a limited edition, and if you want a physical copy of this music (as opposed to streaming), it’s hard to find elsewhere. Are you listening, Blue Note?
1968 marked the end of Henderson’s contract with Blue Note—regrettable, since his music fit well there—but his career lasted decades longer. His subsequent recordings for Milestone, Red, Enja, Contemporary, and MPS reveal a fertile, restless composer who embraced new sounds and styles within magnetic compositions and an increasingly avantgarde style.
This story is from the February 2022 edition of Stereophile.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the February 2022 edition of Stereophile.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
AURAL ROBERT
Another \"outlaw\" country artist
Nina Simone: Wild Is the Wind
By all accounts, Eunice Kathleen Waymon, aka Nina Simone, who passed in 2003, was a troubled person and a brilliant artist. Why she was not more acclaimed during her lifetime is a question several recent film projects have tried to answer. Did her fierce stand on civil rights lose her fans?
Vintage hi-fi, old and new
Many audiophiles and serious music lovers are passionate about vintage. Vintage has become a popular \"way in\" to the hobby, especially popular among younger folks.
Tekton Moab Be
LOUDSPEAKER
ARCAM Radia A25
INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER
Wharfedale Heritage Series 90th Anniversary Dovedale
LOUDSPEAKER
Technics Grand Class SL-1200/1210GR2
RECORD PLAYER
Thrax Audio Siren
Based in Bulgaria, European audio company Thrax has been active since 2009.
EMM Labs MTRS
STEREO POWER AMPLIFIER
SPIN DOCTOR
Alternative phono cartridge technologies and the DS Audio DS-W3 optical cartridge system