Jazz
This is one of the many great and somewhat overlooked albums of the golden era that reached into the 60s--and arguably should be ranked among classics such as Miles' "Kind of Blue" and Oliver Nelson's "Blues and the Abstract Truth." The cast is an A-team (with the Leader are Lee Morgan, Curtis Fuller, Bobby Hutcherson, Cedar Walton, Ron Carter and Joe Chambers!) and the recording is sterling. Take a listen to the title track by Cedar Walton. It explains why music, and especially straight-ahead jazz, can be a gift! If you like tenor players as leaders, this music is for you.
By Robert McFadden.
**
Given the date of this release and the band lineup, one might assume that this is a straight-up hard-bop album. However, this 1966 Joe Henderson record--featuring trumpeter Lee Morgan, trombonist Curtis Fuller, vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, ... Full Descriptionpianist Cedar Walton, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Joe Chambers--is a great example of modern jazz at its best. MODE FOR JOE was recorded during a time of sweeping musical changes due to developments in free jazz, soul jazz, and even early experiments with fusion. It was a time when the bluesy and funky leanings of hard-boppers were giving way to more individualized contemporary approaches. One of the best examples of this shift, MODE FOR JOE sounds more like the experimental work of Branford Marsalis than the groovy musings of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers.
The last track on MODE FOR JOE, "Free Wheelin'," is the only dyed-in-the-wool hard-bop tune heard here. Other than that, this outing's mostly up-tempo songs serve as vehicles for solos. Henderson himself proves that the template for players such as Marsalis, Joe Lovano, and Joshua Redman was invented a generation earlier, as evidenced on "A Shade of Jade," "Black," and others, making this one of the sax legend's most intriguing albums
CD Universe.
**
Tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson's fifth and final early Blue Note album is his only one with a group larger than a quintet. Henderson welcomes quite an all-star band (trumpeter Lee Morgan, trombonist Curtis Fuller, vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Joe Chambers) and together they perform originals by Henderson (including "A Shade of Jade"), Walton and Morgan ("Free Wheelin'"). The advanced music has plenty of exciting moments and all of the young talents play up to the level one could hope for.
[Originally released on LP in 1966, Mode for Joe has been reissued on CD several times over; the 2004 Blue Note reissue remastered by Rudy Van Gelder is recommended, although the difference in sound is minimal and the bonus version of "Black" has been placed at the bottom track list instead of as an alternate in the middle.]
By Scott Yanow. AMG.
**
Joe Henderson- (Tenor Sax);
Lee Morgan- (Trumpet);
Curtis Fuller- (Trombone);
Bobby Hutcherson- (Vibraphone);
Cedar Walton- (Piano);
Ron Carter- (Bass);
Joe Chambers- (Drums)
**
A1 A Shade of Jade 7:09
A2 Mode for Joe 8:04
A3 Black 6:53
B1 Carribean Fire Dance 6:43
B2 Granted 7:22
B3 Free Wheelin' 6:38
**
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