In Japan

Joe Henderson | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 18, 2000)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Ojc
• ASIN: B00004SAZT
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #154,976 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding rerelease, May 19, 2000

By 

Tyler Smith (Denver, CO United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: In Japan (Audio CD)

This CD will amaze you. It's a recording of a 1971 date in Tokyo, and it ranks right up there with the great live jazz recordings of Parker, Coltrane, Dolphy, Davis, Mingus and others. Henderson, backed by a group of Japanese musicians, blasts through 45 minutes of music that will leave you wondering why this release ever went out of print.

His solo entry on Monk's "'Round Midnight" sets the release off, and after pianist Hideo Ichikawa joins him, Henderson shows why why he's the best living saxophonist since Coltrane. He honks, he bleats, but he never loses the essential beauty of the tune. It's a wonderful tribute to Monk, equal to Coltrane's great solo on the tune while he was with Miles.

Throughout, the Japanese bandmates prove equal to the task of playing with Henderson. Ichikawa, in particular, is powerful on electric piano, particularly on the set closer, "Junk Blues."

Henderson is the rare player who managed to listen to all of the major influences -- Parker, Young, Hawkins, Coltrane -- and absorb them all without losing his own voice. Thankfully, as of this writing, he is still with us. Everyone should listen to this release as a tour-de-force of tenor sax playing, released at a time when people were ready to dismiss jazz as a viable form. Not so quick, the Japanese said. They finally reminded us that some of our best products -- such as jazz and Joe Henderson -- are homegrown.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Joe at his best!, June 29, 2000

By 

Nathan Cross (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Japan (Audio CD)

Okay, first off, this is the kind of playing I associate with Joe Henderson. "Inner Urge" has always been one of my favorite albums, and this album ranks right up there with it. Henderson's sound is so rich and full here, plus he fills his solos with fresh, creative and satisfying ideas. Henderson sounds at his best by himself and with his Japanese cohorts. And speaking of which, they support Henderson as wonderfully as any big name American Jazz star could have. This is as much an ensemble recording as it is a showcase for Henderson. My only complaint is that the album seems short, not that it is really short, but that I get caught in the album and when it ends, I am still wanting more! Any album that achieves this is a masterpiece in my opinion. Highly recommended!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Joe henderson plus nippon soul equals excellence, September 25, 2008

By 

Dennis W. Wong - See all my reviews
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This review is from: In Japan (Audio CD)

There are very few examples of the late great Joe Henderson recorded live--but this exceptional date is one of them. Recorded in Japan with the cream of Japanese musicians backing him, Henderson offers a primer in the art of saxophone playing. There is a fire here missing in his Verve recordings, refined as they are, that just makes you feel alive and human. It's the spirit that many of his excellent Blue Note recordings like "Inner Urge", "Mode for Joe" and "In'n'Out" conveyed. This recording along with the "Live at the Lighthouse" sessions represent the best of Joe's Milestone period before he joined Verve.