Joe Henderson

Joe Henderson was born in Lima, Ohio on April 24, 1937, one of 15 children. His family exposed him to diverse musical styles from opera to Bo Diddley to country music. Henderson wanted to play drums initially but school tests showed aptitude for any instrument. Teachers gave him a saxophone at age nine. He studied drums, piano, saxophone, and composition from an early age. A local drummer John Jarette advised him to listen to Lester Young, Stan Getz, and Charlie Parker. Henderson attended Kentucky State College in 1955, then transferred to Wayne State University in Detroit in 1956. He studied flute, bass, and composition while developing saxophone skills under Larry Teal at the Teal School of Music. His classmates included Yusef Lateef, Barry Harris, and Donald Byrd. Henderson transcribed so many Lester Young solos that professors believed he had perfect pitch. He led his first band in Detroit in 1959. The U.S. Army drafted him in 1960 and stationed him at Fort Benning, then Fort Belvoir for a world tour entertaining soldiers. Henderson met Kenny Drew and Kenny Clarke in Paris during his service. Henderson moved to New York in 1962 after his Army discharge. Kenny Dorham met him at saxophonist Junior Cook’s apartment and took him to hear Dexter Gordon at Birdland. Gordon invited Henderson to play with his rhythm section. Dorham arranged Henderson’s Blue Note debut “Page One” (1963) with McCoy Tyner, Butch Warren, and Pete La Roca. The album introduced compositions “Recorda Me” and “Blue Bossa” as instant standards. Henderson joined Horace Silver’s quintet in 1964 and contributed a notable solo on the hit “Song for My Father.” Blue Note sessions from 1963 to 1968 established him as a prolific sideman. He appeared on more than 30 albums including Andrew Hill’s “Point of Departure” (1965), Grant Green’s “Idle Moments” (1965), Lee Morgan’s “The Sidewinder” (1964), and Larry Young’s “Unity” (1967). His own Blue Note albums included “Our Thing” (1964) with Andrew Hill and Kenny Dorham, “In ‘N Out” (1965) with McCoy Tyner and Elvin Jones, “Inner Urge” (1966) featuring modal explorations, and “Mode For Joe” (1966) with Bobby Hutcherson’s vibes and Curtis Fuller. Henderson signed with Milestone Records in 1967 and co-led the Jazz Communicators with Freddie Hubbard from 1967 to 1968. Henderson worked briefly with Herbie Hancock’s sextet from 1969 to 1970 and joined Blood, Sweat & Tears for a short period in 1971. He moved to San Francisco in the early 1970s and taught at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music from 1978 to 1982. Milestone documented his experimental period through the 1970s including “Power To The People” (1969) with politically-charged themes, “Multiple” (1973) incorporating Brazilian and Afro-Cuban rhythms, and “Canyon Lady” (1975) exploring fusion. Collaborations with Alice Coltrane on “Ptah, The El Daoud” (1970) and “The Elements” (1974) moved into spiritual jazz contexts featuring Coltrane’s harp. Henderson remained primarily a leader through the 1980s, focusing on reinterpreting standards and his own compositions. Blue Note released “The State of the Tenor” (1985), a two-volume live recording from the Village Vanguard with Ron Carter and Al Foster. Verve Records signed him in 1991 and adopted a songbook approach to his recordings. “Lush Life: The Music of Billy Strayhorn” (1992) became a commercial and critical success, earning Henderson a Grammy and Down Beat’s triple crown for jazz musician of the year, top tenor saxophonist, and record of the year. Verve followed with tribute albums to Miles Davis and Antonio Carlos Jobim, plus a big band album in 1996. Henderson suffered a stroke in 1998 that ended his performing career. He died of heart failure from emphysema in San Francisco on June 30, 2001 at age 64.