Joe Henderson

Joe Henderson絕對是一位好好先生。打從他于六三年退伍后，便一直效力于Blue Note公司，成為其中一位錄音產(chǎn)量最為豐富的薩斯風(fēng)手。1987年Joe Henderson被名制作Michael Cuscuna力邀重投Blue Note，錄制了一輯在Village Vanguard的現(xiàn)場錄音作品《The State of The Tenor》。九十年代的Joe Henderson終被具市場說服力的包裝，而獲得廣大爵士樂迷的青睞，甚至贏得了葛萊美爵士獎項(xiàng)?？尚业氖牵徽撛谌魏螛凤L(fēng)隊(duì)型之下，Joe Henderson的吹奏，依舊是在Blue Note中所認(rèn)識的Joe Henderson。現(xiàn)今的Joe Henderson雖然年歲已大，但他的創(chuàng)作慾望并未因此而減低，從他整個演奏生涯來看，Henderson其實(shí)也要到了90年代之后，才獲得與他實(shí)質(zhì)成就相符的肯定與崇敬。除了1992、1993年連續(xù)兩年獲得重拍雜志（Down Beat）樂評最佳樂手的獎項(xiàng)之外，92年他的名氣甚至可以大到可以在各大小雜志，上至New York Times下到Newsweek上看到關(guān)于他的報導(dǎo)，1993年還榮獲白宮的邀請參加演出，除了John Coltrane與Sonny Rollins兩位薩克斯風(fēng)大師之外，Joe Henderson可以說是另外一位70年代影響深遠(yuǎn)的另一位爵士巨匠。
by Scott Yanow
Joe Henderson is proof that jazz can sell without watering down the music; it just takes creative marketing. Although his sound and style were virtually unchanged from the mid-60s, Joe Hendersons signing with Verve in 1992 was treated as a major news event by the label (even though he had already recorded many memorable sessions for other companies). His Verve recordings had easy-to-market themes (tributes to Billy Strayhorn, Miles Davis, and Antonio Carlos Jobim) and, as a result, he became a national celebrity and a constant poll winner while still sounding the same as when he was in obscurity in the 1970s.
The general feeling is that it couldnt have happened to a more deserving jazz musician. After studying at Kentucky State College and Wayne State University, Joe Henderson played locally in Detroit before spending time in the military (1960-1962). He played briefly with Jack McDuff and then gained recognition for his work with Kenny Dorham (1962-1963), a veteran bop trumpeter who championed him and helped Henderson get signed to Blue Note. Henderson appeared on many Blue Note sessions both as a leader and as a sideman, spent 1964-1966 with Horace Silvers Quintet, and during 1969-1970 was in Herbie Hancocks band. From the start, he had a very distinctive sound and style which, although influenced a bit by both Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane, also contained a lot of brand new phrases and ideas. Henderson had long been able to improvise in both inside and outside settings, from hard bop to freeform. In the 1970s, he recorded frequently for Milestone and lived in San Francisco, but was somewhat taken for granted. The second half of the 1980s found him continuing his freelancing and teaching while recording for Blue Note, but it was when he hooked up with Verve that he suddenly became famous. Virtually all of his recordings are currently in print on CD, including a massive collection of his neglected (but generally rewarding) Milestone dates. On June 30, 2001, Joe Henderson passed away due to heart failure after a long battle with emphysema.