Joe Henderson in Japan cover

Joe Henderson in Japan

Released

In 1971, tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson traveled to Japan without a band and recorded this album at the Junk Club in Tokyo, using well-regarded Japanese musicians: Hideo Ichikawa on electric piano, Kunimitsu Inaba on bass, and Motohiko Hino (brother of trumpeter Terumasa Hino, with whom Henderson had also played) on drums. It was released that same year in Japan as Henderson’s Habiliment on the Victor label; Milestone picked it up for the US in 1973. The quartet works through four songs in 45 minutes, including a version of Thelonious Monk’s “Round Midnight,” Henderson’s own “Out ’n’ In” (a retitling of “In ’n’ Out,” from his 1964 album of the same name), Kenny Dorham’s “Blue Bossa,” and a nearly 15-minute new piece simply called “Junk Blues,” which gives everyone the chance to solo at length and inspires whoops and hollering from the audience.

Phil Freeman

Recommended by

Suggestions
Only Trust Your Heart cover

Only Trust Your Heart

Toots Thielemans
Last Sessions cover

Last Sessions

Sonny Stitt
Crash! cover

Crash!

Jack McDuff, Kenny Burrell
EVOL cover

EVOL

Sonic Youth
Reach cover

Reach

Jacky Terrasson
Mandance cover

Mandance

Ronald Shannon Jackson & the Decoding Society
Decoy cover

Decoy

Miles Davis