Mode for Joe

1966 studio album by Joe Henderson

Mode for Joe

Studio album by

Joe Henderson

Released

September 1966

Recorded

January 27, 1966

Studio

Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs

Genre

Jazz, post-bop, modal jazz

Length

49:27 (2003 release)

Label

Blue Note

Producer

Alfred Lion

Joe Henderson chronology

Inner Urge
(1965)

Mode for Joe
(1966)

The Kicker
(1967)

Mode for Joe is the fifth studio album by American jazz saxophonist Joe Henderson, recorded and released in 1966. Featuring Henderson with a larger than usual ensemble consisting of trumpeter Lee Morgan, trombonist Curtis Fuller, vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Joe Chambers, it was Henderson’s last Blue Note recording as leader until the live albums The State of the Tenor, Vols. 1 & 2 almost 20 years later.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide	^[2]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	^[3]
DownBeat	^[4]

AllMusic reviewer Eric Starr awarded the album 4.5 stars, calling it "a great example of modern jazz at its best" and "one of the sax legend's most intriguing albums."^[1]

Track listing

All compositions by Joe Henderson, except where indicated.

"A Shade of Jade" – 7:08
"Mode for Joe" (Cedar Walton) – 8:00
"Black" (Walton) – 6:51
"Caribbean Fire Dance" – 6:41
"Granted" – 7:20
"Free Wheelin'" (Lee Morgan) – 6:39
"Black" (Walton) (alternate take) – 6:48 Bonus track on CD

Personnel

Charts

Chart performance for *Mode for Joe*
Chart (2024)	Peak position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[5]	128

References

^ ^a ^b Starr, Eric (2011). "Mode for Joe – Joe Henderson | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 100. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 687. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
^ DownBeat magazine, December 1, 1966, p. 33
^ "Ultratop.be – Joe Henderson – Mode for Joe" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 25, 2024.

Joe Henderson

Blue Note
albums

Page One
Our Thing
In 'n Out
Inner Urge
Mode for Joe

Milestone
albums

The Kicker
Tetragon
Power to the People
In Pursuit of Blackness
Black Is the Color
Multiple
The Elements
Canyon Lady
Black Miracle
Black Narcissus

Verve
albums

Four
Straight, No Chaser
Lush Life: The Music of Billy Strayhorn
So Near, So Far (Musings for Miles)
Double Rainbow: The Music of Antonio Carlos Jobim
Big Band
Porgy & Bess

Live
albums

Other
albums

Barcelona
Relaxin' at Camarillo
Mirror Mirror
The Standard Joe

Compositions

"Recorda Me"

Discography

v t e Lee Morgan
Year(s) indicated are for the recording(s), not first release.
As leader or co-leader	Lee Morgan Indeed! (1956) Introducing Lee Morgan (1956) Lee Morgan Sextet (1956) Dizzy Atmosphere (1957) Lee Morgan Vol. 3 (1957) City Lights (1957) The Cooker (1957) Candy (1957–58) Peckin' Time (1958) Monday Night at Birdland (1958) Another Monday Night at Birdland (1959) Here's Lee Morgan (1960) Lee-Way (1960) Expoobident (1960) The Young Lions (1960) Take Twelve (1962) The Sidewinder (1963) Search for the New Land (1964) Tom Cat (1964) Cornbread (1965) Infinity (1965) The Gigolo (1965) The Night of the Cookers (with Freddie Hubbard, 1965) The Rumproller (1965) Delightfulee (1966) Charisma (1966) The Rajah (1966) Standards (1967) Sonic Boom (1967) The Procrastinator (1967–69) The Sixth Sense (1967) Taru (1968) Caramba! (1968) Live at the Lighthouse (1970) The Last Session (1971)
With Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers	Theory of Art (aka, A Night in Tunisia, 1957) Drums Around the Corner (1958–59) Moanin' (1958) 1958 – Paris Olympia (1958) Des Femmes Disparaissent (1958) Les Liaisons dangereuses (1958) Africaine (1959) At the Jazz Corner of the World (1959) Paris Jam Session (1959) The Big Beat (1960) A Night in Tunisia (1960) Like Someone in Love (1960) Meet You at the Jazz Corner of the World (1960) Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers (1961) The Freedom Rider (1961) The Witch Doctor (1961) Roots & Herbs (1961) Pisces (1961–64) Indestructible (1964) Golden Boy (1964) 'S Make It (1964) Soul Finger (1965) Hold On, I'm Coming (1965)
With Hank Mobley	Hank Mobley Sextet (1956) Jazz Message No. 2 (1956) No Room for Squares (1963) Dippin' (1965) A Caddy for Daddy (1965) A Slice of the Top (1966) Straight No Filter (1966) Third Season (1967)
With others	Minor Move (Tina Brooks, 1958) Blue Train (John Coltrane, 1957) Intensity (Charles Earland, 1972) Charles III (Charles Earland, 1972) Brass Shout (Art Farmer, 1959) Sliding Easy (Curtis Fuller, 1959) The Curtis Fuller Jazztet (1959) Images of Curtis Fuller (1960) Dizzy in Greece (Dizzy Gillespie, 1957) Birks' Works (Dizzy Gillespie, 1957) Dizzy Gillespie at Newport (Dizzy Gillespie, 1957) Benny Golson and the Philadelphians (Benny Golson, 1958) A Blowin' Session (Johnny Griffin, 1957) Mode for Joe (Joe Henderson, 1966) Last Chorus (Ernie Henry, 1957) Grass Roots (Andrew Hill, 1968) Lift Every Voice (Andrew Hill, 1969) Flute-In (Bobbi Humphrey, 1971) The Prime Element (Elvin Jones, 1969) Drums Around the World (Philly Joe Jones, 1959) The Great Wide World of Quincy Jones (1959) Cliff Jordan (Clifford Jordan, 1957) Kelly Great (Wynton Kelly, 1959) Greasy Kid Stuff! (Harold Mabern, 1970) Jacknife (Jackie McLean, 1965) Consequence (Jackie McLean, 1965) Evolution (Grachan Moncur, 1963) Introducing Wayne Shorter (1959) Night Dreamer (Wayne Shorter, 1964) House Party (Jimmy Smith, 1957–58) The Sermon! (Jimmy Smith, 1957–58) Mr. Natural (Stanley Turrentine, 1964) Tender Moments (McCoy Tyner, 1967) Easterly Winds (Jack Wilson, 1967) Mother Ship (Larry Young, 1969) Love Bug (Reuben Wilson, 1969)
Discography

v t e Cedar Walton
Year(s) indicated are for the recording(s), not first release.
As leader or co-leader	Cedar! (1967) Spectrum (1968) The Electric Boogaloo Song (1969) Soul Cycle (1969) Breakthrough! (1972) A Night at Boomers, Vol. 1 (1973) A Night at Boomers, Vol. 2 (1973) Firm Roots (1974) Pit Inn (1974) Mobius (1975) Eastern Rebellion (1976) The Pentagon (1975) Beyond Mobius (1976) Eastern Rebellion 2 (1977) First Set (1977) Second Set (1977) Third Set (1977) Animation (1978) Eastern Rebellion 3 (1979) Soundscapes (1980) The Maestro (1981) Piano Solos (1981) Heart & Soul (1982) Among Friends (1982) The All American Trio (1983) Eastern Rebellion 4 (1983) Cedar's Blues (1985) The Trio 1 (1985) The Trio 2 (1985) The Trio 3 (1985) Cedar Walton (1985) Bluesville Time (1985) Blues for Myself (1986) Cedar Walton Plays (1986) Duo (1990) Cedar Walton at Maybeck (1992) Manhattan Afternoon (1992) Composer (1996) Roots (1997) The Promise Land (2001) Latin Tinge (2002) Underground Memoirs (2005) Midnight Waltz (2005) One Flight Down (2006) Seasoned Wood (2008) Voices Deep Within (2009) The Bouncer (2011)
As sideman with Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers	Three Blind Mice (1961) Mosaic (1961) Buhaina's Delight (1961) Caravan (1962) Ugetsu (1963) Free for All (1964) Kyoto (1964) Indestructible (1964) Golden Boy (1964) Buhaina (1973) Anthenagin (1973)
With Art Farmer (or where stated), Benny Golson & The Jazztet	Take a Number from 1 to 10 (Golson, 1960–61) The Jazztet and John Lewis (The Jazztet, 1960–61) Big City Sounds (The Jazztet, 1961) The Jazztet at Birdhouse (The Jazztet, 1961) The Time and the Place (1967) The Art Farmer Quintet Plays the Great Jazz Hits (1967) Homecoming (1971) Yesterday's Thoughts (1975) To Duke with Love (1975) The Summer Knows (1976) Art Farmer Quintet at Boomers (1976) Voices All (The Jazztet, 1982)
With Eddie Harris	Cool Sax from Hollywood to Broadway (1964) The In Sound (1965) Mean Greens (1966) The Tender Storm (1966) Excursions (1966) How Can You Live Like That? (1976)
With Billy Higgins	Soweto (1979) The Soldier (1979) Once More (1980) Bridgework (1980–86) Billy Higgins Quintet (1993)
With Milt Jackson	Milt Jackson at the Museum of Modern Art (1965) Born Free (1966) Milt Jackson and the Hip String Quartet (1968) Goodbye (1972–73) Olinga (1974)
With Etta James	Mystery Lady: Songs of Billie Holiday (1994) Time After Time (1995) 12 Songs of Christmas (1998) Blue Gardenia (2000–1)
With Clifford Jordan	Spellbound (1960) Starting Time (1961) Bearcat (1962) These are My Roots: Clifford Jordan Plays Leadbelly (1965) Glass Bead Games (1973) Half Note (1974) Night of the Mark VII (aka, The Highest Mountain, Muse, 1975) On Stage Vol. 1 (1975) On Stage Vol. 2 (1975) On Stage Vol. 3 (1975) Firm Roots (1975) The Highest Mountain (SteepleChase, 1975)
With Blue Mitchell	The Cup Bearers (1962) Boss Horn (1966) Stratosonic Nuances (1975) Summer Soft (1977)
With Houston Person	Chocomotive (1967) Trust in Me (1967) Blue Odyssey (1968) Broken Windows, Empty Hallways (1972) The Big Horn (1976) Very Personal (1980) Naturally (2012)
With others	God Bless Jug and Sonny (Gene Ammons & Sonny Stitt, 1973) Left Bank Encores (Gene Ammons & Sonny Stitt, 1973) Something for Lester (Ray Brown, 1977) Slow Drag (Donald Byrd, 1967) The Almoravid (Joe Chambers, 1971–73) Somethin's Cookin' (Junior Cook, 1981) Broken Shadows (Ornette Coleman, 1971–72) Katumbo (Dance) (Johnny Coles, 1971) Giant Steps (John Coltrane, 1959) Up, Up and Away (Sonny Criss, 1967) The Beat Goes On! (Sonny Criss, 1968) This Is the Moment! (Kenny Dorham, 1958) Blue Spring (Kenny Dorham & Cannonball Adderley, 1959) It's All Right! (Teddy Edwards, 1967) Soul Trombone (Curtis Fuller, 1961) Smokin' (Curtis Fuller, 1972) Tangerine (Dexter Gordon, 1972) Generation (Dexter Gordon, 1972) Bush Dance (Johnny Griffin, 1978) Roots (Slide Hampton, 1985) The Quota (Jimmy Heath, 1961) Triple Threat (Jimmy Heath, 1962) Mode for Joe (Joe Henderson, 1966) Hub Cap (Freddie Hubbard, 1961) Here to Stay (Freddie Hubbard, 1962) The Body & the Soul (Freddie Hubbard,1963) Bolivia (Freddie Hubbard, 1991) Highway One (Bobby Hutcherson, 1978) Farewell Keystone (Bobby Hutcherson, 1982) Really Livin' (J.J. Johnson, 1959) J.J. Inc. (J.J. Johnson, 1960) Save Your Love for Me (Etta Jones, 1986) Advance! (Philly Joe Jones, 1978) Drum Song (Philly Joe Jones, 1978) Seven Minds (Sam Jones, 1974) Something in Common (Sam Jones, 1974–77) First Class Kloss! (Eric Kloss, 1967) Abbey Is Blue (Abbey Lincoln, 1959) Strings! (Pat Martino, 1967) From This Moment On! (Charles McPherson, 1968) Horizons (Charles McPherson, 1968) Caramba! (Lee Morgan, 1968) The Sixth Sense (Lee Morgan, 1968) The Mode (Sonny Red, 1961) Sonny Red (1971) Setting Standards (Woody Shaw, 1983) For Losers (Archie Shepp, 1968–69) Kwanza (Archie Shepp, 1968–69) Now Is the Time (Idrees Sulieman, 1976) Goodbye Yesterday (Lucky Thompson, 1972) Concert: Friday the 13th – Cook County Jail (Lucky Thompson, 1972) I Offer You (Lucky Thompson, 1973) Another Story (Stanley Turrentine, 1969) Up Front (David Williams, 1986)