Joe Henderson - In Japan (Milestone)

The practice of touring as a "single" has a storied history in jazz, particularly amongst saxophonists. Sometimes synching with a local rhythm section yields dazzling sparks; other times the results just fizzle. This live date, recorded five days prior to my birth, is a prime example of the former situation. Joe Henderson was in the midst of an eclectic ten-year tenure with Milestone, a relationship that would produce a string of interesting albums, but nothing resembling a commercial hit. Part of the reason was the waning fortunes of jazz in the States, but in Japan, the music was experiencing an upward spike in sales. Capitalizing on this differential with a short tour of the Orient, Henderson hooked up with a pick-up band led by pianist Hideo Ichikawa at the Junk Club in Tokyo. Ichikawa's electric keys date stamp the performance, but also establish engaging retro feel to the four-tune set. Bassist Kunimitsu Inaba and drummer Motohiko Hino turn in decent support and cogent solos, but otherwise wisely staying out of the way and deferring the spotlight to Henderson who blows some of the loosest and most viscerally effective solos of his career. “'Round Midnight”, already a standard with more creases and coffee stains than most, gets a fresh reading thanks to Henderson's sagacious seven-minute solo, brimming with his signature kindling dry trills and modulations. "Out 'N' In" interpolates the title cut of one of his earlier Blue Note outings and "Blue Bossa" comes from the same label source. The four close up with a shambolic fourteen-minute blues in honor of the venue, and an album that would become an informal aural textbook for legions of saxophonists is born. It's a definitive case of wishing more had made it to tape. The shirtless, Afro-ed Joe on the cover is the ponzu on the pot sticker.