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.

Mode for Joe
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 1966
RecordedJanuary 27, 1966
StudioVan Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs
GenreJazz, post-bop, modal jazz
Length49:27 (2003 release)
LabelBlue Note
ProducerAlfred Lion
Joe Henderson chronology
Inner Urge
(1965)
Mode for Joe
(1966)
The Kicker
(1967)

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
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

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All compositions by Joe Henderson, except where indicated.

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

Personnel

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Charts

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

References

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