Asbury Park Press
Don Lass : 02/24/1968

Henderson is a young tenor saxophonist with ideas. He is an alumnus of the Horace Silver Quintet and his conception of jazz shows how deeply Silver and others whose jazz roots are in the post bebop days of the 1950s have influenced him. But there is something fresh about Henderson’s tenor playing and even though his group’s style is modeled after the Silver quintet and others of that genre, it, too, plays with a refreshing exuberance. Henderson is a modernist who has listened to a lot of Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane without copying their styles; instead, his work represents an amalgam of modern modes. He doesn’t venture far, yet he occasionally recaches to the fringes of avant garde playing. His cohorts here – trombonist Grachan Moncur, trumpeter Mike Lawrence, drummer Louis Hayes, bassist Ron Carter, and pianist Kenny Barron – travel the same musical road, though each is a creator in his own right. The album itself is based on four Henderson originals, none of which is distinguished, an Antônio Carlos Jobim piece in O Amor en Paz, Vincent Youmans’ Without a Song, Billy Strayhorn‘s beautiful Chelsea Bridge, and Miles Davis‘ Nardis. Henderson is most engaging on the Strayhorn ballad and on the up-tempo rendition of the Youmans tune. But throughout these sides he plays with a lyricism that is uncommon among modernists and a complete command of his horn. Lawrence, a newcomer, is also impressive.

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Down Beat : 05/02/1968
Harvey Pekar : 4 stars

This is a solid, intelligently produced LP. The selections are varied, ranging from a dreamy version of Chelsea Bridge to the charging, up-tempo Mo’ Joe. Aside from Mamacita, each piece has something to recommend it.

Henderson demonstrates here, if anyone is still in doubt, that he is one of the most versatile tenor men on the scene. He plays with considerable restraint and warmth on Chelsea Bridge and with bull strength on Mo’ Joe. He paces himself very well during his If solo, subtly increasing the intensity of his playing until he’s got up a full head of steam. His Nardis spot contains interesting ideas but, unfortunately, isn’t particularly well organized. The lightness of his work on Amor may surprise some listeners; at some points on this track his work has an almost Getzian quality.

This is the first time I’ve heard Lawrence play and I’m impressed by him. He’s a hot, driving soloist with a style that seems influenced by Freddie Hubbard. He doesn’t sacrifice good taste while playing with intensity (a considerable accomplishment), is inventive, and has a rich tone and good range.

Moncur, one of the better trombonists to come to the fore in recent years, is not in good form. His solos here don’t get off the ground. However, Barron, whose playing on a recent Atlantic LP (You Had Better Listen) cut by his and Jimmy Owens‘ quintet was very disappointing, is near the top of his game. His graceful solos on Song and Mo’ Joe recall his brilliant work with James Moody and Dizzy Gillespie.

Hayes does a fine job in the rhythm section; his drumming is crisp and authoritative.

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Liner Notes by Jack Springer

Upon receiving an advance copy of this (in my opinion) fabulous album from Milestone’s Orrin Keepnews, along with the suggestion that I say a few words about it to all of you, I found myself just about as excited as a kid on Christmas morning. Sprinting to the secluded record-listening area of my home, I was remembering the pleasures I had found in other recordings by Joe Henderson, and in my opportunities for in-person listening to this young musical giant from Lima, Ohio.

Sometimes all that anticipation can be a dangerous thing, raising your hopes too high. But not this time. For the plain fact, as I soon discovered, is that a truly valuable listening experience awaits you in the contents of this album, something to capture not only your undivided attention but the emotions of your soul as well. In other words, The Kicker, starring Joe Henderson, is really saying something for all to hear!

Joe has paid lots of musical dues ever since he began his career back in his high school days. He received rich encouragement and beneficial musical education from older musicians. But it was his older brother, James T., who really pressed him to continue his musical studies after graduation.

That brought Joe to Detroit’s Wayne University. The weekends usually found him swinging with some of the local Detroiters of that late-1950s period. Klein’s Show Bar on 12th Street was the true jazz spot at that time, and this is where I first met Joe Henderson. He was sitting in with Yusef Lateef and really taking care of business. The regulars of Detroit still like to recall the days when jazz was truly supported, followed and recognized here. Some of the best years were those between 1955 and ’60, and Joe was among those who were on hand to make those years swing that much more.

I guess Joe left us around 1960. Detroiters will never get to like the fact that good jazz musicians are always leaving us in order to really be heard and in order to be able to survive as musicians. But we were happy when we heard that Horace Silver had hired Mighty Joe Henderson, and were proud of all he accomplished as a featured member of Horace’s group. Since leaving Silver to try it on his own, Joe has led various small groups and at this writing is deeply involved in a co-operatively run quintet for which everyone has very high hopes. This is the Jazz Communicators. The other co-leaders are Freddie Hubbard and Louis Hayes. And that manages to bring us right to this album. For not only is Lou – whose credits include working with Horace Silver and Cannonball Adderley and Oscar Peterson – very much to be heard here, but the very impressive young piano player, Kenny Barron, is also part of the Communicators. (Kenny was previously with Dizzy Gillespie.)

Others on hand, like Grachan Moncur and the fine bassist Ron Carter (he’s currently with Miles Davis), have served well on various record dates in their time. But this will be the first time you’re hearing Mike Lawrence, for this young swinger is being introduced by Mr. Henderson on this album. He blows a lot of trumpet, with so many new ideas; Joe says he’s ready to be heard. l certainly agree.

There’s something to be said about all the numbers on this album, so we might as well start with the four that are Henderson originals. Mamacita was first recorded by Kenny Dorham – Joe was on the date – and that version is still heard often in Detroit on the swinging Ed Love Show on WCHD-FM (best jazz show in the midwest). But this powerful new version of the tune is going to give itself lots of competition!

The best way to praise The Kicker and Mo’ Joe is just to point out that both were recorded by Horace Silver while Joe was with him. And for non-Silver tunes to be recorded by Horace is a very rare distinction.

If was one of those standby numbers. Joe was asked to have seven tunes definitely ready for the date, plus a blues that could be used IF an eighth was needed. It turned out that they did need it, and so I want you to be sure to hear what we almost missed. It’s so grooving – what we would call “night-fighting music” out here in soul country.

Two items rate special attention because of the way they could make you feel, if you didn’t know better, that they were written for no one else but Joe Henderson and this group, just as they are performed here. Actually, Chelsea Bridge by the late Billy Strayhorn is out of the old Ellington band book, and Nardis is a Miles Davis tune that’s been recorded by Cannonball and by Bill Evans (both times, incidentally, on Keepnews-produced albums). Both were suggested to Henderson by our man Orrin specifically because they come off best when played in a relatively slow tempo and, he notes, “that’s a bag I particularly like to hear Joe in.”

Finally there’s O Amor en Paz, one of those great Jobim bossa nova melodies; and Without a Song, an old standard Joe loves to stretch out on.

Well, now you’ve read my comments. More will surely be heard from the Jim Rockwells and Sporty J’s and Del Shields and the other gentlemen of the radio world in your own part of the country. Listen to them, and listen for yourself. As for me, ladies and gentlemen, I think you can figure out that I dig The Kicker and that I suspect you’ll do the same.