[SaxTMan]

So, i've been searchin' for a book about life and music of Joe Henderson, maybe a autobiography... have i done it wrong or there are anything, a i really mean anything, about (imo) one of the best tenor players ever?.. is this even possible? :|

 

[SaxTMan]

is it?

 

[RootyTootoot]

Yes it's possible.

The Wiki entry seems pretty good (if limited). Album liner notes often contain some good info from contemporary sources. I believe there are at least a couple of quite good interviews on youtube.

I agree it's kind of shocking. But it's pretty typical for a musician who isn't a "media personality", hasn't gone off the rails much and didn't die young. Example: Chet Baker and Eric Dolphy have both had biographies written. Admittedly Joe died fairly recently so someone may be writing something. I'd be quite surprised but delighted if that was the case. There was a very good book on Lee Konitz published fairly recently (with Lee's cooperation) so if that's a guide I suppose there may be something substantial on Joe at some point. OTOH, you could say his music speaks for itself.

 

[SaxTMan]

Yes it's possible.

The Wiki entry seems pretty good (if limited). Album liner notes often contain some good info from contemporary sources. I believe there are at least a couple of quite good interviews on youtube.

I agree it's kind of shocking. But it's pretty typical for a musician who isn't a "media personality", hasn't gone off the rails much and didn't die young. Example: Chet Baker and Eric Dolphy have both had biographies written. Admittedly Joe died fairly recently so someone may be writing something. I'd be quite surprised but delighted if that was the case. There was a very good book on Lee Konitz published fairly recently (with Lee's cooperation) so if that's a guide I suppose there may be something substantial on Joe at some point. OTOH, you could say his music speaks for itself.

Yes....because of his great personality - really 'shy' and 'humble' (imo) - it is why i would love to read a biography or a book about is life and music. It's even more shocking when we think that his time is the modern one, where so many books are being writing about jazz and jazz musicians. There is some sadness because it wasn't possible to write (auto) biographies in some early musicians, but let this guy past way without writing one with is cooperation is really strange...

 

[drwhippet]

One could still be written (or may already be in the works). Wayne Shorter's biography, "Footprints," was published just seven years ago. But come to think of it, I wonder if this says something about the old rivalry between these two young lions of the 1960s and which one was ultimately perceived as "better."

Wayner Shorter has a biography from a major publisher and Joe Henderson does not. Hmm.... But no surprise to me as I always thought Wayne edged out Henderson in every category, from tone to composition.

Have you read Shorter's bio? I did. Not the best bio ever but decent, with a lot of info on Miles and Herbie as well.

But yes, there is some material to mine on Joe online and elsewhere. Have you read the Mel Martin interview? One very interesting and poignant story from that chat involved his reunion with his old Mark VI tenor which had been stolen years before. But the fact that he didn't realize it at first and only became sure of it from an arcane (but from that point probably endearing) detail in the form of a bothersome screw that used to irritate this hand.

For those who haven't read this interview with Joe, here it is:

http://www.melmartin.com/html_pages/Interviews/henderson.html