Ode for Joe: Celebrating the Music of Joe Henderson

Thu, Apr 18

*PLEASE NOTE: All 7PM and 9PM shows at Smoke are Dinner Shows Nicholas Payton – trumpet Walter Smith III – tenor saxophone (Wed - Fri, 4/17 - 4/19) Melissa Aldana – tenor saxophone (Sat - Sun, 4/20 - 4/21) Renee Rosnes – piano Peter Washington – bass Al Foster – drums An all-star group performs the music of Joe Henderson, one of the most distinctive and admired artists in jazz history. Henderson was a prolific composer who wrote numerous jazz standards and was a transcendent soloist who left a discography of classic albums. The Guardian called him “a giant of the jazz saxophone.” The New York Times added, “Mr. Henderson was unmistakably modern,” and quoted the great Benny Golson, “Joe had one foot in the present, the other in the future, and he was just a step away from immortality.” Pianist Renee Rosnes and drummer Al Foster each spent significant parts of their careers working alongside Henderson. They are joined in this inspired quintet by trumpeter Nicholas Payton, bassist Peter Washington, and two featured tenor saxophonists--Walter Smith III on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and Melissa Aldana on Saturday and Sunday--as they celebrate Henderson’s April 24th birthday.