"Jinrikisha" is a moody, medium-tempo original by Joe Henderson from his 1963 Blue Note debut Page One. Set in a 36-bar AA' form in F minor at approximately 166 bpm, the composition features Henderson's characteristically angular melodic writing and harmonically adventurous approach. Henderson takes two choruses of tenor saxophone, his solo blending the warmth of the hard bop tradition with the more exploratory harmonic language that would become his signature. Trumpeter Kenny Dorham follows with two choruses of lyrical trumpet, his burnished tone providing a beautiful contrast to Henderson's edgier sound. Pianist McCoy Tyner rounds out the solo section with two intense choruses that draw on his distinctive approach of stacked fourths and powerful left-hand voicings. The minor-key tonality and the tune's exotic title, referring to a human-pulled rickshaw, give the performance a dark, mysterious quality that distinguishes it from the album's lighter bossa nova tracks. Within the context of Page One, "Jinrikisha" showcases Henderson's range as a composer and the depth of musical communication among the quintet's members, each solo building on what came before.
