Fletcher Henderson
James Fletcher "Smack" Henderson, Jr. (born December 18, 1897 in Cuthbert , Georgia , † December 28, 1952 in New York City ) was an American ( jazz ) pianist , band leader and composer .
biography
Henderson was born in Randolph County , Georgia. He came from the middle class , his father was a school principal, his mother taught piano. He attended the University in Atlanta and graduated in 1920. Henderson moved to New York to attend the Columbia University the master in the field of chemistry store.
He tried in vain to find work in a chemical company because of racial discrimination . He played the piano on one of the many river boats on the Hudson River and decided to become a musician. He finally found work at Harry Pace / WC Handy's Music Publishing Company . Henderson was also employed by the Black Swan Recording Company , where he was music director and pianist. He organized appearances for the blues singer Ethel Waters and played with the band Black Swan Troubadours at these concerts. His musical success made Henderson forget about studying chemistry.
In 1922 he founded his own band with Don Redman , Elmer Chambers and other musicians, which had its first hit at the end of 1923 with the "Gulf Coast Blues" and played until 1924 in Club Alabam in New York and later in the Roseland Ballroom . They quickly got the reputation as the best "black" band in New York.
Henderson recruited the aspiring trumpeter Louis Armstrong from the King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band in 1924 and, thanks to Armstrong, came up with new ideas for instrumentation and arrangement . Success numbers in the mid-20s were "Sugar Foot Stomp" ( King Oliver's "Dippermouth Blues" in a new version), "Carolina Stomp" and "Dinah". Little by little, Henry Red Allen , Joe Smith , Rex Stewart , Tommy Ladnier , Jimmy Harrison and Roy Eldridge also appeared in Henderson's band alongside Armstrong . Jazz greats Coleman Hawkins , Buster Bailey , Benny Carter and Chu Berry also appear in his big band . In the early 1930s, Fletcher's younger brother, Horace Henderson (1904–1988) helped with the arrangements. Although the band was very popular, Henderson himself had little commercial success. After a traffic accident in 1928, he completely lost interest in business and never tried again as a manager. For this he became a recognized arranger, his work had a lasting influence on the music world.
In addition to his own band, Henderson worked for the bands of Teddy Hill , Isham Jones and Benny Goodman . In 1934 the orchestra was hired by Benny Goodman for the radio show Let's Dance . Since the show had to put on new tracks every week, she bought some of Henderson's arrangements. Many of Goodman's successes came from the pen of Fletcher Henderson. He had a last successful title in the charts in May 1937 with "Great Caesar's Ghost". In 1939 Henderson finally dissolved his own band and worked exclusively for Benny Goodman as a pianist and arranger; for the first time a “white” band played on stage together with a “black” musician. From 1948 to 1949 Henderson gave a few concerts with Ethel Waters. Henderson suffered a stroke in 1950 , was partially paralyzed and has not been able to play since then. He died in New York City in 1952.
Henderson was the first jazz artist to form a big band. His arrangements for both “black” and “white” orchestras marked the beginning of the swing era . Henderson is sometimes referred to as the actual "King of Swing".
Well-known titles (selection)
|
|
Discographic notes
Fletcher Henderson's recordings were released, beginning in 1921 and ending in 1938, on the Classics reissue label . The editions The Complete Louis Armstrong with Fletcher Henderson at Forte with recordings from 1924/25 are particularly noteworthy ; The Harmony and Vocalion Sessions, Vol. 1 and 2 on Timeless Records with recordings from 1926 to 1928. A Study in Frustration: The Fletcher Henderson Story with recordings from 1923 to 1938 was released on Columbia Records .
collection
- A Story in Frustration - The Fletcher Henderson Story ( Columbia Records - 4 LPs 1923–1938) with Elmer Chambers , Don Redman , Coleman Hawkins , Charlie Dixon , Kaiser Marshall , Joe Smith , Louis Armstrong , Charlie Green , Buster Bailey , Rex Stewart , Benny Morton , Tommy Ladnier , June Cole , Fats Waller , Jimmy Harrison , Don Pasquall , Bobby Stark , Benny Carter , Clarence Holiday , Cootie Williams , Claude Jones , John Kirby , Walter Johnson , Russell Procope , Horace Henderson , JC Higginbotham , Sandy Williams , Edgar Sampson , Hilton Jefferson , Bernard Addison , Henry Red Allen , Dicky Wells , Dick Vance , Roy Eldridge , Joe Thomas , Ed Cuffee , Fernando Arbello , Scoops Carry , Chu Berry , Sid Catlett , Emmett Berry , George Washington (trombonist) , Jerry Blake , Lawrence Lucie , Israel Crosby , George Hunt , Ben Webster , Eddie Barefield
literature
- Walter C. Allan Hendersonia - the music of Fletcher Henderson and his musicians. A Bio-Discography , New Jersey 1974
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Henderson, Fletcher |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr. |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American jazz pianist, band leader and composer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 18, 1897 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Cuthbert , Georgia |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 28, 1952 |
| Place of death | New York City , New York |