Fletcher Henderson
Play Radio
Listen to Fletcher Henderson Radio,
featuring artists like Jimmie Lunceford, Charlie Barnet, Chick Webb, Bunny Berigan and more…
-
Search on Spotify
Yes, it scrobbles! Learn more
398,622 plays (78,163 listeners)
Born James Fletcher Henderson December 18th, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia and died December 28th, 1952 due to a stroke.
Fletcher Henderson was very important to early jazz as leader of the first great jazz big band, as an arranger and composer in the 1930s, and as a masterful talent scout. Between 1923-1939, quite an all-star cast of top young black jazz musicians passed through his orchestra, including trumpeters Louis Armstrong, Joe Smith, Tommy Ladnier, Rex Stewart, Bobby Stark, Cootie Williams, Red Allen, and Roy Eldridge; trombonists Charlie Green, Benny Morton, Jimmy Harrison, Sandy Williams, J. C. Higginbottham, and Dickie Wells; clarinetist Buster Bailey; tenors Coleman Hawkins (1924-1934), Ben Webster, Lester Young (whose brief stint was not recorded), and Chu Berry; altoists Benny Carter, Russell Procope, and Hilton Jefferson; bassists John Kirby and Israel Crosby; drummers Kaiser Marshall, Walter Johnson, and Sid Catlett; guest pianist Fats Waller; and such arrangers as Don Redman, Benny Carter, Edgar Sampson, and Fletcher’s younger brother Horace Henderson. And yet, at the height of the swing era, Henderson’s band was little-known.
Fletcher Henderson had a degree in chemistry and mathematics, but when he came to New York in 1920 with hopes of becoming a chemist, the only job he could find (due to the racism of the times) was as a song demonstrator with the Pace-Handy music company. Harry Pace soon founded the Black Swan label, and Henderson, a versatile but fairly basic pianist, became an important contributor behind the scenes, organizing bands and backing blues vocalists.
Fletcher Henderson was very important to early jazz as leader of the first great jazz big band, as an arranger and composer in the 1930s, and as a masterful talent scout. Between 1923-1939, quite an all-star cast of top young black jazz musicians passed through his orchestra, including trumpeters Louis Armstrong, Joe Smith, Tommy Ladnier, Rex Stewart, Bobby Stark, Cootie Williams, Red Allen, and Roy Eldridge; trombonists Charlie Green, Benny Morton, Jimmy Harrison, Sandy Williams, J. C. Higginbottham, and Dickie Wells; clarinetist Buster Bailey; tenors Coleman Hawkins (1924-1934), Ben Webster, Lester Young (whose brief stint was not recorded), and Chu Berry; altoists Benny Carter, Russell Procope, and Hilton Jefferson; bassists John Kirby and Israel Crosby; drummers Kaiser Marshall, Walter Johnson, and Sid Catlett; guest pianist Fats Waller; and such arrangers as Don Redman, Benny Carter, Edgar Sampson, and Fletcher’s younger brother Horace Henderson. And yet, at the height of the swing era, Henderson’s band was little-known.
Fletcher Henderson had a degree in chemistry and mathematics, but when he came to New York in 1920 with hopes of becoming a chemist, the only job he could find (due to the racism of the times) was as a song demonstrator with the Pace-Handy music company. Harry Pace soon founded the Black Swan label, and Henderson, a versatile but fairly basic pianist, became an important contributor behind the scenes, organizing bands and backing blues vocalists.
Shouts:
16 shouts
Top Albums
-
The Fletcher Henderson Story
Fletcher Henderson
Buy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 Search
- 7digital Search
- iTunes Search
- Buy Album
- Amazon Search
- eBay Search
-
The Harmony & Vocalion Session
Fletcher Henderson Buy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 Search
- 7digital Search
- iTunes Search
- Buy Album
- Amazon Search
- eBay Search
-
Fletcher Henderson - Ken Burns' Jazz
Fletcher Henderson Buy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 Search
- 7digital Search
- iTunes Search
- Buy Album
- Amazon Search
- eBay Search
-
Yeah Man!
Fletcher Henderson Buy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 $8.99
- 7digital $9.99
- iTunes $9.99
- Buy Album
- Amazon $15.76
- eBay Search
Shoutbox
-
Druid66 wrote:
A guy my dad grew up digging, who I suspect played a big role turning him on to Swing and Big Band. Now I am getting into it, too, also in thanks to him.
-
garoto36 wrote:
that's only a question of nomenclature...
-
johntardsbaby66 wrote:
Swing didn't exist in the 20's. Maybe primitive versions of it, like Paul Whiteman-dance band-ish kinda stuff. But swing didn't really exist until the 30's.
-
BigBam2012 wrote:
Fletcher was the swingin' cat who set the scene, daddy-o--he was the ready-freddy with the jump-up jive & the bee-bop bounce!
-
cheruj wrote:
shanghai shuffle and the stampede... LOVE.
-
CentralDoctor wrote:
I far prefer 20's Swing to 30's Swing. I'm not really sure why. I guess I prefer the raggier sound it has.
-
staytooned wrote:
A TRUE PAINTER
-
lstusr wrote:
great big band!
-
S0leil wrote:
amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-
Rage_For_Order wrote:
This guy is great :)
-
BlindWilliam wrote:
If you know that Fletcher Henderson was reincarnated as Sun Ra, then you may want to join up w/ Great Black Music. Like bread to the butter... bw
-
SYL2Oh wrote:
In the early 30, the jazz played by the Grand Fletcher Henderson Orchestra anticipated ten years the swing of Count Basie !
-
schizodanny wrote:
Radio Rhythm has to be one of the greatest bouncy tunes in history! I love it!
-
zrsullivan wrote:
He does have it, doesn't he?
-
Phil-between wrote:
Fletcher have the soul of the gold age
Listening Now
Top Listeners
See more
Recent Activity
-
LippenSchmippen added Fletcher Henderson to LippenSchmippen’s library. yesterday evening
-
Parisblues tagged Fletcher Henderson with ‘2438’. Sunday evening
-
cgardeta tagged Fletcher Henderson with band leader, jazz band, classic jazz and 2 other tags. Saturday evening
-
taker919 and 2 other people added Fletcher Henderson to their libraries. last week
-
Uhwelluh wrote about Fletcher Henderson in Nightspots & Ballrooms broadcast. last month
-
linux2400, senholt, enrico43 and 6 other people added Fletcher Henderson to their libraries. last month
-
PinkCigarette86 tagged Fletcher Henderson with ‘oldies’. last month
-
PinkCigarette86, JoyfulGent, bklee74 and 21 other people added Fletcher Henderson to their libraries. last month
-
marslaw1 tagged Fletcher Henderson with ‘f henderson’. November 2011
-
and 5 other people added Fletcher Henderson to their libraries. November 2011
Related Journals
-
Nightspots & Ballrooms broadcast
by Uhwelluh |
20 Jan 2012
-
Jive broadcast
by Uhwelluh |
27 Sep 2011
-
Rain Songs broadcast
by Uhwelluh |
7 Jul 2011
Groups (19)
-
78 RPMs
128 members
-
Swing
953 members
-
1920s and 1930s Jazz
659 members
-
New People, Old Music
484 members
-
Swing Dancers
402 members
More Information
- Links
- Labels
