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Fletcher Henderson led the most
commercially successful of the African-American Jazz bands of the 1920s.
The smooth sound of his orchestra some say gave birth to the Swing style
of the next decade. Some historians have attributed the Invention of
'Swing' to Fletcher. This is not
Henderson started piano at the
age of six his parents stressed practicing. His mother
and father used to lock him
up to practice, they'd hear noise, then there would be silence and when
they opened the door there would be Fletcher curled up on the floor
asleep. Fletcher 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 demonstrating sheet music for Pace-Handy
music publishing company. Harry Pace soon founded the Black Swan label,
and Henderson became a manager at the Black Swan Recording Company, a
versatile but fairly basic pianist, became an important contributor
behind the scenes, organized a band to support Blues singer Ethel
Waters. Although he
started recording as a leader in 1921, it was not until January 1924
that he put together his first permanent big band. Fletcher led the band
at the Club Alabam, which later moved to the Roseland Ballroom (Broadway
at 50th St.) where they stayed for the next ten years. Coleman Hawkins
played saxophone in the band and is generally considered to be the first
great saxophonist in Jazz. In 1924 he hired the up-and-coming trumpet
player Louis Armstrong importing him from Chicago, where he had been
playing with King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band. In 1939 The
Orchestra disbanded, and he joined Benny Goodman Orchestra as the
pianist and arranger. This was the first time that a "White"
band hired a "Black" musician to appear on stage with an
orchestra. Goodman even used the same arrangements as the
Fletcher
ALBUMS Tidal Wave (1994) (GRP/Decca) Ken Burns Jazz: Fletcher Henderson (2000) (Columbia/Legacy) Sweet and Hot (2007) (Le Chant du Monde) [edit] As arranger for Benny Goodman orchestra Sing, Sing, Sing (1992) (Bluebird/BMG) The Harry James Years, Vol. 1 (1993) (Bluebird/BMG) The Best of the Big Bands [under Goodman's name] (1933-1946/1989) (Columbia) Genius of the Electric Guitar (Recorded under Goodman sextet's name, this album released under Charlie Christian's name) (1939-1941/1990) (Columbia) |
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completely
accurate. Fletcher (or what may be more probable, -"Don
Redman", his arranger) invented the concept of "Block
Passages". This is where a section, say the reeds, play the same
line together. Later, this came to be commonplace with the big Swing
bands.
Henderson
Orchestra had used. The band went on to become one of the most popular
of the Swing bands.
