Fletcher Hamilton Henderson, Jr. (December 18, 1897 – December 28, 1952) was an American pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer, important in the development of big band jazz and swing music. He was often known as "Smack" Henderson.
An early pioneer of the swing beat, Fletcher Henderson led one of the most successful African-American jazz bands of the 1920s. Henderson's orchestra was certainly the most influential. Both he
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and arranger Don Redman developed many of the techniques that later came to be employed by the big bands of the 1930s and 1940s. Their careful arrangements and emphasis on interplay between
horns and reeds, along with the division of the band into instrument sections with identifiable leads, all laid the groundwork for the emergence of swing in the mid-1930s.
and arranger Don Redman developed many of the techniques that later came to be employed by the big bands of the 1930s and 1940s. Their careful arrangements and emphasis on interplay between horns and reeds, along with the division of the band into instrument sections with identifiable leads, all laid the groundwork for the emergence of swing in the mid-1930s.
Born to a wealthy, middle-class African-American family, Henderson grew up in isolation from popular black culture. Both he and his brother Horace learned piano from their mother at an early age, studying the classics. Fletcher went on to earn a degree in chemistry from Atlanta University and in 1920 moved to New York to find work as a chemist and pursue post-graduate studies.
In 1922 Henderson formed an orchestra of his own. The band held residency at the Club Alabam in 1923 and 1924 and the Roseland Ballroom from 1924. Early members included saxophonists Redman and Coleman Hawkins. At first Henderson's outfit featured selections more typical of a dance band rather than a jazz outfit, partly due to Henderson's
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unfamiliarity with the genre. Redman's arrangements improved over time, and Henderson, in an effort to infuse the group with more of a jazz sound brought in Louis Armstrong from Chicago. Armstrong's presence in New York caused great excitement, as the city's jazz patrons had so far been unfamiliar with his emerging style. During his thirteen-month stay Armstrong left an indelible impression on Henderson's band, which by 1925 had solidified into a top-notch jazz outfit.
Redman's progressive arrangements kept the orchestra popular for the next several years, with recordings on a variety of labels under several different pseudonyms. When Redman left in 1927, Henderson himself took over the job of writing book. The band remained strong until 1929 when a dispute over the role of white musicians during a Philadelphia musical revue in which the group was to perform caused many of Henderson's best musicians to
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leave. Henderson regrouped, but though his new line-up featured at times such talent as Lester Young, Benny Carter, and Chu Berry his new band never managed to achieve the same level of success as his previous outfit.
Henderson's orchestra continued until 1934, when it disbanded. His greatest direct influence on swing came that same year when in need of money he sold a few of his best arrangements to Benny Goodman, who had just formed his own orchestra. Several of those numbers, including ''King Porter Stomp,''''Blue Skies,''''Sometimes I'm Happy,'' and ''Down South Camp Meeting,'' became big hits for the early
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Goodman band serving as an influence on the developing swing style which Goodman made popular.
In 1935 Henderson formed a new orchestra. It too failed to capture the public's attention, and in 1939 he disbanded and went to work for Goodman as staff arranger. He also spent several months as the band's pianist, becoming the first black musician to appear onstage with a white orchestra. He soon quit that role, however, to work as arranger full-time.
(Edited from parabrisas.com)