RHJB Meetup

2/16/21
Agenda
1. Black History Month: Fletcher Henderson
2. Show and tell
3. Moving toward “rehearsing” together
Fletcher
Henderson
Fletcher Henderson (and Don Redman)
Major Contributions to Swing
● Created the orchestration of the Big
Band era
● Arranged music rather than relying
collective improvisation
● Fostered some of the biggest
talents (e.g., Louis Armstrong)

Don Redman
Life Story in a Nutshell
● Born in Georgia in 1897.
● His parents strongly encouraged him and became a good pianist.
● In college at Atlanta, he played in dance bands.
● Moved to NYC in 1920 to study postgrad chemistry at Columbia.
● He couldn’t get work as a chemist, and it was much more lucrative to pedal sheet music for
W.C. Handy’s company.
● He became a manager at Black Swan, one of the first black owned record companies,
where he recorded piano with Ethel Waters.
● He then started to create instrumental tunes rather than work with vocalists.
● He gathered his key musicians to record and perform at the Roseland Ballroom.
● He met Don Redman, saxophonist and arranger, who could also play all instruments.
● At first, they sounded like other dance band (e.g., “My Sweetie Went Away”).
Life Story in a Nutshell
● Henderson and Redman worked to create an innovative sound (e.g., “Copenhagen”).
● He met Armstrong in NOLA, who joined after a brief stint with King Oliver.
● By the late 20s, they had sold a ton of records, and the style was refined (e.g., “Sugarfoot Stomp” & “
Whiteman Stomp”).
● Despite his success, the band broke up in 1939 for a number of reasons: management style, a
missed opportunity to tour with Duke, the depression, and a car accident.
● Benny Goodman employed Henderson as an arranger, which worked well for both men.
● Other bands followed suit and hired arrangers.
● “Christopher Columbus” represents Henderson’s return to the stage.
● In the early 40s, his new band couldn’t survive the competition because everyone was using his
formula.
● He went back on the road with Ethel Waters. On the road, he had a stroke, and died two years later
at 55 in 1952.
Talents
● Louis Armstrong
● Coleman Hawkins
● Roy Eldridge
● Benny Carter
● Rex Stewart
● Don Redman (composer / arranger)

Louis Armstrong (back center)

Composition, Orchestration, and Arrangements
● The band was 10 - 18 pieces
● Prior to Henderson, Ragtime bands were mini orchestras with a flute and strings.
● Henderson and Redman invented the Big Band by extending the NOLA combo to
sections with 3 tpts., 1 Tb., and up to 4 saxes.
● The added voices meant you could make complex chords, multiple sections could be
played against each other using call and response, and several instruments could
play the melody.
● All parts were written, which is what attracted Armstrong to the band.
● There was a heavy pulse. Coleman hawkins called it a “stomp,” and said it was
unlike any other band at the time.
● The band was rehearsed until it was memorized (Goodman’s model as well).
Further reading

https://syncopatedtimes.com/profiles-in-jazz-fletcher-henderson/

https://www.npr.org/2007/12/19/17370123/fletcher-henderson-architect-of-swing

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fletcher_Henderson

https://jerryjazzmusician.com/2005/01/jeffrey-magee-author-of-fletcher-henderson-
and-big-band-jazz-the-uncrowned-king-of-swing/

https://www.kjemjazz.org/tag/fletcher-henderson/
Rehearsing together
● Rehearsal Live Share is a new app that allows immediate playback of live
performance
○ Everyone performs to a click track
○ No one can hear each other
○ The app immediately glues all the parts together
○ The playback file is available immediately
● You get immediate feedback without editing
● You can still see each other
● Free for participants, but $99/year for the host
● 14-day(?) trial period
● https://www.rehearsalliveshare.com/