Fletcher Henderson

Fletcher Henderson (1897-1952), American jazz musician, who pioneered in combining strict orchestral arrangement with free improvisation. His given name was Fletcher Hamilton Henderson, Jr, but he is sometimes identified as James Fletcher Henderson. Born in Cuthbert, Georgia, he graduated with a degree in chemistry from Atlanta University and in 1920 moved to New York City for further study. Upon entering the jazz world, he formed his own orchestra in 1923; a precursor of the dance orchestras of the 1930s, it also served as a forum for such soloists as the trumpeter Louis Armstrong and the saxophonist Coleman Hawkins. In the 1930s, as arranger for such groups as the Benny Goodman Orchestra, Henderson set the pace for the big-band sound. He worked as an arranger and led his own groups through the 1940s.