Fletcher Henderson Quotes

BIG BANDS AND THE SWING ERA: RECOMMENDED LISTENING Tommy Dorsey, “Opus One,” November 14, 1944 Duke Ellington, “Cotton Tail,” May 4, 1940 Duke Ellington, “Harlem Air Shaft,” July 22, 1940 Duke Ellington, “Take the ‘A’ Train,” February 15, 1941 Benny Goodman, “Sing, Sing, Sing,” January 16, 1938 Benny Goodman Trio, “After You’ve Gone,” July 13, 1935 Coleman Hawkins, “Body and Soul,” October 11, 1939 Fletcher Henderson, “New King Porter Stomp,” December 9, 1932 Glenn Miller, “In the Mood,” August 1, 1939 Artie Shaw, “Begin the Beguine,” July 24, 1938

There were still exciting groups on the horizon: Ben Pollack, Isham Jones, Red Nichols, and Ted “Is Ev-rybody Happy?” Lewis provided an early training ground for many of the stars of the swing era, which was just around the corner. Fletcher Henderson, Louis Armstrong, Earl “Fatha” Hines, Jimmie Lunceford, and Chick Webb had started or were soon to start bands in the mid- to late 1920s, and Duke Ellington was already one of the most respected names in the industry.

As Duke Ellington put it, Henderson "was liberal in giving away his ideas to people. So liberal, in fact, that it is difficult to recognize the original Fletcher Henderson through his flock of imitators.