- - Henderson's mother was one of the dancers in the original http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton_Club - Cotton Club . She had a twin sister, and they were called http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Brown_Twins&action=edit&redlink=1 - The Brown Twins . They would dance with http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Bojangles_Robinson - Bill "Bojangles" Robinson and the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Brothers - Nicholas Brothers . In the film showing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fats_Waller - Fats Waller playing "Ain't Misbehavin'", Henderson's mother sits on the piano whilst Fats sings to her. His father sang with http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Williams_%28singer%29 - Billy Williams and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Charioteers - The Charioteers , a very popular singing group.
At the age of 9 he was given an informal lesson by the trumpet legend http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Armstrong - Louis Armstrong and he continued to study the instrument as a teenager in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco - San Francisco , where he grew up, after his family moved there in 1954, at the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Conservatory_of_Music - San Francisco Conservatory of Music . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Henderson_%28musician%29#cite_note-allaboutjazz-0 - [1] As a young man, he performed with the http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=San_Francisco_Conservatory_Symphony_Orchestra&action=edit&redlink=1 - San Francisco Conservatory Symphony Orchestra .
Henderson was heavily influenced by the early fusion work of jazz musician http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miles_Davis - Miles Davis , who was a friend of his parents. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Henderson_%28musician%29#cite_note-allaboutjazz-0 - [1] They met in 1957 when Henderson was just 17, and played a gig together.
After completing his medical education, Henderson went back to the
Bay area for his medical internship and residency - and the break that
thrust him fully into music. It was a week-long gig with http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbie_Hancock - Herbie Hancock 's Mwandishi band that led to a three-year job. The Mwandishi association lasted from 1970-73.
Ironically, he was trained to be a doctor when he permanently chose music. Henderson worked also with musicians http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Handy - John Handy , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyrone_Washington - Tyrone Washington , and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Henderson - Joe Henderson ,
in addition to his own group. His experiences with Hancock exerted a
profound influence on Henderson, as reflected in the music on his first
two solo albums, Realization and Inside Out, recorded in 1972 and 1973 for http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capricorn_Records - Capricorn Records . While he gained some recognition for his work with the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbie_Hancock - Herbie Hancock Sextet (1970-1973), his own records were considered too "commercial". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Henderson_%28musician%29#cite_note-1 - [2]
After leaving Hancock, the trumpeter worked extensively with http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharoah_Sanders - Pharoah Sanders , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Nock - Mike Nock , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Connors - Norman Connors , and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Blakey - Art Blakey 's Jazz Messengers, returning to the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco - San Francisco Bay Area in 1975 where he joined the Latin-jazz group http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azteca_%28band%29 - Azteca , and fronted his own bands. He also recorded with http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Earland - Charles Earland (popular for his version of "Let the Music Play" in 1978), and later, in the 1970s, led a rock-oriented group.
[ http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eddie_Henderson_%28musician%29&action=edit§ion=2 - edit ] Medical career
After three years in the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Force - Air Force , Henderson enrolled at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.C._Berkeley - U.C. Berkeley , graduating with a B.S. in zoology in 1964. He then studied medicine at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_University - Howard University in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_D.C. - Washington D.C. , graduating in 1968. Though he undertook his residency in psychiatry, he only practiced general medicine.
He practised medicine from 1975 to 1985 in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco - San Francisco ,
part-time for about four hours a day working at a small clinic.
Henderson said, "The head doctor knew I was into music and he hired me
with the stipulation that whenever I get tours I can go and come as I
please. They would even pay me when I was gone. It was lovely", he
recalled. "I just wanted to play music. But I never in my wildest
dreams thought I'd ever have a chance to play with the big guys."
[ http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eddie_Henderson_%28musician%29&action=edit§ion=3 - edit ] The Fusion albums
In the late 1970s Henderson recorded five fusion albums during the
disco era that were later to be re-released. He recorded two albums on
the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Note - Blue Note label, Heritage and Sunburst; one for http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitol_Records - Capitol Records , Mahal; and two for http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capricorn_Records - Capricorn Records , Inside Out and Comin' Thru. Their popularity was far greater in the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK - UK , where he almost reached 'star status'.[ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed - citation needed ]
[ http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eddie_Henderson_%28musician%29&action=edit§ion=4 - edit ] UK success
Henderson's only http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK - UK hit was the single 'Prance On' with the 'B' side called 'Cyclops' also recorded for http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitol - Capitol which reached #44 in the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC - BBC
Top 75 as it was then in 1978. The newly introduced 12" vinyl single
format for this track helped promote it on the disco/club scene at the
time. His previous single recorded in 1977, 'Say You Will/The Funk
Surgeon' (the title of the latter being clearly influenced by his
experience in medicine), also recorded on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitol - Capitol , failed to chart in the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK - UK .
"Cyclops" was an instrumental LP track only although it was so popular at the wrong speed the record label http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitol - Capitol actually pressed a 12" vinyl single with the regular version and the fast version back to back.
It should be noted that the hit "Cyclops" became famous for being played by http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK - UK
DJs on the radio at the wrong speed on vinyl i.e. 45 rpm
(revolutions-per-minute) rather than the correct 33 rpm. Henderson says
that, whilst it didn't sound correct to him, the record received rave
reviews in the clubs and discos being played at the faster speed and,
ironically, this is how Henderson became well-known on the disco scene
in the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK - UK .
There is a striking similarity to Henderson's "Cyclops" by musician http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodney_Franklin - Rodney Franklin with the track called "Stay On in the Groove" from the 1984 album http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon - Marathon , produced by bass player http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Clarke - Stanley Clarke . This may be pure coincidence although the repeated five notes are identical on Franklin's track.
Many fusion groups in the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK - UK have studied the musical work of Henderson and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbie_Hancock - Herbie Hancock allowing them to expand their own musical vocabulary.[ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed - citation needed ]
[ http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eddie_Henderson_%28musician%29&action=edit§ion=5 - edit ] Recent work and influences
In the 1990s, he returned to playing acoustic hard bop, touring with http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Harper - Billy Harper in 1991 while also working as a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychiatrist - psychiatrist .
In the last few years Henderson has played at festivals in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France - France and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austria - Austria . When http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miles_Davis - Miles Davis died, Henderson made a recording of one of Davis' most famous tracks in May 2002 called So What?, a tribute to Davis that features songs associated with the legend. The group included http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Berg - Bob Berg on sax, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Kikoski - Dave Kikoski on piano, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ed_Howard&action=edit&redlink=1 - Ed Howard on bass and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Lewis - Victor Lewis on drums.
Recent recordings by Henderson have included Oasis (2001 on Sirocco Jazz Limited label), So What?, a tribute to Miles Davis (2002, EPC, Sony, Columbia), Time and Spaces (2004 Sirocco Jazz Limited), Manhattan Blue (2005, unreleased) and Precious Moment (2006 on the Kind of Blue label).
Henderson's other influences include http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booker_Little - Booker Little , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifford_Brown - Clifford Brown and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woody_Shaw - Woody Shaw .... |