Henderson, Fletcher (James Fletcher "Smack" Henderson), 1898–1952, American jazz composer, arranger, and pianist, b. Cuthbert, Ga. Henderson played piano from childhood. Short of funds after coming to New York City in 1920 to study graduate chemistry, he took a job with W. C. Handy's music company. During the 1920s and 30s, Henderson led superbly dynamic jazz orchestras. The hallmarks of his arrangements include two- and four-bar repetitions, bursting section choruses, and solo showcasing. He is considered the creator of "swing" and influenced many musicians, notably Benny Goodman Goodman, Benny (Benjamin David Goodman), 1909–86, American clarinetist, composer, and band leader, b. Chicago. Goodman studied clarinet at Hull House. In Chicago he had the opportunity to hear (and eventually to play beside) some of the outstanding jazz
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Henderson, Fletcher (Hamilton, Jr.)

orig. James Fletcher Henderson

(born Dec. 18, 1898, Cuthbert, Ga., U.S.—died Dec. 29, 1952, New York, N.Y.) U.S. pianist, arranger, and leader of one of the most influential big bands in jazz. Henderson formed a dance band in New York in 1923. The band soon distinguished itself in two ways: the engagement of Louis Armstrong as principal soloist placed greater emphasis on swinging improvisation and the arrangements by Henderson and Don Redman (1900–64) codified the roles of the sections within the ensemble to replace the collective improvisation of early jazz groups. Nearly all big bands subsequently followed their example. A poor businessman, he was forced to dissolve his band several times, but his arrangements played a key role in the success of Benny Goodman in the late 1930s and provided a template for much of the music of the swing era.

Henderson, (James) Fletcher (1897–1952) jazz musician; born in Cuthbert, Ga. He was a pianist and a pioneer of big band jazz, leading his own orchestra between 1924–37 and intermittently thereafter. His bands featured many of the early stars of jazz, including Louis Armstrong and Coleman Hawkins, and his style served as a prototype for the Swing Era. Between 1937–39, he worked as an important arranger for Benny Goodman.