Fletcher Henderson et son orchestre: 1923-1924

They Say...

Review by arwulf arwulf, All Music Guide

In 1923, 1924, and 1925, dance bands that wanted to attract attention and make enough money to survive often felt compelled to insert "Charleston" licks into their arrangements, even surrendering entire song titles to the popular trend. Fletcher Henderson's recording of "Charleston Crazy" is a perfect example of this tactic in action. Everything on this CD is charmingly dated in that way. This stuff should not be measured against all the good jazz that's been recorded since then. To pick away at these relics and complain about solos that aren't developed enough for our postmodern sensibilities is a ridiculous waste of time. Don't even bother. Much better to suspend all preconceptions of how music is supposed to sound. Either find a way to place these performances in historical context or simply forget about everything and enjoy the mysterious theater of records so old that most people don't even know they exist. Savor the thrill of being in a different reality, where the band is breathing the air of 1923 and Coleman Hawkins is just beginning to design his own role in developing the saxophone as a dignified vehicle for creative improvisation. Don Redman is also blowing reeds with this band, but hold on a minute. Exactly whose band are we talking about? During the year 1923, Fletcher Henderson didn't really have a regular working band. Holding down the piano chair in an orchestra led by Shrimp Jones, Henderson managed to make phonograph records with members of that organization, billing the studio ensemble as Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra or even Henderson's Sawin' Six, which was really an eight-piece band if you count Henderson himself. It wasn't until the beginning of 1924 that Henderson actually led his own orchestra in public performance. This means that the 1923 recordings are experimental in nature. One of the most interesting numbers is Henderson's arrangement of "Bull Blues," composed by the great cornetist and bandleader Thomas Morris. This piece begins with a pretty air that would surface years later as "What Am I Here For?" by Duke Ellington. Other noteworthy composers represented on this disc are Porter Grainger, Maceo Pinkard, and Shelton Brooks. This is delightful music, old-fashioned and slightly hackneyed, yet well on its way to eventual maturity as big-band jazz.