Eddie Henderson Quartet

Jazz Legends Series at PizzaExpress

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Last Show: Saturday 11 th May 2019

PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho)

Eddie Henderson, continues to be one of the most original trumpet players in jazz today. At 79 years old he remains very much at the height of his musical prowess, and continues to produce music on a par with the greatest trumpet players in the history of jazz. He first got worldwide recognition for his work with Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi group in the early '70s. Since then he has played with huge array of the greatest names in Jazz including Art Blakey, Elvin Jones, Johnny Griffin, Slide Hampton, McCoy Tyner, Benny Golson, Max Roach, Jackie McClean, Dexter Gordon, Roy Haynes, Joe Henderson and more. He is joined here by a creative and potent quartet made up of long time collaborators; Arnie Somogyi on bass, Stephen Keogh on drums, and the brilliant Welsh pianist Gareth Williams. ‘A prodigiously talented pianist… a joyous, uncompromising celebration of sophistication, musicality, muscularity, it’s shockingly good’. Mojo Magazine.

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Henderson was born in New York City in 1940. His father sang with the Charioteers, and his mother danced at the Cotton Club in Harlem. Louis Armstrong gave Eddie his first trumpet lessons at age 9. In 1956, Miles Davis was staying at the Henderson's family home at a time that Eddie had an engagement at the Black Hawk Jazz Club. Miles, Impressed with Eddie's ability to perform his famous "Sketches of Spain" without a fluff, encouraged Henderson to seek his own originality. 

Eddie Henderson is one of today's top and most original jazz trumpet players. Henderson was born in New York City October 26, 1940. His father sang with the Charioteers, and his mother danced as one of the Brown twins at the Cotton club. Louis Armstrong gave Eddie his first few trumpet lessons at the age of nine. Eddie moved with his family to San Francisco when he was 14 years old. He studied at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music from 1954 to '56. Around 1956, Miles Davis was guest at Eddie Henderson's home during a black Hawk Jazz Club gig and was impressed with Eddie's ability to perform his famous "Sketches of Spain" without a fluff but encouraged Henderson to seek his own originality. Following Air Force service from 1958 to '61, Eddie became the first African American to compete for the National figure skating Championship, winning the pacific and Midwestern titles. The year 1961 was the beginning of Eddie pursuing dual careers-medicine and music. After receiving a bachelor of science in Zoology at the University of California at Berkeley in 1964,he got his M.D. at Howard university Medical School in 1968. Eddie interned at San Francisco's French Hospital during 1968 and '69 and undertook a two-year residency in psychiatry at the University of California hospital from 1969 to '71. Henderson first got worldwide recognition for his jazz-trumpet playing from the popular recordings he made with Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi group during the early '70s. Other jazz perfomers Eddie has played with include Pharoah Sanders, Art Blakey, Elvin Jones, Johnny Griffin, Slide Hampton, McCoy Tyner, Benny Golson, Max Roach, Jackie McClean, Dexter Gordon, Roy Haynes, Joe Henderson etc. Henderson has been on the faculty at Juillard school of music since 2007.

Band Lineup

Eddie Henderson (trumpet)

Gareth Willams (piano)

Arnie Somogyi (bass)

Stephen Keogh (drums)