Research Catalog

Details

Additional authors

1. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Moving Image and Recorded Sound Division

Summary

1. The collection consists of 41 audio recordings of his personal compositions and arrangements including such notable compositions as "Mr. Jelly Lord." The holdings are available in the Moving Image and Recorded Sound (MIRS) Division.

Subject

1. Henderson, Luther, 1919-2003
2. Ellington, Duke, 1899-1974
3. African American musicians
4. African American composers
5. African American conductors (Music)
6. African American choral conductors
7. African American theatrical producers and directors
8. Arrangers (Musicians) -- United States
9. Orchestrators -- United States
10. Musicals -- Excerpts
11. Musicals -- Scores
12. Musical theater -- New York (State) -- New York
13. Popular music -- United States
14. African American theater -- New York (State) -- New York
15. African Americans in the performing arts

Genre/Form

1. Sound recordings.
2. Video recordings.

Call number

1. Sc MIRS Henderson 1987-30

Source (note)

1. Luther Henderson

Biography (note)

1. Luther L. Henderson Jr. was an African-American musician, composer, arranger, orchestrator, and conductor whose 60-year career included work in theater, television, film, dance, and recordings. Henderson's early musical influences ranged from classical composers to folk, church, and popular music. After graduation from Juilliard School with a B.S. degree (1942), he played piano in the New York area, and in 1944, was inducted into the United States Navy where he wrote and arranged musical selections for Navy bands. In the 1940s and 1950s Henderson worked as a vocal coach, accompanist and arranger for performers in clubs, on recordings and television, including Lena Horne, Al Hibbler, Polly Bergen, and Victor Borge. He also wrote and arranged music for a number of Oldsmobile industrial shows that featured choreographer and performer Carol Haney. Following work with Haney on arrangements for dance music in the 1958 musical Flower Drum Song, Henderson's skills as arranger, pianist, and orchestrator began to be in greater demand. During the 1960s and 1970s, Henderson was dance music arranger or orchestrator on a number of Broadway shows and also arranged club acts and personal appearances for many of the popular performers of the day. In 1978, he served as orchestrator, arranger, pianist and musical director for "Ain't Misbehavin'" for which he received a Tony Award nomination. He also arranged and composed for Off-Broadway and regional productions, as well as ballet, film, and television specials. His 1985 workshop production "Mr. Jelly Lord" was the genesis of the 1992 Tony Award-winning musical "Jelly's Last Jam," for which Henderson adapted and arranged the music of Jelly Roll Morton and was nominated for best score. Over five decades, he also contributed as arranger and composer to numerous albums recorded by his own orchestra, as well as Duke Ellington, Andre Kostalanetz, the Royal Philharmonic, the Canadian Brass, and many individual artists. Henderson died in 2003, and was selected as a 2004 National Endowment of the Arts Jazz master shortly before his death.

Linking entry (note)

1. Forms part of: Luther Henderson papers, 1909-1985. Papers can be found in the Manuscript & Rare Books Division (Sc MG 322).

Author

1. Henderson, Luther, 1919-2003.

Title

1. Luther Henderson audio collection.

Biography

1. Luther L. Henderson Jr. was an African-American musician, composer, arranger, orchestrator, and conductor whose 60-year career included work in theater, television, film, dance, and recordings. Henderson's early musical influences ranged from classical composers to folk, church, and popular music. After graduation from Juilliard School with a B.S. degree (1942), he played piano in the New York area, and in 1944, was inducted into the United States Navy where he wrote and arranged musical selections for Navy bands. In the 1940s and 1950s Henderson worked as a vocal coach, accompanist and arranger for performers in clubs, on recordings and television, including Lena Horne, Al Hibbler, Polly Bergen, and Victor Borge. He also wrote and arranged music for a number of Oldsmobile industrial shows that featured choreographer and performer Carol Haney. Following work with Haney on arrangements for dance music in the 1958 musical Flower Drum Song, Henderson's skills as arranger, pianist, and orchestrator began to be in greater demand. During the 1960s and 1970s, Henderson was dance music arranger or orchestrator on a number of Broadway shows and also arranged club acts and personal appearances for many of the popular performers of the day. In 1978, he served as orchestrator, arranger, pianist and musical director for "Ain't Misbehavin'" for which he received a Tony Award nomination. He also arranged and composed for Off-Broadway and regional productions, as well as ballet, film, and television specials. His 1985 workshop production "Mr. Jelly Lord" was the genesis of the 1992 Tony Award-winning musical "Jelly's Last Jam," for which Henderson adapted and arranged the music of Jelly Roll Morton and was nominated for best score. Over five decades, he also contributed as arranger and composer to numerous albums recorded by his own orchestra, as well as Duke Ellington, Andre Kostalanetz, the Royal Philharmonic, the Canadian Brass, and many individual artists. Henderson died in 2003, and was selected as a 2004 National Endowment of the Arts Jazz master shortly before his death.

Linking entry

1. Forms part of: Luther Henderson papers, 1909-1985. Papers can be found in the Manuscript & Rare Books Division (Sc MG 322).

Connect to:

1. Request Access to Schomburg Moving Images and Recorded Sound

Added author

1. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Moving Image and Recorded Sound Division.

Research call number

1. Sc MIRS Henderson 1987-30