Eddie Henderson -

Eddie Henderson (born Oct. 26, 1940) is an American trumpeter, cornetist, and composer who got his start in Herbie Hancock‘s backing band Mwandishi. On Capricorn, he released the popular 1973/74 albums Realization and Inside Out. Switching to Blue Note, he issued the 1975/76 albums Sunburst and Heritage, followed by a trio of titles on Capitol, including the 1977 release Comin’ Through.

During the 1970s and early ’80s, Henderson played on albums by Charles Earland, Norman Connors, Gary Bartz, Buster Williams, Pharoah Sanders, and The Originals.

He was born Edward Jackson Henderson on October 26, 1940, in New York City. His mother had a dance act called the Brown Twins with her twin sister. His father sang with The Charioteers, a renown gospel-pop vocal group during the 1930s and ’40s.

At age nine, Henderson met Louis Armstrong and got an informal trumpet lesson. In 1954, the Henderson’s moved to San Francisco, where Eddie attended the S.F. Conservatory of Music. He would later perform with the S.F. Conservatory Symphony Orchestra. Miles Davis, a long-time friend of Eddie’s parents, dropped by the family home in 1957 and played a gig with the 17-year-old. Other inspirations for the young player included Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard, Clifford Brown, and Woody Shaw.^[1]

Envisioning music as a part-time pursuit, Henderson earned degrees in zoology (UoC Berkeley, 1964) and medicine (Howard Uni, 1968). He took an internship at a Bay Area clinic, then got summoned for a week-long gig with Herbie Hancock‘s Mwandishi. Henderson ultimately backed Hancock for three years and played on his 1972 Warner release Crossings. That same year, he played on albums by Buddy Terry (Lean on Him, Pure Dynamite), Pete Yellin (Dance of Allegra), and Norman Connors (Dance of Magic). In 1973, he got a solo deal with Capricorn Records.

Discography: