Eddie Henderson (b. October 26, 1940) is a jazz trumpet and flugelhorn player. Henderson's mother was one of the dancers in the original Cotton Club. She had a twin sister, and they were called The Brown Twins. ...show more

Eddie Henderson (b. October 26, 1940) is a jazz trumpet and flugelhorn player. Henderson's mother was one of the dancers in the original Cotton Club. She had a twin sister, and they were called The Brown Twins.

They would dance with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson and the Nicholas Brothers. In the film showing Fats Waller playing 'Ain't Misbehavin', Henderson's mother sits on the piano whilst Fats sings to her. His father sang with Billy Williams and The Charioteers a very popular singing group. At the age of 9 he was given an informal lesson by the trumpeting legend Louis Armstrong although continued to study the instrument as a teenager in San Francisco where he grew up, after his family moved there in 1954, at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

As a young man, he performed with the San Francisco Conservatory Symphony Orchestra. Henderson was heavily influenced by the early fusion work of jazz musician Miles Davis who was a friend of his parents. They both met in 1957 when Henderson was just 17 and played a gig together. After his medical education, it was back to the Bay area for his medical internship and residency - and the break that thrust him fully into music. ...show less