In 1922 he formed his own band, which was resident first at the Club Alabam then at the Roseland, and quickly became known as the best African-American band in New York. For a time his ideas of arrangement were heavily influenced by those of Paul Whiteman, but when Louis Armstrong joined his orchestra in 1924 Henderson realized there could be a much richer potential for jazz band orchestration. Henderson's band also boasted the formidable arranging talents of Don Redman (from 1922 to 1927).
It's significant to note during the 1920's and very early 1930's, Henderson actually wrote few, if any, arrangements; most of his recordings were arranged by Don Redman (c. 1923-1927) or Benny Carter (after 1927-c. 1931). As an arranger, Henderson came into his own in the mid-1930s.
His band circa 1925 included Howard Scott, Coleman Hawkins (who started with Henderson in 1923 playing the low tuba parts on bass saxophone and quickly moved to tenor and a leading solo role), Louis Armstrong, Charlie Dixon, Kaiser Marshall, Buster Bailey, Elmer Chambers, Charlie Green, Ralph Escudero and Don Redman.
In 1925, along with fellow composer Henry Troy, he wrote "Gin House Blues", recorded by Bessie Smith and Nina Simone amongst others. He also wrote the very popular jazz composition "Soft Winds" among others.
Henderson recorded extensively in the 1920s for numerous labels, including:
Vocalion,
Paramount,
Columbia,
Olympic,
Ajax,
Pathe,
Edison,
Emerson,
Brunswick,
Plaza Records (Banner, Oriole, and the other Plaza labels).
He was recording director for the fledgling Black Swan label from 1921-1923. From 1925-1930, he primarily recorded for Columbia and Brunswick/Vocalion under his own name and a series of acoustic recordings under the name The Dixie Stompers for Columbia's Harmony and associated dime store labels (Diva and Velvet Tone). During the 1930s, he recorded for Columbia, Crown (as "Connie's Inn Orchestra"), ARC (Melotone, Perfect, Oriole, etc.), Victor, Vocalion and Decca.
At one time or another, in addition to Armstrong, lead trumpeters included Henry "Red" Allen, Joe Smith, Rex Stewart, Tommy Ladnier, Doc Cheatham and Roy Eldridge on trumpet. Lead saxophonists included Coleman Hawkins, Buster Bailey, Benny Carter and Chu Berry. Sun Ra also worked as an arranger during the 1940s during Henderson's engagement at the Club DeLisa in Chicago. Sun Ra himself said that on first hearing Henderson's orchestra as a teenager he assumed that they must be angels because no human could produce such beautiful music.
Beginning in the early 1930s, Fletcher's piano-playing younger brother, Horace Henderson contributed to the arrangements of the band. At different times in Horace's career he was Billie Holiday's and Lena Horne's Pianist. Later he led a band of his own that also received critical acclaim.
Although Fletcher's band was very popular, he had little success managing the band. But much of his lack of recognition outside of Harlem had to do more with the times in which he lived. Although he was the real "King of Swing", America was not ready for him to take his place on the throne. After about 1931, he was well regarded as an arranger - and his arrangements became influential. In addition to his own band he arranged for several other bands, including those of Teddy Hill, Isham Jones, and most famously, Benny Goodman. Henderson's wife, Leora, said that a major turning point in his life was an auto accident which occurred in 1928. Henderson's shoulder was injured and he apparently sustained a concussion. Leora claimed that Fletcher was never the same, and that after this point he lost his ambition and became careless. According to Leora, the accident was a major cause of Henderson's diminishing success. She claims that John Hammond and Benny Goodman arranged to buy Henderson's arrangements as a way to support Henderson, and points out that Goodman always gave Henderson credit for the arrangements and said that the Henderson band played them better than the Goodman band. In addition, Goodman and Hammond arranged broadcasts and recordings to benefit Henderson when he was ill.
Although Henderson's music was loved by the masses, his band began to fold with the 1929 stock market crash. The loss of financial stability resulted in the selling of many arrangements from his songbooks to the later-to-be-acclaimed "King of Swing" Benny Goodman.
In 1934, Goodman's Orchestra was selected as a house band for the "Let's Dance" radio program. Since he needed new charts every week for the show, his friend John Hammond suggested that he purchase some Jazz charts from Henderson. Many of Goodman's hits from the swing era were arranged by Henderson for his own band in the late 20s and early 30s.
In 1939 Henderson disbanded his own band and joined Goodman's, first as both pianist and arranger and then working full-time as the staff arranger. He reformed bands of his own several times in the 1940s, toured with Ethel Waters again in 1948 - 1949. Henderson suffered a stroke in 1950 resulting in partial paralysis that ended his days as a pianist. He died in New York City in 1952.
Mamma
Fletcher Henderson and His Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So I made up my mind, it must come to an end
Look at me now, will I ever learn?
I don't know how but I suddenly lose control
There's a fire within my soul
Just one look and I can hear a bell ring
One more look and I forget everything
Mamma mia, here I go again
My my, how can I resist you?
Mamma mia, does it show again
My my, just how much I've missed you?
Yes, I've been brokenhearted
Blue since the day we parted
Why, why did I ever let you go?
Mamma mia, now I really know
My my, I could never let you go
I've been angry and sad about things that you do
I can't count all the times that I've told you "we're through"
And when you go, when you slam the door
I think you know that you won't be away too long
You know that I'm not that strong
Just one look and I can hear a bell ring
One more look and I forget everything
[Chorus]
Yes, I've been brokenhearted
Blue since the day we parted
Why, why did I ever let you go?
Mamma mia, even if I say
"Bye bye, leave me now or never"
Mamma mia, it's a game we play
"Bye bye" doesn't mean forever
[Chorus]
Yes, I've been brokenhearted
Blue since the day we parted
Why, why did I ever let you go?
Mamma mia, now I really know
My my, I could never let you go
The song Mamma Mia by Fletcher Henderson and His Orchestra is a cover of the original song by ABBA. The lyrics speak about a person who has been cheated in their relationship but cannot resist the temptation to go back to their partner even though they know they should let go. The person is torn between their desire for their partner and the pain they have gone through, but ultimately, they cannot let go. They feel a fire within their soul that draws them back to their partner every time they see them. Although they have repeatedly broken up with their partner, they always find a way to come back to each other.
The chorus of the song, "Mamma mia, here I go again, My my, how can I resist you?" captures the person's internal struggle perfectly. They are constantly asking themselves why they cannot resist their partner, even though they know that their relationship is toxic. The lyrics "Yes, I've been brokenhearted, Blue since the day we parted, Why, why did I ever let you go?" emphasizes the regret that the person feels having let the relationship continue for so long. They feel helpless in the situation and are stuck in a cycle they cannot break out of.
In conclusion, Mamma Mia by Fletcher Henderson and His Orchestra is a song about the complexity of relationships and how difficult it is to let go of someone we love, even when they have hurt us repeatedly. The song captures the internal struggle of the person and their inability to resist their partner even after all that they have been through.
Line by Line Meaning
I been cheated by you since you know when
You have been taking advantage of me for as long as we've known each other
So I made up my mind, it must come to an end
I've decided to put an end to this situation
Look at me now, will I ever learn?
I'm reflecting on my actions and questioning my ability to learn from my mistakes
I don't know how but I suddenly lose control
I don't understand how, but I lose control when I'm around you
There's a fire within my soul
You ignite a passion within me that I can't control
Just one look and I can hear a bell ring
Just one glance from you and I'm under your spell
One more look and I forget everything
Another look from you and all my worries disappear
Mamma mia, here I go again
Here I am, falling for you once more
My my, how can I resist you?
I am unable to resist your charm
Mamma mia, does it show again
Can everyone see that I'm falling for you again?
My my, just how much I've missed you?
I've missed you more than I can express
Yes, I've been brokenhearted
I've been heartbroken
Blue since the day we parted
I've been sad since the day we broke up
Why, why did I ever let you go?
I regret letting you go
Mamma mia, now I really know
Now I understand how much I love you
My my, I could never let you go
I could never let you go because I love you too much
I've been angry and sad about things that you do
You've done things that have made me angry and sad
I can't count all the times that I've told you 'we're through'
I've threatened to end things with you countless times
And when you go, when you slam the door
When you leave and make a dramatic exit
I think you know that you won't be away too long
You know that you won't stay away for very long
You know that I'm not that strong
You know that I'm weak when it comes to you
Mamma mia, even if I say
Even if I say
Bye bye, leave me now or never
Goodbye, either leave me now or never come back
Mamma mia, it's a game we play
This is all just a game that we're playing
Bye bye, doesn't mean forever
Saying goodbye doesn't necessarily mean it's forever
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: STIG ERIK LEOPOLD ANDERSON, BENNY GORAN BROR ANDERSSON, BJOERN K. ULVAEUS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Louis Panico
I've got Lots O' Mama, but I'm not talking about the 78. Quite often I feel as if I have a little too much Mama, if you know what I mean! 🤪 Fabulous transfer, Atticus, as always! Thanks a bunch!!! :^D 🎺 LP
León Blum
MUCHAS GRACIAS''ATTICUS JAZZ'',POR SUBIR ÉSTA JOYA MUSICAL.-SALUDOS, CON TODO RESPETO DESDE''BUENOS AIRES--ARGENTINA''
Matthew Kulbacki
Thanx Emrah. Love Lots O' Mama.