Richard Rogers Henderson – longtime St. Louis jazz promoter, educator and mentor – passed away Saturday, December 15 at age 86.
A Jazz Jam/Tribute to Henderson will be staged at Eddie Randle & Sons Funeral Home, 4600 Natural Bridge Blvd., 4-7 p.m. Saturday, December 26. Drummer Lewis Nash and trumpeter Keyon Harrold are scheduled to attend and perform, along with other players.
The jazz families of St. Louis and New York are saddened by the loss of Henderson, who was known by many other names. There is dispute over who first called him “the Jazz Guru.” The late Dick Gregory, his schoolmate, called him “Hindu,” a play on his name. He also was called “Des,” due to his admiration for saxophonist Paul Desmond; “Hawk,” for saxophonist Coleman Hawkins; and “Watergate,” which underscored his penchant for clandestine taping of performances.
Henderson was known and loved by an incredibly large number of friends and fellow jazz lovers and artists. Even the luminaries who called him a dear friend are too numerous to list. They include Lewis Nash, Wynton Marsalis, Bobby Watson, Clark Terry, John Hicks, Lloyd Smith, George Hudson, Willie Akins, Houston Person, Etta Jones, Benny Green, Kenny Washington, Regina Carter and Kenny Barron.
His life played like a straight-ahead jazz LP. He began his fascination with the art form in his early teens and remained faithful to it until the very end. It was, in fact, the primary soothing force during his final days. The other soothing force was the remarkable care and devotion of his dear friend Enos Moss and his wife, Sheliah Dunn-Moss.
Although not a musician himself, he was slavishly devoted to jazz protocol, often emphasizing to instrumentalists the value of knowing lyrics to better emote the diverse colors and passions of a tune. St. Louis pianist/saxophonist Chad Evans can attest to this.
Henderson was enamored with most pure jazz; he once told me anyone who could not enjoy a trio (sans horns) was not a true devotee. For Henderson, “Smooth Jazz” was a Johnny “Rabbit” Hodges riff or a Milt “Bags” Jackson run.
For over 30 years, he ventured to New York for several weeks each summer to imbibe the precious sounds. I joined him for hundreds of gigs in St. Louis. Our most memorable out-of-town trip was to the 1987 Kansas City Jazz Festival and dedication of the Charlie Parker statue, when we bunked at the home of vocalist/pianist Luqman Hamza.
Among his jazz cohorts were radio DJs Leo Chears (“The Man in the Red Vest”), “Cactus” Charlie Menees, and Dennis Owsley. Another be-bop buddy was Jazz at the Bistro Director of Operations Bob Bennett, with whom he once travelled to New York to enjoy this magical music.
Henderson co-founded the St. Louis Jazz Society, along with Lee Cotton and the late Amos McClure, and the Crusaders for Jazz with the late Jim Randle. But perhaps his greatest impact was on our young musicians.
He hooked up trumpeters Marlin Bond and Keyon Harrold with the iconic Wynton Marsalis, and drummer Kimberly Thompson with drummer Ben Riley and pianist John Hicks. He was a staunch supporter of Grammy-nominated trumpeter Russell Gunn and drummer Montez Coleman of East St. Louis. Drummer and band leader Marcus “Ko Ko” Baylor and world-class vocalist Denise Thimes were profoundly nurtured by Henderson. He was also a close confidant to bassist Kent Miller, a St. Louis native.
His far-reaching impact on his home city was summed up best by pianist Kenny Barron, who stated, “Rich, St. Louis isn’t St. Louis without you.”
