Jeff Henderson

Jeff Henderson is a well-known solo improviser and multi-instrumentalist. A specialist on saxophones and clarinet, Jeff also plays guitar, banjo, piano, percussion, uses voice, and anything else that the music requires.

Born in 1973, Jeff attended the Wellington Conservatorium of Music, graduating in 1992. He has performed with such internationally renowned musicians as Steve Lacy, Mark Sanders, Tony Buck, William Parker, Han Bennink, Clifford Barbaro, Mike Nock, Jim Denley, Thomas Lehn, Johannes Bauer, Tetuzi Akiyama, Marilyn Crispell, Anthony Pateras, Clayton Thomas, Anthony Donaldson, Gerard Crewdson, Richard Nunns, John Edwards and Kris Wanders.

Jeff has an extensive history as an accompanist and participant in, and composer for, live musical theatre and other collaborative works including numerous projects with Alan Brunton and Sally Rodwell of Red Mole Theatre, Stephen Bain and Madeline MacNamara. He has been involved in music for film, including recipient of the Harriet Friedlander Residency, Florian Habicht’s documentary feature Rubbings from a Live Man, and has also performed with Stroma, placing a foot in the contemporary/classical camp. He has received several major commissions, often for large ensembles and features on numerous recorded releases. Jeff has performed at many major national and international festivals throughout Australia, Asia and Europe. He currently performs with the bands Fertility Festival, The Melancholy Babes and Colin McCabre.

In New Zealand Henderson founded two performance venues in Wellington which he operated and managed for ten years, founded and operated the Bomb the Space Festival of Experimental music, was artistic director of the Wellington International Jazz Festival for ten years and publishes recordings on two record labels. His project Urban Taniwha with Richard Nunns and Marilyn Crispell featured a 16-piece band and toured New Zealand in 2000.

Jeff has composed and performed for contemporary music ensemble Stroma, toured NZ and Japan with drummer Shoji Hano, directed the play ‘First June’ by Melody Nixon and collaborated with Australian experimental film maker Louise Curham. Recent projects include Jazzmares, an album of original compositions recorded live in 2014 with Dreamville, and an artist residency at Wired Lab in NSW. Jeff is also director of The Audio Foundation.

[As a recipient of a 2008 Arts Foundation New Generation Award more information about Jeff Henderson can be found on the Arts Foundation website.]