Scott Henderson is one of the most renowned fusion guitar players of our time. His performances with other greats of this genre are legion (see his bio below). He is best known as a strat-type player, which he really knows how to handle.
It happened in 2017 that Scott got the chance to play the Sonntag J16H Ballade of his buddy Bruce Forman. Apparently he was so hooked that he used this Ballade for his composition „Chelsea Bridge“ on the cd „ Vibe Station“ (available on iTunes and Amazon). On this tune Scott prooves that he can also deal with an acoustic archtop excellently.
One year later I had the chance to meet Scott Henderson on the NAMM show in Los Angeles. I told him I am very happy to hear my guitar on his cd. He replied he had big fun playing that Ballade and that he will get back to me in order to get one somewhen in the not too far future. I thought that was professional kindness and would have never believed that Scott was serious about that.
And then the big surprise: Again one year later Scott got in touch with me and told me he wanted the exact same guitar like Bruce‘.
With exception of the headstock inlay, which on Bruce Forman‘s guitar says „ Bruce Forman“. For understandable reasons Scott preferred his own name written there …
Born in 1954, Scott Henderson grew up in an era where blues-rock was at it's peak. His formative musical years took place in South Florida where he played the clubs with various bands, playing everything from Led Zeppelin to James Brown. As he was learning his instrument, Henderson was influenced by Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, Ritchie Blackmore, and his favorite blues guitarist Albert King.
Even though Henderson claims to be more of a blues-rock player, it was the influence of jazz that led him to the style of playing and composing that he is now famous for. Besides being a world class player and premier composer, Scott's trademark is his beautiful tone and striking ability to blend Blues, Rock, Funk, and Jazz, creating a soulful and unique voice on the guitar.
Scott studied arranging and composition at Florida Atlantic University, then moved to Los Angeles in 1980. He toured and recorded with Chick Corea's Elektric Band, violinist Jean-Luc Ponty, and was pleased to get the opportunity to work for four years with one of his favorite musicians, Weather Report's Joe Zawinul. He recorded two albums with the Zawinul Syndicate, "The Immigrants" and "Black Water". Henderson formed the legendary band Tribal Tech in 1984 with bassist Gary Willis, and recorded ten critically acclaimed albums. The most recent recording is "Tribal Tech X" released in March 2012.
In 1991, Scott was named by Guitar World as the #1 Jazz Guitarist, and in January 1992, he was named #1 Jazz Guitarist in Guitar Player's Annual Reader's Poll. His first solo blues album "Dog Party", a welcome retreat to his musical roots, won best blues album of 1994 in Guitar Player Magazine. His next solo albums "Tore Down House" and "Well to the Bone" paired Henderson with legendary vocalist Thelma Houston. "Vibe Station", Henderson's latest and most accomplished work as a leader, is an instrumental trio record featuring Travis Carlton on bass and Alan Hertz on drums. The trio has toured extensively throughout the world in over 50 countries, playing music from the solo albums as well as some of Henderson's music recorded by Tribal Tech.
Scott has also released two albums with "Vital Tech Tones", a trio collaboration with bassist Victor Wooten and former Journey drummer Steve Smith. In 2009 he began touring worldwide with the HBC Trio, featuring bassist Jeff Berlin and drummer Dennis Chambers. Their first record "HBC" was released in October 2012.
As is often the case with a musician of Scott's caliber, the demand is great that he share his knowledge with the current generation of guitarists. He is on the faculty at Musician's Institute in Hollywood, where his Open Counseling sessions are some of MI's most popular. Scott has also written columns for Guitar Player Magazine and many other guitar publications.
Alfred Music has released Henderson's instructional DVD entitled "Scott Henderson - Jazz Rock Mastery", and his first transcription book "The Scott Henderson Guitar Book". His other two transcription books, "The Best Of Scott Henderson" and "Scott Henderson - Blues Guitar Collection" are available through Hal Leonard Publishing as well as his instructional book "Jazz Guitar Chord System", a revolutionary way for students to study the pluralities of jazz harmony.