From the start, he had a very distinctive sound and style which, although influenced a bit by both Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane, also contained a lot of brand new phrases and ideas. Henderson had long been able to improvise in both inside and outside settings, from hard bop to freeform.

One of the more distinctive tenor saxophone voices in jazz music, Henderson’s rich tone and strong sense of rhythm influenced scores of tenor saxophonists who followed him.