A big band great, saxophonist and band leader Don Redman's career began in earnest in 1924 after his partnering with Fletcher Henderson. Together the two would go on to reinvent the language of large ensemble jazz. In 1927, he took over leadership of McKinney’s Cotton Pickers and turned that group into one of the finest of the early swing era. Redman then formed his own band in 1931, which remained in existence for almost a decade. Following the dissolution of his own unit, he started offering up his arranging skills to iconic bandleaders such as Jimmy Dorsey, Count Basie, and Harry James. In 1946 he formed a new band and set up shop in Europe. For several years he was musical director for Pearl Bailey, and continued to record, compose, and arrange until his passing in the early 1960s.