Harry James is 102 years old today

Tony Scodwell · Heavyweight Member Joined: 17 Oct 2005 Posts: 1960

All of you fans of Harry James, toast his 102nd birthday today with a shot of his favorite beverage...Smirnoff Red. Harry would be pleased that the trumpet world remembered him and in my case, not forgotten.

Tony Scodwell
www.scodwellusa.com

Turkle

king leopardi · Veteran Member Joined: 24 Jan 2009 Posts: 278

I saw him play back when I was in high school and was in seventh heaven. He's probably the whole reason I got interested in the trumpet.

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Happy Birthday, Harry

Seymor B Fudd · Last edited by Seymor B Fudd on Wed Mar 21, 2018 8:43 am; edited 1 time in total

boog · Veteran Member Joined: 04 Jun 2014 Posts: 247

Harry James was my high school band director's favorite player. So I guess my playing was influenced by Mr. James!

I especially enjoy recordings of the Harry James band when Buddy Rich played drums with them!

Thanks for the memory.

Dave

Mac Gollehon · Veteran Member Joined: 27 Feb 2014 Posts: 254

HBD Harry James. Thanks for the heads up Tony and I will have one shot of Smirnoff and play Back Back Bay Shuffle at my gig tonight at Paris Blues.

GeorgeB · Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 7:45 am Post subject:

Back in 1953, at the tender age of 17 and learning trumpet at the local conservatory of music, the professor, during one class, asked us who our favorite player was, and all but two ( out of 13 I think ) students named Harry James, and I added that I wanted to play like Harry James. I never could, of course. But here I am, playing again after a 50 year hiatus, and still trying to play like Harry... and why not...he was the best...

Cheers to Harry James, and to you too, Tony !

PS: the text book we used was authored by Everett James, Harry's dad. I still have it and used it for my comeback.
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GeorgeB
1960s King Super 20 Silversonic
2016 Manchester Brass Custom
1938-39 Olds Recording
1942 Buescher 400 Bb trumpet
1952 Selmer Paris 21 B
1999 Conn Vintage One B flat trumpet
2020 Getzen 490 Bb
1962 Conn Victor 5A cornet

oxleyk · Heavyweight Member Joined: 12 Apr 2006 Posts: 4180

Wow, he was only 67.

Tony Scodwell · Heavyweight Member Joined: 17 Oct 2005 Posts: 1960

When I first joined Harry's band Buddy Rich was the drummer and the highest paid sideman in the business making $1500 per week. I joined at Harrah's Tahoe and the band room was one flight above the lounge where the band performed. At the stairway going up to the band room was a roulette wheel and Buddy was standing there when I arrived the first night. He actually spoke to me first asking "how's your chops, kid?" I answered that I had a "nick" on my top lip and he hollered back, "I didn't ask you how you felt. I asked you how's your chops?" My introduction to Buddy was to say the least, an eye opener. I walked up the stairs and met Harry in his dressing room and he couldn't have been nicer. Nick Buono, who had first joined Harry in 1939, had told me to play the opener "The Mole" absolutely as recorded because Harry would be upstairs listening and it had to be exact. Nick also told me that Harry would come down on the second number "Don't Be That Way" and stand in front of me the rest of the night. That was the audition. I was replacing Rob Turk who had told me to memorize the first 15 charts as Harry had a most unique way of counting tunes off. It was something that you learned after awhile and it resembled mind reading. Crazy but you had to be there. As for Buddy, there was one way to play a chart...his way. Harry loved him and to be honest, put up with his tantrums. It wasn't until Sonny Payne joined a few years later that Harry felt comfortable and to be honest, I had more fun playing with Sonny. Snooky Young told me that Sonny was his favorite too and there are a lot of great stories Snooky relayed to me about the "happenings" he had with Sonny. Practicing in my studio last night with a Smirnoff at hand got me thinking about all those wonderful years I was so fortunate to be a part of. Harry was checking me out over my shoulder.

Tony Scodwell
www.scodwellusa.com

RandyTX · Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 10:31 am Post subject:

I love this thread, and Mr. Scodwell's posts in general. I'd love to see a book on all these experiences over such an interesting career.
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superviking805 · Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 11:38 am Post subject:

kehaulani · Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 12:34 pm Post subject:

Practically grew up with a Harry James' greatest hits type album. Later, got the sound track to Young Man With a Horn with Doris Day. Loved those recordings.

Went crazy with his Sing, Sing, Sing at Carnegie Hall (Benny Goodman) concert, too. Even later followed his under-appreciated blues band.

A legend.
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Winghorn · Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 2:17 pm Post subject:

Tony, you are a treasure.

Your stories help me experience a little of what it was like to play with the greats. And Harry was a great, if not the greatest! (Don't tell Doc I said that...).

Sincerely,

Steve

deleted_user_02066fd · New Member Joined: 03 Apr 1996 Posts: 0

Harry could flat out play the crap out of the horn. I had a great uncle who was a professional trumpeter. He was on staff at some of the old theaters on the coastline of Conn. from the New Haven area on down to New York. His playing career lasted from the 20's to the early 50's. I never really heard him play as he was in his early 80's when I was born in 56 and was mostly retired.
I do know that he felt that Harry was a monster trumpeter. Uncle Louie was not easily impressed by most modern musicians of his day. He grew up in Naples and was very old school. If my Uncle Louie said Harry James was a monster on the horn, you knew it was the gospel truth.

epoustoufle · Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 2:57 pm Post subject:

Also a big fan here.

You have to read the biography of him "Trumpet Blues".

https://www.januarymagazine.com/artcult/trumpetblues.html

Also the BBC radio documentary.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfpLH9VSSYc

Paladin53 · Regular Member Joined: 27 Sep 2015 Posts: 34

Mr Scodwell,
I too enjoy your stories. Every time you share one here I think what an interesting career you've had and wish you would write a book about the history you have witnessed and lived.

RandyTX · Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 4:50 pm Post subject:

GeorgeB · Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2018 3:21 am Post subject:

Thanks for that story about your audition , Tony. I'd love to read more of them. Maybe there's a book there ???
The big band era was my era and I miss it sorely.
_________________
GeorgeB
1960s King Super 20 Silversonic
2016 Manchester Brass Custom
1938-39 Olds Recording
1942 Buescher 400 Bb trumpet
1952 Selmer Paris 21 B
1999 Conn Vintage One B flat trumpet
2020 Getzen 490 Bb
1962 Conn Victor 5A cornet

GeorgeB · Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2018 3:23 am Post subject: