I imagine you're referring to Wynton's youthful braying on the Trumpet Kings video where Harry is the only white player who even gets mentioned and only to say "that's some fancy playing, but it's not jazz" - re: the Concerto For Trumpet film performance. _________________ Getzen Eterna Severinsen
King Silver Flair
Besson 1000
Bundy
Chinese C
Getzen Eterna Bb/A piccolo
Chinese Rotary Bb/A piccolo
Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2020 6:09 pm Post subject: Re: Harry James?
khedger wrote:
I'm not a big fan of the style of his music...I mean, I don't hate it or anything, but I tend to gravitate toward more modern players.
To each their own but when you say "the style of his music" - are you talking about the big band hit parade stuff? Harry did a lot of playing outside of that realm.
A couple more off the beaten path Hi-Fi recordings by Harry. My parents had a 45 with these on it in their record collection.
From what I heard he used to play Three For The Show in performance but he refused to allow Betty Grable to dance to it in their show. I imagine it'll become apparent why when you hear it.
My maternal grandfather was from Naples and ended up living with relatives in New Haven Ct when he was 9. He had a younger brother who played trumpet and eventually came to America as a young adult.
My Great Uncle Louie settled in Milford, Conn. and was a professional musician when theaters kept musicians on staff. He didn't work a day job, he played 5-6 nights a week, invested wisely in property and was a very wealthy man. He was about 80 when I was born in 56 and had retired. I only heard him play a little bit of this or that.
One of my uncles who would have been a young man in Harry's heyday asked Uncle Louie what he thought about Harry. He said that Harry was a fabulous trumpeter. If my Uncle Louie said Harry could play then Harry was a beast.
Hard to explain what it was, a gift, that if he had to play the C scale just by itself, could do it eerily good. Eager to often nail the pi$$ out of notes under low C also, as heard on 'Cherry'.
No work ethic to practice, an older guy here, near 70...and again, seems to have both power, and a lock on the center of a note, in a way that's unusual.
Hard to explain what it was, a gift, that if he had to play the C scale just by itself, could do it eerily good. Eager to often nail the pi$$ out of notes under low C also, as heard on 'Cherry'.
No work ethic to practice, an older guy here, near 70...and again, seems to have both power, and a lock on the center of a note, in a way that's unusual.
Joined: 23 Mar 2003 Posts: 8964 Location: Hawai`i - Texas
Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2020 11:33 am Post subject:
Young Man with a Horn on T.V. in some areas tonight. A little hokey at times (what movie about musicians isn't?) but nice playing by Harry James as well as nice singing by Doris Day. _________________ "If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird
Joined: 20 Apr 2016 Posts: 1063 Location: New Glasgow, Nova Scotia
Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2020 3:03 am Post subject:
kehaulani wrote:
Young Man with a Horn on T.V. in some areas tonight. A little hokey at times (what movie about musicians isn't?) but nice playing by Harry James as well as nice singing by Doris Day.
I have that movie in my collection. I've played it often. And yes, great playing by Harry. It is supposed to be loosely based on the life of Bix.
Oh, and also on last night was A Man Called Adam, starring Sammy Davis Jr. as the trumpet ( actually flugel ) player. Apparently this one is loosely based on Miles Davis. Very loosely. _________________ 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
Joined: 23 Mar 2003 Posts: 8964 Location: Hawai`i - Texas
Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2020 6:41 am Post subject:
GeorgeB wrote:
And yes, great playing by Harry. It is supposed to be loosely based on the life of Bix.
IMO, that's Hollywood hype. I saw little in the film that would put it into a Beiderbecke biography category. _________________ "If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird
Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2020 8:45 am Post subject: Harryat 55
Rothman, you are quite mistaken with your comments on Harry, aged 55.
No question he drank heavily, Smirnoff red label being his choice. He smoked somewhat but not packs a day. At the age of 55 he was still playing at the Harry James level of prior years and not until two years before he died did his playing suffer. Living to 67 was certainly not long enough but I spoke with him a week prior to his death and he said he wouldn't have changed a thing. When I joined the band in 1963 I was just a kid of 21. Even then he could consume a lot of vodka but not affect his playing in the least. We did four sets a night in the Flamingo lounge, the last set at 4am. Harry would come on stage after the opener (which Buddy Rich called) and sit on stool with just the rhythm section of Buddy, Red Kelly and Jack Percival playing something like "Lush Life" or another beautiful ballad. The band would sit there and it would almost bring tears to your eyes with the beauty of his playing. He had an iron constitution and like I said, only a couple years before he died did it affect him.
Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2020 1:41 pm Post subject: Re: Harryat 55
Tony Scodwell wrote:
No question he drank heavily, Smirnoff red label being his choice. He smoked somewhat but not packs a day. At the age of 55 he was still playing at the Harry James level of prior years and not until two years before he died did his playing suffer. Living to 67 was certainly not long enough but I spoke with him a week prior to his death and he said he wouldn't have changed a thing.
I heard Jerome Callet attribute his throat cancer to 2 packs a day. Glad to hear it was less than 2....or under a pack. You didn't mention the denture, but generally speaking, performance is going to change under that circumstance. How many bottles, fifths, he consumed in a day in not known. Perhaps he was a 'functioning alcoholic' along with a cast iron constitution. But he doesn't impress me as the same level of player at 55 that he was at 25. .
Joined: 12 Mar 2008 Posts: 754 Location: Cambridge, MA
Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2020 10:20 pm Post subject: Re: Harryat 55
rothman wrote:
Tony Scodwell wrote:
No question he drank heavily, Smirnoff red label being his choice. He smoked somewhat but not packs a day. At the age of 55 he was still playing at the Harry James level of prior years and not until two years before he died did his playing suffer. Living to 67 was certainly not long enough but I spoke with him a week prior to his death and he said he wouldn't have changed a thing.
I heard Jerome Callet attribute his throat cancer to 2 packs a day. Glad to hear it was less than 2....or under a pack. You didn't mention the denture, but generally speaking, performance is going to change under that circumstance. How many bottles, fifths, he consumed in a day in not known. Perhaps he was a 'functioning alcoholic' along with a cast iron constitution. But he doesn't impress me as the same level of player at 55 that he was at 25. .
Not to be argumentative, and your point is well taken, but I don't think there are many monster players who at 55 play like they did when they were 25.
Am I wrong?
All times are GMT - 8 Hours Goto page Previous1, 2, 3Next
Page 2 of 3
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum