Harry James trumpet lamp

Jay Lichtmann · Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2020 7:39 am Post subject: Harry James trumpet lamp

Years ago I remember seeing a photo of Harry James at home in his studio making a lamp out of a trumpet. Can anyone please supply me with a link to that photo?
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Jay Lichtmann · Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2020 8:01 am Post subject:

Found it!

https://tinyurl.com/y3cg6ext
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In his retirement he had become that most dreaded of former athletes, the one who always remembered how much harder it was in his day "when ships were made of wood and men were made of steel."
Samuel Abt on Eddy Merx

Tony Scodwell · Heavyweight Member Joined: 17 Oct 2005 Posts: 1961

Judging from the photograph, it appears to have been taken around 1961 or close to that. The trumpets seem to be standard Kings.

As an aside, many years prior to this when Harry was playing Selmers he asked the company to send him a trumpet with flaws (that couldn't be sold) as he wanted to make a lamp for his father Everette. Selmer supposedly said "we make trumpets, not lamps" and soon after Harry called Edna White at King saying he was interested in switching to their horns. This was the early fifties. A similar story involved Tommy Dorsey when he asked Conn for a favor of some kind. Soon after Dorsey was also playing King trombones.

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kehaulani · Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2020 10:04 am Post subject:

Well, if you know the French, that's a plausible anecdote, LOL.
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bunny · Veteran Member Joined: 12 Apr 2005 Posts: 229

Looks as if it might have been made for one of his Rheingold beer ads.

dershem · Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2020 5:34 pm Post subject:

An old friend has a trumpet lamp. The 2d valve is the switch. Some day I'll get a cheap horn and do that.
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deleted_user_687c31b · New Member Joined: 03 Apr 1996 Posts: 0

I always cringe a little when I see an instrument turned into a lamp... poor thing, being abused and turned into a novelty...

plankowner110 · Heavyweight Member Joined: 12 Jun 2003 Posts: 3620

That's a Rheingold Beer that Harry is enjoying in the workshop photo! He did some print advertising endorsements for Rheingold Beer.
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so what · Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2020 6:59 am Post subject:

I have a very nice lamp made from a Rexcraft bugle.
It has served me well for over 50 years !

Johnny-Highnote · Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2020 7:23 am Post subject:

well...about trumpet lamps i really understand the selmer guys

i only like to have that shirt Harry James wears in that pic

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blbaumgarn · Heavyweight Member Joined: 26 Jul 2017 Posts: 705

There was a time in life when it would have taken a case or so of Rheingold to finish a trumpet lamp. I don't know if Rheingold is even brewed anymore? Glad somebody put up the picture, though, it's interesting history.
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Robert P · Heavyweight Member Joined: 28 Feb 2013 Posts: 2595

An anecdote I heard about Harry from an old timer sax player and arranger was that supposedly a dissatisfied Harry wrote to the manufacturer of whatever horn he was playing at the time complaining that apparently they'd forgotten how to make a trumpet.

Supposedly the honest opinion of the recipient of the letter was that there was nothing wrong with their horns, rather Harry's playing had deteriorated because he wasn't practicing much, though I don't think they expressed that to Harry.

Anyone ever heard a story similar to this and can corroborate or refute it?
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