Trumpet Blues: The Life of Harry James

Harry James was a phenomenon in the music world: a musician who reached the pinnacle of success in record sales, popularity with the masses, stardom in the glory days of Hollywood musicals and longevity in the big band arena long after the hay days of the big bands. He was a child prodigy, mastering his instrument, the trumpet, at a very early age of fourteen. In two years he was on the road with territory bands and at twenty he was leading the top big band trumpet section in the country with the Benny Goodman band. When he formed his own band at twenty three he already had a body of recorded jazz work equal to all the trumpet giants of his era. He had the blues soul of a Louis Armstrong, Mugsy Spanier and Bix Beiderbecke but because he reached real commercial stardom based on commercial ballads, and, he was WHITE, many of the so called jazz critics of the day demeaned his jazz work and dismissed all his later work. If one traverses the jazz shelves of the local libraries one will be hard pressed to find many references to Harry James listed among the elite jazz icons in any number of jazz histories as reviewed by current so-called jazz critics. These wet behind the ears critics continue to believe you have to be BLACK to have any credibility in jazz. Similarly, one does not see the name of Stan Kenton or Artie Shaw mentioned as much or ever as one sees the names of Basie, Fletcher Henderson or Chick Webb. The truth is, as Gunther Schuller, the noted music historian has noted, Harry James took the jazz trumpet to a new level never before reached in his era or even after. He HAD the blues soul of Louis Armstrong and others but possessed the brilliant and unsurpassed technique of a Rafael Mendez, that earlier giants like Armstrong, Spanier and Beiderbecke could only have dreamed about. Couple that with his turn to hit commercial instrumental-vocal ballads and moderate swing in the early '40's and the subsequent financial rewards, the critics literally turned on Harry James. That is especially disheartening in light of the body of commercial junk Armstrong recorded for literally the last twenty five years of his life and even Miles Davis, with his excursions into so-called jazz rock and fusion, but they never got the critical arrows fired at them as did James.

The truth is that Harry James was the number one icon to all the trumpet stars who rose with him and for decades after, such diverse talents as Maynard Ferguson, Clifford Brown, Doc Severinsen, Freddie Hubbard, Miles Davis, Arturo Sandoval, Wynton Marsallis and dozens of others. The "real" critics like Schuller, Leonard Feather and George Simon all agree that Harry James was truly a one and only jazz-big band-trumpet "super star". I first heard him at age seven when an older cousin played Harry's hit recording of "The Flight Of The Bumblebee" for me. I was dazzled and had my parents start me on the trumpet. He was my idol then and some fifty plus years later still is.


Artie Shaw had it right: DEPRESSING!   April 29, 2000
 24 out of 26 found this review helpful

I met Harry in 1974, when I was 14, in between sets at the South Shore Music Circus. He had two trumpet cases, one for his horns and another for something clear he was drinking. As a young trumpet player, he was my idol, and musically still is. The accompanying CD to this bio has some terrific releases on it, but would have been even better had they included "Countin," "One on the House," "Blues for Harry's Sake," and "Bangtail," the key charts from his great comeback band.

As much as I always wanted to read an account of his life, however, I'm almost sorry I did. Now I know what the clear liquid was, and how badly it tormented the greatest trumpet player ever. The book is interesting, but we still need an account of Harry's super-human technique. What bore did he use on his King, and how did that bore, which I've heard was the largest they ever constructed, mesh with the tiny Parduba mouthpiece. What mouthpiece did he learn on when he was building his chops on circus music, the hardest music in the world?

And how on earth did he ever manage to perform at such a high level for 45 years with his lifestyle, is unanswered here. Playing at his level after a fifth of bourbon just doesn't seem credible, although if he could drink Phil Harris under the table maybe it was. There is likewise no evidence presented to justify the physical abuse charge levelled against Everette, save for the rapped on the knuckles vignette Harry told to Merv Griffin. There are other munched nuances as well: Harry is placed at Reagan's second inaugural, even though he would have been dead for a year and a half then. It would have been interesting to hear more from FS, Jr., as well. Artie Shaw had it right in this jacket blurb: this is a horribly depressing story. Harry, when I finished it, I cried for you.


A needed and superb biography of a titan   March 4, 2000
 19 out of 19 found this review helpful

Harry James was a titan of the trumpet and Big Bands. We have sorely needed a biography, and I think that this first biography is absolutely superb. Harry James has always been my #1 favorite. "Trumpet Blues" confirms for me James' extraordinary musical contributions but also fleshes out his story with a rich, full treatment of the realities - both good and bad - of his professional and personal lives. Included are excellent materials on his grand musical history, his first wife, the appealing singer Louise Tobin, and his second wife, the marvelous Betty Grable. I came away from the book with a much different and far more realistic vision of Harry James than I had going in - that he indeed was a musical giant (he is still my #1 favorite) but that he also was a human being with his share of personal flaws and imperfections to go with his fine qualities. I am glad that "Trumpet Blues" is here and that I read it.