[Dixielandjazz] profitable insider joke

[Stan Brager]

It's true that he made many commercial recording. That was to earn the money
to be able to also record the jazz items which didn't earn a lot. That said,
I liked many of his commercial recording - they were all excellently
arranged and played. I also agree that he didn't give enough solo space to
others in his bands - usually none. I still have many of his 78s in my
collection.

Stan 

-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Voce [mailto:stevevoce at virginmedia.com] 
Sent: Thursday, July 02, 2015 4:05 AM
To: Charles Suhor
Cc: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] profitable insider joke

Harry James became incandescent with rage when I asked him about 'some of
the more commercial things.' 'Whadda ya mean, commercial?' he roared, saying
that he was proud of every record he ever made. The whole conversation is
detailed on page 251 of Peter J Levinson's excellent biography 'Trumpet
Blues - The Life Of Harry James'.

Steve Voce

Sent from my iPad

> On 2 Jul 2015, at 03:33, Charles Suhor <csuhor at zebra.net> wrote:
> 
> I like your distinction between the "obscene saccharinity [nice word] of
some non-jazz James:" and "his heat when he's hot." Some young be-boppers I
knew in the 50s had a habit of dismissing James because of his schmaltzy
performances. One of them, Jerry St. Amant, though, said, "He mastered his
horn long ago." Some of James's work with Goodman and later his own band was
burnin' good jazz. Too bad that the sentimental stuff is often what's
remembered. Dig his muted 75rpm, so boppish, on Limehouse Blues from the
early 50s, as I recall.
> 
> Charlie
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvFqN7uVP3g
> 
> 
>> On Jul 1, 2015, at 4:33 PM, ROBERT R. CALDER wrote:
>> 
>> I did like the thought that the trumpeter was delivering a copy of Harry
James -- amusing footnotes ever welcome!
>> (a guitarist friend of mine used to tell his audience to watch his 
>> left hand, which didn't move as he delivered several pop-songs of the 
>> day on one chord) imitation can be the best way of demonstrating lack of
uniqueness -- James's technique was not in doubt, or his heat when he was
hot, but I hope Frank Beach was unable to match the obscene saccharinity of
some non-jazz James,  which lie around some actual musical performances on
CDs I bought for literally a few cents in Germany some time ago.  Some
lovely Willie Smith on the musical numbers, but the Schmaltz items horrified
me.
>> 
>> of  course the MD of the JITTERBUGS film had composed "That's a Plenty"
long before it appeared in presumably his arrangement in this film. 
>> Oh, the blue rinsed virgins of Montana are so lonesome and prone to 
>> pine...
>> 
>> Robert R. Calder
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