Results for "Harry James"
Harry James
Born:
One of the most popular bandleaders of the wartime era, Harry James is best remembered today for his colorful trumpet playing and as the husband of pin-up girl Betty Grable. Born in a run-down hotel next to the city jail in Albany, Georgia, Harry's parents were circus performers -- his mother a trapeze artist and his father the bandleader. James began playing drums at age seven and took up the trumpet at ten, performing for the Christy Brothers circus band. James' family later settled in Beaumont, Texas, and he began playing for local dance bands while in high school. In 1935 he joined Ben Pollack's orchestra, leaving in December 1936 for Benny Goodman
Take Five With Sylvia Brooks
by AAJ Staff
The content of this article has been updated since its 2009 publish date. Meet Sylvia Brooks: Since the release of her captivating debut, 2009's Dangerous Liaisons, jazz vocalist Sylvia Brooks has displayed a gift for inhabiting different personas, with a subspecialty in film-noir inspired femmes fatale. On her fourth album, Signature, she embraces the ...
Charlie Shavers v. Harry James
Back in early May, I received an email from a reader, Jeremy Mushlin, who had an interesting point: “I will go toe to toe with any Harry James fan and argue that Charlie Shavers was his trumpet-playing equal. Charlie just did not get the same opportunities and also wasn't as well organized as James. Compare Harry ...
Jazz Musician of the Day: Claudio Roditi
All About Jazz is celebrating Claudio Roditi's birthday today! This Brazilian composer/arranger and trumpet artist has fourteen critically acclaimed albums, a Grammy nomination, and a busy international touring schedule that includes the most prestigious jazz festivals in the world. Claudio Roditi was born May 28th, 1946 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He began his musical studies ...
The Scott Silbert Big Band: Jump Children
by Jack Bowers
The best music, in jazz or any other genre, is and should be timeless. To prove the point, the Scott Silbert Big Band celebrates the songs of a bygone era on its debut album, Jump Children, refreshing a number of memorable themes from the '30s, '40s and '50s and underscoring their relevance in an ultra-modern twenty-first ...
Take Five with Thomas Manuel of The Jazz Loft
by AAJ Staff
Meet Thomas Manuel Jazz historian, music educator and cornet player Dr. Thomas Manuel holds the endowed Artist in Residence chair within the Jazz department at Stony Brook University. In addition to this he serves as a trustee to the Frank Melville Memorial Foundation, is a member of the Huntington Arts Council Decentralization Advisory Committee, and is ...
Jazz Musician of the Day: Claudio Roditi
All About Jazz is celebrating Claudio Roditi's birthday today! This Brazilian composer/arranger and trumpet artist has fourteen critically acclaimed albums, a Grammy nomination, and a busy international touring schedule that includes the most prestigious jazz festivals in the world. Claudio Roditi was born May 28th, 1946 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He began his musical studies ...
Subtle Is as Subtle Does
by Patrick Burnette
Ya want big bands? We got big bands. Sometimes we got one in each speaker. In this exploration of the more extroverted side of jazz, the boys check out works by a blazing trumpet player (and world-class womanizer), a so-so clarinetist with a heart of gold, two piano-playing band leaders who both worship Duke Ellington, and ...
More Harry James in Hi-Fi
Throughout the 1950s, Count Basie saw Harry James in his rear-view mirror. For James, Basie was an inspiration and a model on which to record. Their connection dated back to 1939, when James recorded Two O'Clock Jump, a trumpet-driven interpretation of Basie's popular One O'Clock Jump credited to Basie, James and Benny Goodman. The update became ...
Oscar Peterson & Charlie Parker
by Joe Dimino
During this time of COVID-19 and live jazz being silenced, Neon Jazz brings you a new episode honoring the best in today's jazz world. We also honor the legacy of the late Manu Dibango.Playlist Tim Ray “Paint if Black" Excursions and Adventures (Whaling City Sound) 00:00 Host talks 4:34 Oscar Peterson “Just a Sittin' ...
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