Harry James and His Orchestra 1948–49 is a double album by American trumpeter Harry James with The Harry James Orchestra. The album consists of live radio transcripts recorded during 1948 and 1949 and was released in 1969 by Big Band Landmarks (Volumes X–XI).[1]
As bop surpassed swing by the late 1940s, James was surprisingly open to its influence. For the tracks on this album, James had dropped his string section and vocalists and employed a variety of modern arrangements by Neal Hefti, Frank Devenport, Johnny Richards and Jimmy Mundy, which often inspired his musicians.[2]
Because of the musicians' strike that lasted for the duration of 1948, James recorded no new material for commercial release by his record label Columbia during this period, and outside of this period when he did record for Columbia, the label tended to focus more on James's pop releases.[3] The combination of these two factors makes these tracks some of the few available that represent James's jazz style during this period. This is unfortunate because as music critic Marc Myers has stated, "[James's] band of the mid-1940s was more modern than most of the majors, and in 1949 he led one of the finest bands of the year."[4]
The following is the promotional note from the Fresh Sound Records' CD reissue There They Go:
"[These tracks] come from airslots, complete with typical announcements by radio MCs of the era, and Harry James himself also says a few words here and there. The album gets off to a storming start with trumpeter Neal Hefti's "There They Go" and apart from one slow number, it's swinging big band music all the way, with a roaring brass section, a swinging sax section and a four-man rhythm section that drives the band along in fine style. Twelve of the twenty numbers come from the pen of Hefti, and they evince a definite Basie influence. The tireless Harry James is the principal soloist and plays everywhere with a lip-busting ferocity, and the biting well-drilled trumpet section provides him with a brilliant backing, especially on "Snooty Fruity" and "Rank Frank". "Forgotten", a very attractive romantic theme by Frank Davenport, is the longest track and the only slow ballad on the entire album, and features some very pretty playing from Willie Smith and Corky Corcoran, both of whom are in top form throughout the album. "Cotton Tail" is played by a small unit from within the band while "Kerina" has a Latin-American feel to it with some mariachi-type trumpet from Harry James, but space does not permit an appraisal of every track. It is enough to say that this is a big band album for pure enjoyment in which the spirited playing and contagious enthusiasm from the entire band is almost overwhelming. Exhilarating stuff."[5]
Notes
Selections on the album are from six sessions recorded from 1948 to 1950. The "Navy Show" numbers in parentheses below refer to the numbers of the original 16" transcriptions circulated only to radio stations for recruiting advertising.[8]
CBS "Call for Music Show" – recorded February 20, 1948 in Hollywood, California:A4: Snooty Fruity
CBS "Call for Music Show" – recorded May 18, 1948 in Hollywood, California:A6: Lover
CBS "Call for Music Show" – recorded June 15, 1948 in Hollywood, California:A3: You Turned The Tables On Me
"U.S. Navy Presents" – recorded June 1949 in Hollywood, California:A1: There They Go (USN 106) / B4: Raffles (USN 105) / B5: Six, Two And Even (USN 105) / B6: Bells (USN 105) / C1: Shine (USN 107) / C2: Block Party (USN 108) / C3: Forgotten (USN 108) / C4: Cottontail (USN 113) / D1: Proclamation (USN 110) / D2: Slap Happy (USN 111)
"U.S. Navy Presents" – recorded July 1949 in Hollywood, California:A2: 'Cept February, Which Has 28 (USN 101) / A5: Things Ain't What They Used To Be (USN 114) / B1: Or Words To That Effect (USN 101) / B2: Big Boy (USN 102) / B3: The Arrival (USN 102) / D3: Kerina (USN 114)
"U.S. Navy Presents the Land's Best Bands" – recorded November, 1950 in Hollywood, California:C5: I May Be Wrong (USN 4A) / D4: Bluebeard's Blues (USN 4A) / D5: Rank Frank (USN 12A)