MG IS AX KP JVM* Harry James Inter­ view- Unusually detailed and revealing Deane Kincaide Profile - A forgotten arranger Upcoming BBJs feature Jerry Gray A story about song­ writer Jack Lawrence. BIG BAND N EWSLETTER n i m i a VOLUME 122 BIG BAND JUMP NEWSLETTER MAY-JUNE, 2009 INTERVIEW - HARRY JAMES - (P a rt One) The previous Harry James interview was published in the summer of 1991 during the second year ofBDJ NEWSLETTER publication. It was a bare-bones interview reflecting Harry James’ highly private persona, but this interview goes into more detail. It was conducted by radio personality Fred Hall, re­ nownedfor his first-hand knowledge o f the Big Band Era and his association with many o f the talents involved. James plays From the time Harry James left Benny Goodman to James being difficult to know. Despite that, Fred’s form his own orchestra he was excoriated by swing interview with Harry James is revealing and we ’re fans for going over to the “other side ” with syrupy fortunate to have James ’ views, liberally expressed romantic recordings. Swing fans didn’t want to in this unique interview. The depth o f the interview share him with fans they considered less “hip ” but will require two sections, the first o f which is below. the fact is Harry James was able to play everything Parenthetically, BBJ host Don Kennedy interviewed equally well: lilting melodies, treakley songs and Harry James in the late ‘40s, the interview long hot swing. His records and his appearances at since lost, and announced a dance band remote with theaters, ballrooms and clubs continued to attract the band in the early ‘70s. Kennedy affirms Fred large crowds, his last appearance being just a week Hall’s impression; Harry James was a difficult man before he died in 1983. Apparently in music you to get to know. His personality, we suspect, was can't be simultaneously popular to fans with widely demonstrated through his trumpet. His selection o f varied tastes, but Harry James could do it all, anddo material to record reflects a level of sensitivity that it well. was not apparent in his personal manner. The following interview took place in the chapel of James was highly criticized by other musicians for the Hollywood First Presbyterian Church where the playing “commercial ” material. His first response James band was recording direct-to-disc in 1976. is about that. The location was selected because o f its fine acous­ tics; James ’ band was selected because they’d been HJ: To me, there’s only two kinds of music, good together on the road for years and thus were per­ and bad. If I like it, 1 play it and if I don’t like fectly able to record without post-editing, re-takes it, 1 don’t. And I think that’s an opinion shared by most or pauses between numbers, having to do the full people. You know, you’ll have someone say, “Oh, this side o f an LP in one take, pausing only long enough rock is terrible.” Well, that’s not a statement to make for the engineers to create a space and go into the because there are a lot of good things, a lot of great tunes next track. and a lot of good tunes in country western. There are a lot of good tunes all over. Back when I first started the Fred Hall had done dance band remotes with Harry band they talked about all the good songs but 1 never did James as early as 1941 and then again in the ‘50s, play THREE LITTLE BITTY FITTY IN A ITTY but repeated what so many had said about Harry BITTY POOL, or any of that stuff, because there was VOLUME 122 BIG BAND JUMP NEWSLETTER MAY-JUNE, 2009 bad music then just as there is today. It was always real Kitty Kallen and Marion Morgan. We were very lucky commercial things I didn’t like playing. in having great singers with us all of the time. BBJ: How do you compare your band today with BBJ: You had bad luck with record producers. Y ou your band ten or twenty years ago? were a little sore at Columbia Record’s Mitch Miller. H J: Well, I never compare bands; I always compare nights and if the band is playing good tonight HJ: Not just a little - a whole damn bunch. He then I’m very happy. If it isn’t playing good then I’m wanted me to do some real corny things and I very unhappy, but certainly right now the band’s been refused to do it so I left the company. It was that playing real well. simple. BBJ: Your opener after the theme is DON’T BE BBJ: You did CASTLE ROCK there, though. THAT WAY. HJ: No, that was Sinatra who did that. I just H J: Yeah, I do it everyplace I go because I was with accompanied him. I think it was the worst the great Benny Goodman Band and we did the thing either of us ever did. You ask Sinatra and he’ll first Carnegie Hall Concert, the first jazz concert ever tell you the same thing. held in Carnegie Hall and the first tune we ever played there was DON’T BE THAT WAY. I’ve sort of had a BBJ: Are there still masters in the Columbia ar­ feeling of good luck about it and we play it for the first chives not yet released? tune everywhere we go. HJ: We don’t have any idea because most of the BBJ: Did you start on drums when you played in the records that we did for Columbia were re­ circus band? leased immediately when we did them. But that’ sback in the days when they were recording good music and HJ: I played drums in my father’s band before I when Mitch Miller came in with the gimmicks and all started playing the trumpet. ofthis stuff... .we did only one thing, BRAVE BULLS, that Mitch wanted me to do. I didn’t really do a good BBJ: The drums have always been important in your job of it. It could have been a lot better, but other band. than that everything else became what he was trying to do-GHOST RIDERS IN THE SKY, you know. Ijust HJ: If s just like a good quarterback. didn’t feel like playing that way. BBJ: Some great singers have worked with you over BBJ: You replaced Glenn Miller on the “Chester­ the years. field Show” when Glenn went into service. HJ: We were very fortunate in that, when I first HJ: Well, the way that happened - we were work­ heard Sinatra, he was singing out at the Rustic ing out at the Meadowbrook and Miller was Cabin in Jersey and he joined the band. That was right doing his last broadcast. He called me about three or after I organized it and he stayed with us for about seven four days before and said, “I’ve recommended you to months, I guess. Nancy was pregnant and we weren’t take over the show.” He did such a fantastic job with making enough money to even pay him the $75.00 he Chesterfield and naturally they would take on the first was supposed to get, so he went with Tommy Dorsey person that he would recommend. So I went on the and I said, “Well, if we don’t do any better in the next show with him as their, sort of, a guest just to say six months or so, try to get me on, too.” We were really “Hello, Glenn,” and “We are going to take your show having a time. But Sinatra, then Dick Haymes took his over next week.” He said, “Why don’t you do JUKE­ place. Helen Forrest was there and Connie Haines, BOX SATURDAY NIGHT?” I said, “That’s a good 2 VOLUME 122 BIG BAND JUMP NEWSLETTER MAY-JUNE, 2009 subject. 1 was listening to XM channel four and a piece by Jimmie Lunceford came on, 1 don’t even know the title. The sax solo came on and it was Bird - 1 nearly drove off the road - too early for Bird but very distinc­ tive. I looked into it and it was a guy named Willie Smith. From what 1 have read on the web he is mentioned in passing as one of the many influences of Parker but from what I heard on that one solo, he is more than an influence, he is a source. What say you? As radio folk, we have little or no knowledge o f such things, but our musician consultant says it’s un­ likely Charlie Parker was influenced by Willie Smith to any degree, other than everyone was listening to everyone else in those days. Willie Smith worked with Harry James James on the bandstand for twenty years and is even fea­ idea.” So I played in that thing where they do the tured on Colum­ “Listen to the music of Harry James” and so forth. So bia album 45447 I played with them and it was the following week that in the “Jazz Mas­ we took over the show and we had the show for, I think, terpieces” series around three years or something like that. if it’s still avail­ able. The second part o f the Harry James interview will be in the next issue, July-August, 2009-number 123.