The Big Band Era

Song Number ONE: James learned the trumpet from his father who led a touring circus band. Here he absorbed the lyrical playing style of the classical cornet soloist. This style complemented a strong group of band vocalists. With vocal by Frank Sinatra this song with words by Billy Hill and music by Peter DeRose was recorded October 13, 1939. Capitalizing on Sinatra's later success with Tommy Dorsey and the furor over his emergence as the "bobby soxer's" favorite, it was reissued in 1944, along with other Sinatra-James collaborations such as "All Or Nothing At All," hitting the charts in May of that year. "On A Little Street In Singapore."

Song Number TWO: Of James, Schuller* says, "James was undoubtedly the most technically assured and prodigiously talented white trumpet player of the late Swing Era and early postwar years, both as an improvising jazz and blues player and as a richly expressive ballad performer. Band members knew this instrumental credited to Harry James, Count Basie, and Benny Goodman was a big hit when the entire audience first joined them in shouting "uh huh" during the initial chorus. Recorded January 15, 1941 and charted that year as the "One O'clock Jump." It was re-issued in 1943 and charted again. Retitled to distinguish it from the Count Basie theme, it was then identified as the Two O'Clock Jump."

Song Number THREE: Although James' early records with Sinatra and Haymes had later success with the emergence particularly Sinatra and of the James band itself, the greatest of the band's many vocalists was Helen Forrest. Helen was a very special case, although she did marvelous work with Shaw and Goodman, James gave her such prominence and lyrical band support that she was a major factor in the band's later success. Other bands followed suit. T.D. backed Sinatra as he would never have thought to do with Jack Leonard. One might say this shift set the stage for the eclipse of the bands by vocalists later in the forties decade. Here is Helen with an early hit by the prolific song writing team of Sammy Cahn and Julie Styne from the 1942 film Youth On Parade. Recorded July 31, 1942, listen to the "rockin'" chair swing beat of. "I've Heard That Song Before."

Song Number FOUR: Continuing his appraisal of James as a jazz musician, Schuller says. "He was, unlike many other Armstrong disciples, a creative musician, unwilling to merely imitate the master. James extended Armstrong's melodic and rhythmic conception in two dramatically divergent and quite personal directions: the one as a brilliant, often brash virtuoso soloist equipped with unlimited technique, accuracy and endurance; the other as a romantic popular song balladeer, at times carrying Armstrong's melodic style to its ultimate commercial extreme." However, James could subordinate himself in an ensemble effort such as this instrumental composed and arranged by Leroy Holmes and recorded December 30.1941. "The Mole."

Song Number FIVE: At Columbia records in 1941 James added strings in hope that this would have broader commercial appeal . With this song recorded April 7. 1941 and many others like it James succeeded to an extent which dwarfed the efforts of others such as Artie Shaw and Glenn Miller in that direction. Revived in 1944 when featured in the film Follow The Boys, this song with words by Roy Turk and music by Fred Ahlert, introduced in 1928 by Ruth Etting, was the Number One Chart Record, with Dick Haymes doing the vocal, for six weeks beginning in April. "I'll Get By."

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