Royalty seems to be involved in some strange ways in music of a non-classical way. Take the "King Porter Stomp." It was written by Jelly Roll Morton who proclaimed himself the "King of Jazz." It was written as a tribute to another bit of royalty, ragtime pianist Porter King who also know as King Porter. Hence the title and the lineage of this work. Harry James plays a wonderfully laid back, rel...
More >
The second of two Ernie Wilkins scores, "Ensemble" is a marvelously subdued chart with plenty of colorful contrasts in unison. The pallette is expanded with the use of a flute to the sax section adding brilliance to the scoring. The crisp playing of the James ensemble, always one of the many reasons to love this band is everywhere in evidence.
More >
As an added extra or two, we hear Billy Strayhorn's great contribution to the Duke Ellington band book about a train named the "A" Train. Ernie Wilkins keeps the his chart as Dukish as possible, down to the piano and rhythm section opening which leads into a brief solo James before a tenor saxist digs in his heels with a muscular solo that drives the entire band. A driving rhythm section spotli...
More >
Ernie Wilkins contributed two scores to the "Harry James...Today!" album, of which "End of Town Blues" is the first. It's a very bleak sounding work, delving into the deeper nature of the blues beginning quietly and desolately before segueing magnificently into an all out blues performance with an explosive band backing James at his most creative. Big washes of dynamics are set against the quie...
More >
One of the sure fire ways to end an LP is with "Lester Leaps In." The person addressed in the title was tenor saxist Lester Young who revolutionized a more intimate way of playing the instrument. Ernie Wilkins' makes it plain who it was that first recorded the work, Count Basie. There is tight unison work between guitar and Harry James on a percolating muted trumpet before the entire ensemble e...
More >
"Rockin' in Rhythm" was for many years, Duke Ellington's theme song before Billy Strayhorn wrote "Take the 'A' Train" in 1939. Duke kept this work in his repertoire and used it as an encore or as a way to bring the band on stage. Ernie Wilkins writes a brilliant buoyant chart of this perennial with plenty of ooh-wahs coming quickly from the brass. The extroverted jazz man Harry James plays here...
More >
A blues-like atmosphere pervades "Rainbow Kiss" as this steamy work makes its way in a lazy, don't-want-it-too-end slow swinging attitude. Once more, Harry James shines in a purely musical performance that is softly subtle in his light ornamentation and improvisation. It's a thing of pure beauty aided with sudden dynamic changes in the ensemble work. The music stays with one long after the last...
More >
Harry James (1916 - 1983) was one of the most identifiable figures in the big band world during his stay with Benny Goodman from about 1936 to 1939. When James left Goodman to lead his own band, little did he know that he still be around for the next 44 years until his death in 1983 from lymphatic cancer. James' long stay was due to many factors: he was an outstanding musician, he always had a ...
More >
Another long time big band favorite is "Jersey Bounce" which was associated with the Count Basie orchestra and which had a further association with a World War 2 bomber of the same name. After a brass exhalation, the saxes come in on a relaxed riff that is this work's most famous tag. Muted brass figures usher in a muted solo by Harry James that is truly pungent. A swinging middle section explo...
More >
"The Creeper" is anything but creepy. Maybe a little misguided? Anyways, the approach is a slyly sax section providing rolling chords for James muted trumpet solo which trades quips back and forth between the band and himself. The saxes are the comedians along the drummer interjecting little bombs here and there. This humorous give and take between soloist and full but muted ensemble is a hallm...
More >
"Koo Koo" opens with a strange spiraling riff that climbs and recedes before a mischievous figure runs in the saxes with humorous asides from the muted brass. Harry James delivers some of his most tasty performances on this record. Then we resolve into a big band twist spotlighting an out of tempo tenor sax before muted trumpets take over in unison passages. The coda is made up of a full ensemb...
More >
How many times he played "Satin Doll" is a mystery only Duke Ellington knew for he wrote the piece in the middle 1950's. The same would go for Count Basie who also had a chart for this amusingly coquettish work. Bob Florence wrote this chart which stays very close to Duke's original ideas down to the solo piano opening, the relaxed sax and brass with a baritone sax underpinning the melody. Jame...
More >
Apparently Harry James must have recognized Bob Florence's talent as an arranger and composer for here he plays a Florence original entitled "Eyes." It's a cheerful, bright eyed work which opens with a funky piano and rhythm section that sets off an explosive response from the ensemble before settling into a riff influenced melodic line full of exuberance and verve while swinging like mad. Trom...
More >
An earlier James album from 1963 for MGM was "Harry James...Today!" The arrangements were by two of the talented men to rise from the ranks of professionals: Ernie Wilkins, a longtime James arranger and a young man on the block named Bob Florence. Together, both men came up with some exciting modern sounds. First up comes a Charlie Shavers composition as arranged by Ernie Wilkins entitled "Unde...
More >
"Tweet Tweet" is a Neal Hefti composition that sounds like the canary ate a bottle of steroids. There are plenty of witty references to tweeting birds of all sorts in muted brass with long extended flowing melodic lines in the saxes interspersing the sparse brass. James is coyly muted set against slurping phrases on brass and saxes before the brass take over before a solo tenor sax comes in wit...
More >
© 2006-2009 Mog Inc. All Rights Reserved
