Correspondence: On Harry James

(A year following the Rifftides posts it refers to, comes this communique addressed to Bill Kirchner. To see the Harry James piece that brought Kirchner's comment, follow this link: http://www.artsjournal.com/rifftides/2007/08/harry_james.html -- DR)

Hi Bill:

I found this Harry James link by accident but I felt I had to respond to your programming and liner notes on the Harry James, Verve Jazz-masters 55 CD. It is absolutely one of my top three favorites of James' music. I am a lifelong James collector-enthusiast having first heard of him at age 7 when an older cousin who had just returned from WW II put a record on his turntable and asked me how I liked it. It was Harry's phenomenal recording of "Flight Of The Bumblebee". I was so blown away I asked my folks to start me on the trumpet. To make a long story short, I played trumpet throughout high school and college, earning my tuition that way. I now have a son who is an outstanding lead trumpet and soloist. He just returned from a 4-year stint as lead trumpet with the U.S. Army's JAZZ KNIGHTS jazz ensemble at West Point. He is now an educator and first call trumpet in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

I love the Verve album as it shows Harry to be the ultimate trumpet genius and jazz icon he was. Too many so called critics do not give him the credit he truly deserves. Harry was the most influential big band and jazz trumpet of the 20th century. Every major jazz and lead trumpeter, big band and classical, gives Harry top kudos for his mastery of his instrument and his musical legacy. Your liner notes are great, authoritative and accurate. I have recommended this album to many and have used parts of it on jazz and big band radio shows on which I was a guest. I am Email friends with former James trumpet men Tony Scodwell and Clay Jenkins, who was a teacher of my son while he was at Eastman School Of Music. I would appreciate any other info or referrals to James historians or collectors you may know of to trade stories and facts. Thanks again for an outstanding job on the album. By the way, I am a nationally published illustrator-portrait artist and have done a number of musical celebrities for agencies, publishers etc., including one of Harry. Check out my website.