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re:ハリージェームズという人
＃4641
投稿者：
his (99/10/05 11:31)
信用できる証拠はあるか？と問うと、細かい資料を向こうの人からもらいました。それでもし興味のある方がいれば連絡先を教えます。メールください。三日だけ待ちます。情報ありがとうございました。どうも私などがコレクションするには熱すぎるプレイヤーのようですね。 Harry James. Here is a little history. I was born in England. In the early forties I was attracted to music and to the trumpet thru movies such as "Bathing Beauty" which featured Harry James. I quickly became a fan and bought my first trumpet a few weeks later. At age fifteen I started my first professional engagement. In the late forties I started corresponding with the Harry James office in America and continued to write and occasionally telephone thru the years. In the seventies Harry came to England and I had the first opportunity to meet him and hear him "live". The following year he returned to England to record a number of tracks for "Readers Digest" and the "Longines" label. As a special guest I was invited to all the sessions. I had the wonderful opportunity to hear Harry warm up in the studio (Decca studio 3) and have several private conversations. The orchestra by the way was made up of the Ted Heath band plus strings from the London Symphony. Its only in recent years that that has become general knowledge thanks to reissue's of some of the material. At that time I was playing a King Super 20, which according to the advertisements in musical publications was the instrument he was playing. This was not true, Harry had two trumpets with him in a dual case, they were identical but nothing like the Super 20. He explained that the factory made these horns for him to his own preference. He did not like triggers or even finger rings, he preferred the valve section to be closer to the bell than as on standard trumpets. It is a dual bore horn that takes a lot of air to fill. The horns were of different composition to regular King Trumpets and an employee of Kings told me two out of three bells split during manufacture and had to be discarded. The bells were also burnished, Harry's theory was that this procedure closed the pores or the metal, I have never quite understood that. His trumpets were hand made by only one of the King craftsmen. Less than 30 were made for him from the time he switched from Selmer to King. During the period when I attended the sessions I asked him what happened to his horns when they were replaced. He said his manager "Monty" handled them and suggested I speak with him. Monty said they were retuned to Kings and suggested I write to them. As soon as I got home that day I called Kings from my home in England and was told there was no chance of getting one as there was a long list of musicians wanting one and same names had been on that list for years. I was disappointed and gave up the idea. However, just two weeks after James returned to the states I received a letter from Kings stating that Harry had returned a trumpet and he had requested that I be offered it. Of course I said yes. A following letter from Kings (which I still have) said they were going over the horn treating it just as if they were returning it to Harry. I have not used this trumpet on gigs, it is just as he used it, with scratches in the bell from mutes, a couple of minor dings and some slight wear of the gold wash finish. My last conversation with James was just before his death, he gave me no indication that he was unwell, I am pleased that I was able to thank him for a few things, not the least of which is the fact that really because of his influence I have led a pretty interesting life, having played for royalty of several countries, meeting many first class entertainers and movie stars, plus eventually settling in Florida where I have a great family and a very comfortable retirement. Again, all due to Harry James. Now I can no longer play and simply front my band. My band includes players from the Tommy Dorsey, Maynard Ferguson, bands etc. My second trombone was on the road with the James Band. We played last night, and featured the arrangements of Count Basie. I have a library containing charts from all the big bands of note. No stocks, all manuscript, many from the James book. |