[78-L] EFHJREM

[simmonssomer]

Right...only Joe DiMaggio went him one better.

Al S.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bill McClung" <bmcclung at ix.netcom.com>
To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
Sent: Tuesday, June 23, 2009 10:20 AM
Subject: Re: [78-L] EFHJREM


>I too like James for his versatility.  He grew up in the circus as his
> father was the musical director for circus bands.  James absorbed a lot of
> styles growing up and they came through in his broadcasts and recordings.
> I don't think people born after the 40s realilze what a megastar he was. 
> I
> like his music very much.  It seems he saw the importance of engaging his
> audiences.
>
>
>> [Original Message]
>> From: Jeff Sultanof <jeffsultanof at gmail.com>
>> To: 78-L Mail List <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
>> Date: 6/22/2009 7:22:27 PM
>> Subject: Re: [78-L] EFHJREM
>>
>> George Simon went on record to protest the strings in James' band, but as
> I
>> said in my earlier post, some of the James sides are very beautiful. And
>> Harry let his arrangers write whatever they wanted; he needed as many
>> arrangements as he could get given his radio work and his live gigs, but
>> above all, he loved good music of all types. Johnny Thompson wrote a
> couple
>> of very interesting compositions for the band, and James had a version of
>> Poinciana that was positively bizarre. James even had an arrangement of
>> Debussy's Golliwog's Cakewalk because he liked the piece. I will always
>> respect him because he used his huge popularity to expose his audience to
>> all types of quality music, as well as the treacly stuff that sold lots 
>> of
>> records.
>>
>> Jeff Sultanof
>>
>> >
>> >
>> > Indeed, when the College Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati ejected
> their
>> > 78 rpm collection in 1988 there was another large instance of EFHJREM.
> And
>> > it's a pity they are so prevalent, as they are really very good
> records, but
>> > they survive in such high numbers that makes them undesirable. I also
> tend
>> > towards his later LP albums from "The New James" on -- no one suspected
> he
>> > would become such an outstanding bop player; moreover he retained the
> same
>> > measure of expressiveness and bravura that makes his early work so
>> > exceptional. I can do without the string section he had in the early
> 40s;
>> > indeed, so could have James as he once noted, but it was there for
>> > commercial purposes.
>> >
>> >
>> > Uncle Dave Lewis uncledavelewis at hotmail.com
>> >