Search - Harry James :: First Choice: Best of

Early Harry

Robert C. Topper | Richardson, Texas | 07/10/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a collection of very early recordings by Harry James and his band, showing the growing pains of a band just getting started. Actually, it goes back and picks up one tune James co-wrote which was done while he was still with Benny Goodman, "Peckin'". (Recall the Frank Loesser lyrics to Hoagy Carmichael's "Small Fry": "...you practice peckin' all day long to some old radio song...") "LIFE Goes to a Party" is from his own band's first recording session in December, 1937, and "One O'Clock Jump" is from his second session the next month. Both present a band just beginning to find its collective chops, but the 1939 sessions show that it had settled down into a swinging groove. For historical interest, there is the very first recording of "Two O'Clock Jump", and two selections, "Boo Woo" and "Woo Woo", by James and the Boogie Woogie Trio. Also included are both instrumental and vocal versions of "Ciribiribin" (uh, Frank, that is correctly pronounced 'Cheery-beery-bee'; it's supposed to rhyme with 'balcony' and 'agree'), together with a couple other Sinatra vocals. Overall, these are not really the best of Harry James, that would come later, and the sound quality leaves much to be desired. I wish it had also included at least one side Helen Humes had done in those early sessions. If you are looking for early Sinatra, you would do much better to get the complete James/Sinatra CD available from Columbia. But for those wanting to fill out your James collection, this is a bargain (the low price raises its score by a star), and you'll be hard pressed to find many of these cuts elsewhere."