Harry James - Quadromania

Much More Than The Usual "Best Of"

This is a very interesting compilation. Not the usual "Best Of." On the mostly good side, there are a LOT of cuts here, some of which provide very clean recordings of Harry's late 1930s work that are not found on most of the other "Best Of" type compilations. These less well-known recordings are excellent examples of the jazz that Harry was playing before he (and this is admittedly a point of debate) "went commercial." Those late '30s recordings really swing. As a previous reviewer put it: "Here's the hot horn man, fresh from the Goodman band..." Personally, I prefer his late '30s work to his more popular recordings and hits from the '40s. That's not to say his '40s work isn't good. I simply think that his late '30s work is a bit more jazz and has a bit more "boogie" in it. But that's a personal opinion and I respect those who feel the 1940s recordings are the best. On this compilation I would particularly note Harry's work on the four boogie woogie tunes recorded with Albert Ammons and Pete Johnson: "Boo Woo," "Woo-Woo," "Home James" and "Jesse." I know Harry has, at times, been accused of being too schmaltzy, but you won't find ANY schmaltz on those cuts. Those are swingin' boogie, pure and simple. And I think that those and some of the other cuts show that Harry James was possibly the most versatile trumpet player to ever pick up a horn. He could play with flat out, ear-piercing jazz power, but he could also quietly back a singer (many of whom said Harry James was the best at that skill). He could play the "schmaltzy" stuff, but he could also boogie with the likes of Albert Ammons. And if you've heard Harry play "Carnival of Venice" you know that he could play classical trumpet, as well. There are plenty of great trumpeters out there, but very few who can cross over and be good at so many different styles of music. There may be better be-bop players, better dixie players, better screamers or better classical players, but none of them can jump from their style to the other styles and be equally good the way Harry James could. My only real complaint with this otherwise very good (and varied) compilation is that the 1950s versions of "James Session," and "Two O'Clock Jump" sound like they're being played through a wet blanket. The same recordings on the Capitol Records "Trumpet Blues" CD (which are themselves taken from Harry's 1950s "In Hi-Fi" albums on Capitol) sound much brighter. I compared the the two CDs back to back and I have no explanation for why this otherwise nicely mastered CD would muffle those tunes. But that's hardly a reason to not buy this excellent compilation. As another reviewer noted, for this price, you can't go wrong. For the amount and quality of the music you get, this is an insanely inexpensive compilation. (And with the money you save buying this CD, you can pick up "Trumpet Blues" and have it all!)
February 15, 2007

One of the BEST bargains on Amazon,of the one of the greatest trumpters!

This is an astoundingly CHEAP CD set but considering the high quality of its' contents in selection AND sound it is about THE best bargain you are ever likely to get on Amazon!!
What we have here is a German release of four CDs jam packed with 74 tracks remastered in 24 Bit sound.This CD set would be a bargain at four or five times the price!
The tracks cover a roughly 20 year musical span in Harry James career one of the greatest trumpet men in musical history,from the later 30s to the mid 50s.
The first 20 or so tracks feature some of his early recordings.Here's the hot horn man fresh from the Goodman band,totally in command of his instrument and burning up every inch of groove in these recordings.His phrasing and technique are astounding.
The passing years show that he never loses his technical abilities whatsoever.The discs pass through his most commercial period during the war years and into the late 40s where he delves into the current bebop trend,doing it his way and as usual never falling short.
The final disc takes us into his early to middling 50s period where by now Harry would settle into that wonderful Basie like groove he would continue to play around with until his passing in /83.
This set contains not one clunker in the bunch.As I stated above all songs are remastered in 24 bit and the sound(especially in his 30s and 40s material) is as good if not better than you've heard from those companies who hold the original masters.
It is a great starter set for anyone wishing to learn more and get a great general overview of James' musical career.It is also a great addition to the collections of those long time James fans(like myself).Either way for the price of this set alone,you just cannot go wrong!!
I don't know why or how this 4 CD set is so cheap(as are the other myriad of artists in this collection) but I'd advise you to scoop up this bargain of the century now before they are long gone to the Yukon!! November 20, 2006

More reviews at Amazon.com ...