99-442: Harry Haag James (March 15, 1916 – July 5, 1983) was an American musician who is best known as a trumpet-playing band leader who led a big band to great commercial success from 1939 to 1946. He broke up his band for a short period in 1947, but shortly after he reorganized and was active again with his band from then until his death in 1983. He was especially known among musicians for his technical proficiency as well as his tone , and
198-452: A contortionist at the age of four, then playing the snare drum in the band from about the age of six. It was at this age that James was almost trampled by the circus trick horses after he wandered onto the circus track as they were performing their stunts, but he was protected by his mother's pet horse, who stood over him until the other horses rushed by. James started taking trumpet lessons from his father at age eight, and by age twelve he
297-514: A rhythm section . Big bands originated during the early 1910s and dominated jazz in the early 1940s when swing was most popular. The term "big band" is also used to describe a genre of music, although this was not the only style of music played by big bands. Big bands started as accompaniment for dancing the Lindy Hop . In contrast to the typical jazz emphasis on improvisation, big bands relied on written compositions and arrangements. They gave
396-528: A U.S. Treasury report released in 1945 listed Harry James and Betty Grable as the highest-paid couple in the nation. While James remained commercially successful and personally committed to his music, some critics sought to find fault. In Peter Levinson's 1999 biography, Dan Morgenstern , the respected critic and Director of the Institute of Jazz Studies, called the 1941 release of the later Grammy Hall of Fame inducted "You Made Me Love You" "the record that
495-574: A career in singing, Helen dropped out of high school to pursue her dream. Forrest returned to Atlantic City and began singing with her brother Ed's band. She soon returned to New York City, where she visited song publishers and performed an audition for a 15-minute slot for a local radio show. Around this time, Forrest was encouraged to change her name from "Fogel" because her name sounded "too Jewish." In 1934, 17-year-old Forrest began singing for WNEW in New York. She also performed for WCBS where she
594-660: A century as a result of their broadcasts on the NBC and CBS networks of the annual New Year's Eve celebrations from the Roosevelt Grill at New York's Roosevelt Hotel (1929-1959) and the Ballroom at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel (1959-1976) . Gloria Parker had a radio program on which she conducted the largest all-girl orchestra led by a female. She led her Swingphony while playing marimba. Phil Spitalny ,
693-491: A country club or playing Vegas, in which we have many, many types of people, then I'm sure that 'Sleepy Lagoon' would be more popular at that particular time. But I really get bugged about these people talking about commercial tunes, because to me, if you're gonna be commercial, you're gonna stand on your head and make funny noises and do idiotic things. I don't think we've ever recorded or played one tune that I didn't particularly love to play. Otherwise, I wouldn't play it." James
792-399: A grave stone. Forrest married and divorced three times. In 1960, she (with her third husband, Charles Feinman) gave birth to her only son, Michael Forrest Feinman. Michael resided in southern California until his death on May 1, 2014. In the early 1940s, Forrest had a love affair with bandleader Harry James while she was part of his band. The relationship ended shortly before James met
891-400: A greater role to bandleaders, arrangers, and sections of instruments rather than soloists. Big bands generally have four sections: trumpets, trombones, saxophones, and a rhythm section of guitar, piano, double bass, drums and sometimes vibraphone. The division in early big bands, from the 1920s to 1930s, was typically two or three trumpets, one or two trombones, three or four saxophones, and
990-484: A jig!" After James left Benny Goodman's band in 1939 to form his own band, he soon found that leading a commercially viable musical group required a broader set of skills than those needed to be a gifted musician playing in someone else's band. The James band ran into financial trouble, and it became increasingly difficult for James to pay salaries and keep the band together. In 1940, James lost his contract with Columbia Records (he returned in 1941), and Frank Sinatra left
1089-407: A member of the band, almost like another instrumental soloist. Harry, though, gave me just the right sort of arrangement and setting that fit a singer. It wasn't just a matter of my getting up, singing a chorus, and sitting down again." In his book, The Big Bands , Simon explained that Harry James constructed "the arrangements around his horn and Helen's voice, establishing warmer moods by slowing down
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#17327810505851188-431: A menace. After 1935, big bands rose to prominence playing swing music and held a major role in defining swing as a distinctive style. Western swing musicians also formed popular big bands during the same period. A considerable range of styles evolved among the hundreds of popular bands. Many of the better known bands reflected the individuality of the bandleader, the lead arranger, and the personnel. Count Basie played
1287-564: A national favorite. In November 1939, Shaw broke up his band. Helen joined Benny Goodman in December 1939, with whom she recorded a number of celebrated songs, including the hit song " The Man I Love ." Helen recorded 55 studio recordings with Goodman. She told the Pop Chronicles radio series: "Benny would look right above your eyebrows, in the middle, right on top of the brow. He was a very strange man," and described Goodman as
1386-420: A native of Ukraine, led a 22-piece female orchestra known as Phil Spitalny and His Hour of Charm Orchestra , named for his radio show, The Hour of Charm , during the 1930s and 1940s. Other female bands were led by trumpeter B. A. Rolfe , Anna Mae Winburn , and Ina Ray Hutton . Big Bands began to appear in movies in the 1930s through the 1960s, though cameos by bandleaders were often stiff and incidental to
1485-413: A relaxed, propulsive swing, Bob Crosby (brother of Bing ), more of a dixieland style, Benny Goodman a hard driving swing, and Duke Ellington's compositions were varied and sophisticated. Many bands featured strong instrumentalists whose sounds dominated, such as the clarinets of Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw , the trombone of Jack Teagarden , the trumpet of Harry James , the drums of Gene Krupa , and
1584-419: A rhythm section of four instruments. In the 1940s, Stan Kenton 's band used up to five trumpets, five trombones (three tenor and two bass trombones ), five saxophones (two alto saxophones , two tenor saxophones , one baritone saxophone ), and a rhythm section. Duke Ellington at one time used six trumpets. While most big bands dropped the previously common jazz clarinet from their arrangements (other than
1683-642: A son, Michael (b. 1968), before divorcing in 1970. James owned several Thoroughbred racehorses that won races such as the California Breeders' Champion Stakes (1951) and the San Vicente Stakes (1954). He was also a founding investor in the Atlantic City Race Course . His knowledge of horse racing was demonstrated during a 1958 appearance on The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour entitled " Lucy Wins A Racehorse ". James
1782-471: A stage revue titled A Tribute to Dick Haymes . Despite an unhappy childhood, frequent illness, and personal disappointments, Forrest remained dedicated to her musical profession and continued singing until the early 1990s when rheumatoid arthritis began to affect her vocal chords and forced her into retirement. Forrest also suffered scarlet fever as a youngster, which left her with a hearing loss. The loss of her hearing worsened as she became older and she
1881-529: A time she and Holiday were both working with Shaw's band. In some venues, African-American performers were required to remain off stage until they performed. When Forrest became aware of this, she stated that like Holiday, she would also not take the stage until she was to sing. She recorded 38 singles with Shaw's band. Two of her biggest hits with Shaw were the songs " They Say " and " All the Things You Are ." During her time with Shaw, Helen Forrest became
1980-548: A touring production called The Fabulous 40s (1978), followed in 1979 with a similar revue entitled The Big Broadcast of 1944. In 1980, six months following Haymes' death, Helen suffered a stroke, but recovered to resume performing and recording. Her autobiography, I Had the Craziest Dream , was published in 1982 and is dedicated to her only son. In 1983, Helen released her final album, entitled Now and Forever . She also starred with Vivian Blaine and Margaret Whiting in
2079-548: A young Bob Hope as the announcer. Big band remotes on the major radio networks spread the music from ballrooms and clubs across the country during the 1930s and 1940s, with remote broadcasts from jazz clubs continuing into the 1950s on NBC's Monitor . Radio increased the fame of Benny Goodman , the "Pied Piper of Swing". Others challenged him, and battle of the bands became a regular feature of theater performances. Similarly, Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians Orchestra also achieved widespread notoriety for nearly half
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#17327810505852178-415: Is generally configured so lead parts are seated in the middle of their sections and solo parts are seated closest to the rhythm section. The fourth trombone part is generally played by a bass trombone. In some pieces the trumpets may double on flugelhorn or cornet , and saxophone players frequently double on other woodwinds such as flute , piccolo , clarinet , bass clarinet , or soprano saxophone . It
2277-524: Is useful to distinguish between the roles of composer, arranger and leader. The composer writes original music that will be performed by individuals or groups of various sizes, while the arranger adapts the work of composers in a creative way for a performance or recording. Arrangers frequently notate all or most of the score of a given number, usually referred to as a "chart". Bandleaders are typically performers who assemble musicians to form an ensemble of various sizes, select or create material for them, shape
2376-688: The Cotton Club in Harlem. Fletcher Henderson 's career started when he was persuaded to audition for a job at Club Alabam in New York City, which eventually turned into a job as bandleader at the Roseland Ballroom . At these venues, which themselves gained notoriety, bandleaders and arrangers played a greater role than they had before. Hickman relied on Ferde Grofé, Whiteman on Bill Challis . Henderson and arranger Don Redman followed
2475-522: The Esther Williams movie Bathing Beauty with Harry James and his orchestra. She also appeared in the film Two Girls and a Sailor . During the last years of the 1940s, Helen headlined at theatres and clubs. In 1955, Helen's mother died. In that same year, Helen joined Harry James again in the studio to record a new swing album called, Harry James in Hi-Fi , which became a bestseller. By
2574-515: The Hit Parade , and the radio show achieved top ratings. Haymes was also contracted to Decca, and from 1944 to 1946 the pair recorded 18 duets, 10 of them reaching the Top Ten. Particularly successful were their versions of "Long Ago and Far Away", "It Had To Be You", "Together", "I'll Buy That Dream", "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" and "Oh, What It Seemed To Be". In 1944, she made an appearance in
2673-531: The Library of Congress film collection. Helen Forrest Helen Forrest (born Helen Fogel , April 12, 1917 – July 11, 1999) was an American singer of traditional pop and swing music . She served as the "girl singer" for three of the most popular big bands of the Swing Era ( Artie Shaw , Benny Goodman , and Harry James ), thereby earning a reputation as "the voice of the name bands." Forrest
2772-583: The flugelhorn , but this sound was underrecorded in favor of James' brilliant high register. With financial backing from Goodman, James debuted his own big band in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania, in January 1939, but it didn't click until adding a string section in 1941. Subsequently, known as Harry James and His Music Makers, it produced the hit " You Made Me Love You ", which peaked at no. 5 on Billboard's National Best Selling Retail Records chart for
2871-627: The 1930s, Earl Hines and his band broadcast from the Grand Terrace in Chicago every night across America. In Kansas City and across the Southwest, an earthier, bluesier style was developed by such bandleaders as Bennie Moten and, later, by Jay McShann and Jesse Stone . By 1937, the "sweet jazz band" saxophonist Shep Fields was also featured over the airways on the NBC radio network in his Rippling Rhythm Revue, which also showcased
2970-671: The 1960s and '70s, Sun Ra and his Arketstra took big bands further out. Ra's eclectic music was played by a roster of musicians from ten to thirty and was presented as theater, with costumes, dancers, and special effects. As jazz was expanded during the 1950s through the 1970s, the Basie and Ellington bands were still around, as were bands led by Buddy Rich , Gene Krupa , Lionel Hampton , Earl Hines , Les Brown , Clark Terry , and Doc Severinsen . Progressive bands were led by Dizzy Gillespie , Gil Evans , Carla Bley , Toshiko Akiyoshi and Lew Tabackin , Don Ellis , and Anthony Braxton . In
3069-401: The 1960s and 1970s, big band rock became popular by integrating such musical ingredients as progressive rock experimentation , jazz fusion , and the horn choirs often used in blues and soul music , with some of the most prominent groups including Chicago ; Blood, Sweat and Tears ; Tower of Power ; and, from Canada, Lighthouse . The genre was gradually absorbed into mainstream pop rock and
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3168-845: The Harry James Band in the Hollywood film Springtime in the Rockies , starring Betty Grable . In 1942 and 1943, Helen Forrest was voted the best female vocalist in the United States in the Down Beat poll. Forrest left Harry James in late 1943 in pursuit of a solo career, saying "three years with a band is enough." She signed a recording contract with Decca and co-starred with Dick Haymes on The Dick Haymes Show on CBS radio from 1944 to 1947. Helen's first Decca disc, "Time Waits For No One", reached second place on
3267-800: The Light " appears in the motion picture My Dog Skip (2000). His music is also featured in the Woody Allen film Hannah and Her Sisters . James's recording of " It's Been a Long, Long Time " is featured in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and in Marvel's Avengers: Endgame . With James's childhood spent as a musician in a traveling circus, he picked up a flamboyant style that utilized such techniques as heavy vibrato, half valve and lip glissandi, valve and lip trills, and valve tremolos. These techniques were popular at
3366-519: The Second Herd emphasized the saxophone section of three tenors and one baritone. In the 1950s, Stan Kenton referred to his band's music as "progressive jazz", "modern", and "new music". He created his band as a vehicle for his compositions. Kenton pushed the boundaries of big bands by combining clashing elements and by hiring arrangers whose ideas about music conflicted. This expansive eclecticism characterized much of jazz after World War II. During
3465-495: The United States, and the personnel often had to perform having had little sleep and food. Apart from the star soloists, many musicians received low wages and would abandon the tour if bookings disappeared. Sometimes bandstands were too small, public address systems inadequate, pianos out of tune. Bandleaders dealt with these obstacles through rigid discipline (Glenn Miller) and canny psychology ( Duke Ellington ). Big bands raised morale during World War II . Many musicians served in
3564-488: The absence of their original leaders. Although big bands are identified with the swing era, they continued to exist after those decades, though the music they played was often different from swing. Bandleader Charlie Barnet 's recording of " Cherokee " in 1942 and "The Moose" in 1943 have been called the beginning of the bop era. Woody Herman 's first band, nicknamed the First Herd, borrowed from progressive jazz, while
3663-418: The band that January. It was not long after this that James made a pivotal decision: he would adopt a "sweeter" style that added strings to the band, and the band would deliver tunes that were in more of a "pop" vein and less true to its jazz roots. From a commercial standpoint, the decision paid off as James soon enjoyed a string of chart-topping hits that provided commercial success for him and his band. Indeed,
3762-631: The bands of Guy Lombardo and Paul Whiteman. A distinction is often made between so-called "hard bands", such as those of Count Basie and Tommy Dorsey, which emphasized quick hard-driving jump tunes, and "sweet bands", such as the Glenn Miller Orchestra and the Shep Fields Rippling Rhythm Orchestra who specialized in less improvised tunes with more emphasis on sentimentality, featuring somewhat slower-paced, often heart-felt songs. By this time
3861-410: The bands of Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, and Harry James, she is known as "the voice of the name bands" and is regarded by some as the best female vocalist of the swing era. In addition, AllMusic describes Forrest as "a performer that some might not consider a jazz vocalist, but one with exceptional ability to project lyrics and also an excellent interpreter." Also, IMDb describes Forrest: "though Helen
3960-408: The best times were packed into a five-year period from the late 1930s through the early 1940s when I sang with the bands of Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, and Harry James. The most dramatic moments of my life were crammed into a couple of years from the fall of 1941 to the end of 1943. They seem to symbolize my life...that was when the music of the dance bands was the most popular music in the country, and I
4059-659: The best trumpet instrumentalist for the years 1937, 1938 and 1939, and as favorite soloist for 1942. For his contribution to the motion picture industry James was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6683 Hollywood Boulevard on February 8, 1960. He was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1983. Big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones , trumpets , trombones , and
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4158-403: The big band was such a dominant force in jazz that the older generation found they either had to adapt to it or simply retire. With no market for small-group recordings (made worse by a Depression-era industry reluctant to take risks), musicians such as Louis Armstrong and Earl Hines led their own bands, while others, like Jelly Roll Morton and King Oliver, lapsed into obscurity. Even so, many of
4257-413: The clarinet-led orchestras of Artie Shaw and Benny Goodman), many Duke Ellington songs had clarinet parts, often replacing or doubling one of the tenor saxophone parts; more rarely, Ellington would substitute baritone sax for bass clarinet, such as in "Ase's Death" from Swinging Suites . Boyd Raeburn drew from symphony orchestras by adding flute , French horn , strings, and timpani to his band. In
4356-594: The distinction between these roles can become blurred. Billy Strayhorn , for example, was a prolific composer and arranger, frequently collaborating with Duke Ellington , but rarely took on the role of bandleader, which was assumed by Ellington, who himself was a composer and arranger. Typical big band arrangements from the swing era were written in strophic form with the same phrase and chord structure repeated several times. Each iteration, or chorus, commonly follows twelve bar blues form or thirty-two-bar (AABA) song form . The first chorus of an arrangement introduces
4455-503: The early 1960s. Helen continued to make occasional records and perform in concerts and was performing at Lake Tahoe with Frank Sinatra Jr. in 1963 when he was kidnapped. During the 1970s and 1980s, Forrest performed in supper clubs on "big band nostalgia" tours, including appearances with Harry James and Dick Haymes. In 1977, Helen participated in a television reunion of herself, James, and Haymes on The Merv Griffin Show . This led to
4554-402: The end of the 1950s, Helen's solo career waned as rock'n'roll became increasingly popular. Helen's manager, Joe Graydon, said, "She was at an 'in-between' stage in her career. Not young enough to be current. Not old enough to be nostalgia." After a dip in recording in the 1950s, including a stint with the startup Bell Records , Helen sang with Tommy Dorsey 's orchestra, led by Sam Donahue , in
4653-508: The entire band then memorizing the way they are going to perform the piece, without writing it on sheet music. During the 1930s, Count Basie 's band often used head arrangements, as Basie said, "we just sort of start it off and the others fall in." Head arrangements were more common during the period of the 1930s because there was less turnover in personnel, giving the band members more time to rehearse. Before 1910, social dance in America
4752-518: The family relocated to Brooklyn . Her mother married a house painter, whom Helen disliked. Soon, Helen's mother and stepfather turned the family's home into a brothel . At 14, Helen was nearly raped by her stepfather; she defended herself with a kitchen knife, injuring him. Following this, Helen's mother permitted her to live with her piano teacher, Honey Silverman, and her family. While teaching her piano, Honey noticed Helen's singing ability and encouraged her to focus on singing instead. Anxious to find
4851-474: The first bands to accompany the new rhythms was led by a drummer, Art Hickman , in San Francisco in 1916. Hickman's arranger, Ferde Grofé , wrote arrangements in which he divided the jazz orchestra into sections that combined in various ways. This intermingling of sections became a defining characteristic of big bands. In 1919, Paul Whiteman hired Grofé to use similar techniques for his band. Whiteman
4950-455: The form include modulations and cadential extensions. Some big ensembles, like King Oliver 's, played music that was half-arranged, half-improvised, often relying on head arrangements. A head arrangement is a piece of music that is formed by band members during rehearsal. They experiment, often with one player coming up with a simple musical figure leading to development within the same section and then further expansion by other sections, with
5049-468: The form of the "rhythm sextet ". These ensembles typically featured three or more accordions accompanied by piano, guitar, bass, cello, percussion, and marimba with vibes and were popularized by recording artists such as Charles Magnante , Joe Biviano and John Serry . Twenty-first century big bands can be considerably larger than their predecessors, exceeding 20 players, with some European bands using 29 instruments and some reaching 50. In
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#17327810505855148-645: The instrumentation of the big bands. Examples include the Vienna Art Orchestra , founded in 1977, and the Italian Instabile Orchestra , active in the 1990s. In the late 1990s, there was a swing revival in the U.S. The Lindy Hop became popular again and young people took an interest in big band styles again. Big bands maintained a presence on American television, particularly through the late-night talk show, which has historically used big bands as house accompaniment . Typically
5247-547: The jazz critics never forgave Harry James for recording." With James continuing to employ his flamboyant style on pop hits through the 1940s, his playing was often labeled as "schmaltzy" and dismissed by the critics, although radio discs from this period reveal James's continued commitment to jazz. James's jazz releases during this period, while not as numerous, include a variety of modern arrangements from Neal Hefti , Frank Devenport, Johnny Richards and Jimmy Mundy that often inspired his musicians, and as bop surpassed swing by
5346-497: The jazz rock sector. Other bandleaders used Brazilian and Afro-Cuban music with big band instrumentation, and big bands led by arranger Gil Evans, saxophonist John Coltrane (on the album Ascension from 1965) and bass guitarist Jaco Pastorius introduced cool jazz , free jazz and jazz fusion, respectively, to the big band domain. Modern big bands can be found playing all styles of jazz music. Some large contemporary European jazz ensembles play mostly avant-garde jazz using
5445-419: The late 1930s, Shep Fields incorporated a solo accordion, temple blocks , piccolo , violins and a viola into his Rippling Rhythm Orchestra. Paul Whiteman also featured a solo accordion in his ensemble. Jazz ensembles numbering eight ( octet ), nine ( nonet ) or ten ( tentet ) voices are sometimes called "little big bands". During the 1940s, somewhat smaller configurations of the big band emerged in
5544-602: The late 1940s, James was surprisingly open to its influence. After coasting through the mid-1950s, James made a complete reevaluation of where he was heading in his musical career. Count Basie provided the impetus by making a significant comeback with his newly formed "16 Men Swinging" band, and James wanted a band with a decided Basie flavor. James signed with Capitol Records in 1955, and two years later, after releasing new studio versions of many of his previously released songs from Columbia Records, James recorded ten new tracks for an album entitled Wild About Harry! . This album
5643-399: The late 1950s and into the 1960s, contemporary opinion of his work has shifted. Recent reissues such as Capitol's 2012 7-disc set The Capitol Vaults Jazz Series: Gene Krupa and Harry James have prompted new, more favorable analyses. In 2014, Marc Myers of JazzWax commented, "[James's] band of the mid-1940s was more modern than most of the majors, and in 1949 he led one of the finest bands of
5742-466: The melody and is followed by choruses of development. This development may take the form of improvised solos, written solo sections, and " shout choruses ". An arrangement's first chorus is sometimes preceded by an introduction, which may be as short as a few measures or may extend to a chorus of its own. Many arrangements contain an interlude, often similar in content to the introduction, inserted between some or all choruses. Other methods of embellishing
5841-541: The middle of the decade. Bridging the gap to white audiences in the mid-1930s was the Casa Loma Orchestra and Benny Goodman's early band. The contrast in commercial popularity between "black" and "white" bands was striking: between 1935 and 1945 the top four "white" bands had 292 top ten records, of which 65 were number one hits, while the top four "black" bands had only 32 top ten hits, with only three reaching number one. White teenagers and young adults were
5940-402: The military and toured with USO troupes at the front, with Glenn Miller losing his life while traveling between shows. Many bands suffered from loss of personnel during the war years, and, as a result, women replaced men who had been inducted, while all-female bands began to appear. The 1942–44 musicians' strike worsened the situation. Vocalists began to strike out on their own. By the end of
6039-419: The more literal 4 of early jazz. Walter Page is often credited with developing the walking bass , although earlier examples exist, such as Wellman Braud on Ellington's Washington Wabble (1927). This type of music flourished through the early 1930s, although there was little mass audience for it until around 1936. Up until that time, it was viewed with ridicule and sometimes looked upon as
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#17327810505856138-411: The most common seating for a 17-piece big band, each section is carefully set-up in a way to optimize the bands sound. For the wind players, there are 3 different types of parts: lead parts (including first trumpet, first trombone, and first alto sax), solo parts (including second or fourth trumpet, second trombone, and the first tenor sax), and section members (which include the rest of the band). The band
6237-406: The most demanding band leader she sang for. Forrest also stated, "The band I joined was sensational, but few special arrangements were written for me. I sang choruses, and made myself fit to the music. Benny used to drive me crazy by 'noodling' behind me on clarinet while I sang." Goodman was also reported to have been a perfectionist and a very difficult man to work with. In August 1941, Forrest quit
6336-776: The most popular big bands of the swing era cultivated small groups within the larger ensemble: e.g. Benny Goodman developed both a trio and a quartet, Artie Shaw formed the Gramercy Five, Count Basie developed the Kansas City Six and Tommy Dorsey the Clambake Seven. The major "black" bands of the 1930s included, apart from Ellington's, Hines's, and Calloway's, those of Jimmie Lunceford , Chick Webb , and Count Basie. The "white" bands of Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey, Shep Fields and, later, Glenn Miller were more popular than their "black" counterparts from
6435-402: The most prominent shows with the earliest time slots and largest audiences have bigger bands with horn sections while those in later time slots go with smaller, leaner ensembles. Many college and university music departments offer jazz programs and feature big band courses in improvisation, composition, arranging, and studio recording, featuring performances by 18 to 20 piece big bands. During
6534-561: The music he both played and recorded. In 1972 while in London, he did an interview with the English jazz critic Steve Voce , who asked if the biggest audience was for the commercial numbers he had recorded. James visibly bristled, replying "That would depend on for whom you are playing. If you're playing for a jazz audience, I'm pretty sure that some of the jazz things we do would be a lot more popular than 'Sleepy Lagoon,' and if we're playing at
6633-719: The music's dynamics, phrasing, and expression in rehearsals, and lead the group in performance often while playing alongside them. One of the first prominent big band arrangers was Ferde Grofé , who was hired by Paul Whiteman to write for his “symphonic jazz orchestra”. A number of bandleaders established long-term relationships with certain arrangers, such as the collaboration between leader Count Basie and arranger Neil Hefti . Some bandleaders, such as Guy Lombardo , performed works composed by others (in Lombardo's case, often by his brother Carmen ), while others, such as Maria Schneider , take on all three roles. In many cases, however,
6732-407: The orchestra "to avoid having a nervous breakdown." After leaving Goodman, Forrest briefly recorded with Nat King Cole and Lionel Hampton . In 1941, she approached Harry James , offering to work for him under one condition: that she be permitted to sing more than one chorus. Although James was looking for a more jazz-oriented singer, he allowed Forrest to audition. The band voted her in and she
6831-512: The orchestra for Call for Music , which was broadcast on CBS February 13, 1948 – April 16, 1948, and on NBC April 20, 1948 – June 29, 1948. James recorded many popular records and appeared in many Hollywood movies. He featured in the 1942 musical short Trumpet Serenade . He played trumpet in the 1950 film Young Man with a Horn , dubbing Kirk Douglas . The album from the movie charted at #1, with James backing big band singer and actress Doris Day . James's recording of " I'm Beginning to See
6930-509: The plot. Shep Fields appeared with his Rippling Rhythm Orchestra in a playful and integrated animated performance of "This Little Ripple Had Rhythm" in the musical extravaganza The Big Broadcast of 1938 . Fictionalized biographical films of Glenn Miller , Gene Krupa , and Benny Goodman were made in the 1950s. The bands led by Helen Lewis, Ben Bernie , and Roger Wolfe Kahn's band were filmed by Lee de Forest in his Phonofilm sound-on-film process in 1925, in three short films which are in
7029-431: The principal fans of the big bands in the late 1930s and early 1940s. They danced to recordings and the radio and attended live concerts. They were knowledgeable and often biased toward their favorite bands and songs, and sometimes worshipful of famous soloists and vocalists. Many bands toured the country in grueling one-night stands. Traveling conditions and lodging were difficult, in part due to segregation in most parts of
7128-475: The template of King Oliver , but as the 1920s progressed they moved away from the New Orleans format and transformed jazz. They were assisted by a band full of talent: Coleman Hawkins on tenor saxophone, Louis Armstrong on cornet, and multi-instrumentalist Benny Carter , whose career lasted into the 1990s. Swing music began appearing in the early 1930s and was distinguished by a more supple feel than
7227-509: The tempo so that two, instead of the usual three or more choruses, would fill a record ...many an arrangement would build to a closing climax during Helen's vocal, so that she would emerge as its star." It was with the Harry James Orchestra that Helen recorded what are arguably her most popular numbers, including " I Had the Craziest Dream " in 1942, and 1941's " I Don't Want to Walk Without You ." In 1942, Helen also appeared with
7326-519: The time in what was known as "hot" jazz , epitomized by James's idol Louis Armstrong , but somewhat fell out of favor by the 1950s with the advent of "cool" jazz . James's rigorous regime of practice as a child resulted in an exceptional technical proficiency in the more classical techniques of range, fingering and tonguing. Growing up in the South, James was also exposed to blues music , which had an additional influence on his style. As James explained, "I
7425-638: The top jazz musician on each instrument. The winners were invited to join an ensemble known as the Metronome All-Stars that was assembled for studio recordings. The studio sessions were held in the years 1939–42, 1946–53, and 1956, and typically resulted in two tracks which allowed each participant a one chorus solo. Harry James was chosen to play trumpet with the Metronome All-Stars in 1939, 1940 and 1941. A similar annual readers' poll conducted by Downbeat magazine selected James as
7524-478: The top ten, and 70 in the top 100 on the U.S. pop charts, as well as seven charting on the U.S. R&B chart. As of 2016, two recordings of Harry James had been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame , a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least 25 years old, and that have "qualitative or historical significance." Metronome magazine conducted annual readers' polls ranking
7623-699: The vibes of Lionel Hampton . The popularity of many of the major bands was amplified by star vocalists, such as Frank Sinatra and Connie Haines with Tommy Dorsey , Helen O'Connell and Bob Eberly with Jimmy Dorsey , Ella Fitzgerald with Chick Webb , Billie Holiday and Jimmy Rushing with Count Basie , Kay Starr with Charlie Barnet , Bea Wain with Larry Clinton , Dick Haymes , Kitty Kallen and Helen Forrest with Harry James , Fran Warren with Claude Thornhill , Doris Day with Les Brown , and Peggy Lee and Martha Tilton with Benny Goodman . Some bands were "society bands" which relied on strong ensembles but little on soloists or vocalists, such as
7722-421: The war, swing was giving way to less danceable music, such as bebop . Many of the great swing bands broke up, as the times and tastes changed. Many bands from the swing era continued for decades after the death or departure of their founders and namesakes, and some are still active in the 21st century, often referred to as " ghost bands ", a term attributed to Woody Herman, referring to orchestras that persist in
7821-442: The week ending November 18, 1941. During its 18-week chart run, the single spent ten non-consecutive weeks in the Top Ten, from early November 1941 until late January 1942. He and his band appeared in three Hollywood films: Private Buckaroo and Springtime in the Rockies (both 1942), and Two Girls and a Sailor (1944). James toured with the band into the 1980s, and as of July 2018 the Harry James Orchestra, led by Fred Radke,
7920-553: The woman he would later marry, actress Betty Grable . Forrest wrote, "I've had three marriages and I never married Harry, but he was the love of my life. Let's face it, I still carry a torch for the so-and-so." Helen Forrest on her career: "I live for today, but it is nice sometimes to look back to yesterday. We did not know that we were living through an era - the Big Band Era - that would last only 10 years or so and be remembered and revered for ever...it's hard to believe, but
8019-424: The year." And on James's releases from 1958 to 1961, Myers noted, "The James band during this period has been eclipsed by bands led by Basie , Maynard Ferguson and Stan Kenton . While each served up its own brand of magnificence, James produced more consistently brilliant tracks than the others... virtually everything James recorded during this period was an uncompromising, swinging gem." James felt strongly about
8118-527: Was Helen Forrest , and his later band included drummer Buddy Rich and bassist Thurman Teague . Johnny MacAfee was featured on the sax and vocals, and Corky Corcoran was a youthful sax prodigy. James' orchestra succeeded Glenn Miller 's on a program sponsored by Chesterfield Cigarettes in 1942, when Miller disbanded his orchestra to enter the Army. In 1945, James and his orchestra had a summer replacement program for Danny Kaye 's program on CBS . He also led
8217-744: Was 15 years of age. While still a student at Dick Dowling Junior High School, he participated as a regular member of Beaumont High School 's Royal Purple Band, and in May 1931 he took first place as trumpet soloist at the Texas Band Teacher's Association's Annual Eastern Division contest held in Temple, Texas . James’s first job was playing at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis and he played regularly with Herman Waldman's band, and at one performance
8316-802: Was a heavy smoker, drinker, and gambler. In 1983 he was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer , but continued to work. He played his last professional job, with the Harry James Orchestra, on June 26, 1983, in Los Angeles, dying just nine days later in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 5, 1983, at age 67. Frank Sinatra gave the eulogy at his funeral, held in Las Vegas. The discography of Harry James includes 30 studio albums, 47 EPs, three soundtrack/stage and screen albums, and numerous live albums and compilation albums, along with contributions as sideman and appearances with other musicians. James released over 200 singles during his career, with nine songs reaching number one, 32 in
8415-627: Was able to perform her old standards because she remembered where the notes for them were. Helen Forrest died on July 11, 1999, from congestive heart failure at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles . She was 82. She was laid to rest at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery , in the Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, in an temporary marker. Online funding provided her with
8514-487: Was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey on April 12, 1917. Her parents, Louis and Rebecca Fogel, were Jewish. Her father died from influenza when Helen was an infant so she was raised by her mother, who often blamed her husband's death on Helen's birth. She believed God had taken her husband because she had wished so much for a baby girl. Helen had three older brothers: Harry, Ed, and Sam. In Helen's early teen years,
8613-475: Was brought up in Texas with the blues – when I was eleven or twelve years old down in what they call 'barbecue row' I used to sit in with the guys that had the broken bottlenecks on their guitars, playing the blues; that's all we knew." After hearing James solo on several numbers at a Benny Goodman one-nighter, Armstrong enthused to his friend and Goodman vibraphonist Lionel Hampton , "That white boy – he plays like
8712-509: Was dominated by steps such as the waltz and polka . As jazz migrated from its New Orleans origin to Chicago and New York City , energetic, suggestive dances traveled with it. During the next decades, ballrooms filled with people doing the jitterbug and Lindy Hop . The dance duo Vernon and Irene Castle popularized the foxtrot while accompanied by the Europe Society Orchestra led by James Reese Europe . One of
8811-515: Was educated in classical music, and he called his new band's music symphonic jazz. The methods of dance bands marked a step away from New Orleans jazz. With the exception of Jelly Roll Morton , who continued playing in the New Orleans style, bandleaders paid attention to the demand for dance music and created their own big bands. They incorporated elements of Broadway , Tin Pan Alley , ragtime , and vaudeville . Duke Ellington led his band at
8910-545: Was hired. Several decades later, Forrest explained in an interview, "Harry James was wonderful. When I joined him, I said, 'There's only one condition: I don't care how much you pay me, I don't care about arrangements. The one thing I want is to start a chorus and finish it. I want to do verses, so don't put me up for a chorus in the middle of an instrumental.' He said, 'You got it,' and that was it." She also told writer George T. Simon , "I'll always remain grateful to Artie and Benny. But they had been featuring me more like they did
9009-550: Was influential on new trumpet players from the late 1930s into the 1940s. He was also an actor in a number of films that usually featured his band. Harry James was born in Albany, Georgia , United States, the son of Everett Robert James, a bandleader in a traveling circus, the Mighty Haag Circus , and Myrtle Maybelle (Stewart), an acrobat and horseback rider. He started performing with the circus at an early age, first as
9108-585: Was known as “Bonnie Blue” and “The Blue Lady of Song.” Eventually she found a singing job at the Madrillon Club, in Washington, D.C. , where she performed for approximately two years. After seeing Forrest at the Madrillon, bandleader Artie Shaw asked her to go on tour with him; Shaw was looking for new talent when vocalist Billie Holiday decided to leave the band. Helen was hired in 1938. For
9207-629: Was leading the second band in the Christy Brothers Circus, for which his family was then working. James's father placed him on a strict daily practice schedule. At each session he was given several pages to learn from the Arban's book and was not allowed to pursue any other pastime until he had learned them. In 1924, his family settled in Beaumont, Texas . It was here in the early 1930s that James began playing in local dance bands when he
9306-411: Was married three times, first to singer Louise Tobin on May 4, 1935, with whom he had two sons, Harry Jeffrey James (b. 1941) and Timothy Ray James (b. 1942). They divorced in 1943. Later that year he married actress Betty Grable . They had two daughters, Victoria Elizabeth (b. 1944) and Jessica (b. 1947), before divorcing in 1965. In December 1967 James wed Las Vegas showgirl Joan Boyd. The couple had
9405-408: Was not, perhaps, a jazz singer in the truest sense, she brought to her songs a wistful 'girl-next-door' quality" through her "femininity and warmth of her voice and the clear, emotional phrasing of her lyrics." In his book The Big Bands , writer George Simon wrote, "Helen was a wonderfully warm and natural singer." Over the course of her career, Helen Forrest recorded more than 500 songs. In 2001, she
9504-475: Was noticed by nationally popular Ben Pollack . In 1935 he joined Pollack's band, but left at the start of 1937 to join Benny Goodman 's orchestra, where he stayed through 1938. He was nicknamed "The Hawk" early in his career for his ability to sight-read . A common joke was that if a fly landed on his written music, Harry James would play it. His low range had a warmth associated with the cornet and even
9603-469: Was still very much in business. James' band was the first high-profile orchestra to feature vocalist Frank Sinatra , who signed a one-year, $ 75 a week contract with it in 1939 ($ 1,589 a week in 2022). James wanted to change Sinatra's name to 'Frankie Satin', but the singer refused. Sinatra only worked seven months before leaving to join Tommy Dorsey 's outfit. The James band's featured female vocalist
9702-423: Was the first in a series released on Capitol, and continuing later on MGM , representative of the Basie style that James adopted during this period, with some of the arrangements provided by former Basie saxophonist and arranger Ernie Wilkins , whom James hired for his own band. While James never completely regained favor with jazz critics during his lifetime in spite of his return to more jazz-oriented releases in
9801-479: Was the most popular female band singer in the country and Harry had the most popular band in the country. It didn't last long, but it sure was something while it lasted. Everyone should have something like it at least once in their lives. I'm grateful I did." - Helen Forrest (circa 1982) At the peak of her career, Helen Forrest was the most popular female singer in the United States . Because of her work with
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