Added: 5 years ago
From: dshogan
Views: 451,497
Sort by time | Sort by thread (beta)

Link to this comment:

Share to:
see all

All Comments (330)

Sign In or Sign Up now to post a comment!
  • Freakin Epic!!!

  • So sexy,

  • Holy frickin mackerel. Incredible. If any other trumpet player has ever approached Mr. James level of proficiency I'd like to know who they were/are! I've known a lot of people that could play fast but not as cleanly or with the emotion and range Harry James had. RIP Harry!!!

  • @newcat616 Then you don't know your trumpet history. Listen to the great Rafael Mendez. Harry was great, no doubt. But Mendez could blast through anything faster and definitely more clearly. This takes nothing away from Harry. Great trumpeter and musician. But you need to become aquainted with the master, Mendez.

  • Comment removed

  • Hmm, wonder what it was like to audition for one of the trumpet chairs in Harry's band? I'm sure I would have been somewhat intimidated if I was doing it! :)

  • Undoubtedly one of the greatest trumpeters of all time, along with Raphael Mendez. .

    No modern trumpeter alive can best them!

  • 16 people thought Harry James was a pr0n star and clicked on this link looking for pr0n.

  • His face is like

    this is such a breeze but its still fun :D

  • I'm 17 and I listen still this music!!

  • The best is: It's all "fake", or overdubbed later on, or just mimed to the already recorded sound. -- What a masterpiece!

  • Hello, I am a young guy with Big Band Blood. Both great uncles played in the bands from the late 30s to the 40s... Then again in the 80s to their last days in the late 90s and up to 3 or 4 years ago.

    My grandmother met Harry in '42 or '43, dated a trumpet player in high school that knew Harry. I have a signed photo of his she gave me! Love this clip, a fun movie with the Andrews Sisters! Harry had total control over the trumpet, a true master!

  • his face at 1.21 says..... fuck you all, that was easy!

  • Velik chovek

    

  • those 15 dislikes must be trumpet players who think they can do it better.

  • Fantastico Harry!!!

  • Is that Gene Krupa on drums behind him?

  • I think the title of the tune is Menka(sp?) It was also done by George Rock lead trumpeter from Spike Jones' Other Orchestra.

  • If I was in an opposing Army and I heard this Band before they attacked, I would surrender!

  • harry made it look so easy!

  • Este trompetista é bom pra caramba. Gostei!

  • Harry James is definitely one of the legends of the Big Band era. He actually taught me trumpet lessons when I was a little girl and I owe him and my mother a lot for my gifts in music. I'm not a trumpet player, but I'm sure I'm not the only musician that Harry has inspired over the years regardless of their instrument.

  • He is going INNN!

  • 1:33 bass clarinet?

  • @ESC8781 Yup! :-)

  • Those who insist James was "lip-synching" (and I doubt that can be proven) seem to think that diminishes him. The fact is, he actually played it either when the piece was filmed or at some other time. How many other trumpet players in history could match him?

    Incidentally, "lip-synching" is not the proper term to use when applied to the playing of musical instruments, as it is technically absurd. It is applicable only to singers. The correct term is "miming."

  • Re: the lip-sync issue, while the audio may have been sync'd in that what you're hearing may not be the performance you're seeing, James absolutely could and regularly did play this chart in live performance and many other pieces that would seem "impossible" to us mere mortals. He didn't have to fake anything. He was regarded as one of the most capable players of his day.

  • The reason it might have been sync'd would simply be that a movie sound stage might not be acoustically ideal to record audio. Back then audio editing was fairly crude, you couldn't make seamless edits like with tape or today with digital - you were actually expected to be able to play. Whether it was live or dubbed in it was Harry and his band playing.

  • Is this real life.

  • Its so funny if some trumpet players think they could copy him and just fail all along the line. If you see him playing you know why he's so famous. Just close you eyes and join his incredible sound =)

  • Harry James toca muito.

  • WOW!! I've never heard of him, but WOW.

  • @mariesalas1 I'm glad you found the great Harry James, one of the greatest and most influential trumpet players of all time. Hopefully you'll check out some other Harry James videos on YouTube, but also check out Freddie Hubbard, Clark Terry, Arturo Sandoval, Cat Anderson, Al Hirt, MAynard Ferguson, Wynton Marselles, Rafael Mendez and Alan Vizuitti and his version of Zig Zag. Jaw-dropping.

  • bravo

  • he looks like Peter Sellers in this one. :)

  • He was truly a master of trumpet period

  • I play trumpet and James was always my inspiration. In many movies it seemed obvious to me that just about all the music was dubbed in. However in the clip from this movie Harry appears to be playing his breathing, his chops and his fingering appear genuine. Harry did not circular breathe, he played a large bore Bflat Selmer trumpet using a N0. 5 double cup Perduba mouthpiece for added range. I have one of his mouthpieces with his name on it but I could not master the lower register with it.

  • this man is fucking outstanding! I have his vinyl records, and It's hard to realize that I live in a wrong era.. :(

  • 1:07-1:11 I'm here 3 years later still trying to figure out how the hell he did that.

  • @James9533 Lol Yeah me too. He is phenomenal in this piece. Others may try to duplicate it but It won't sound quite the same.

  • that has got to be one of the strangest stage set-ups ever :S neverthless the music's phenomenal!

  • j'ai rarement vu un type jouer aussi facile que ça! l'alu complète! le mnozil brass l'a repris, c'est grâce à eux que j'ai découvert cette vidéo de taré!

  • He can play, no one can deny that, but listening to his music i think of what Miles said when speaking music going in him when listening across races, i wont post that here but if youre interested its on his documentary here on youtube.

  • his tone is NICE

  • I like how the promoted video right now is "Where Men Become Gods." Fits well with this video.

  • Raphael Mendez was great but he was also a little boring. Harry lights of the room!

  • The dude playin the cello on the bottom left is lookin like, "Why are you such a fuckin beast?"

  • Dizzy Gillespe, Miles Davis and a few other of the jazz greats were asked who had the best overall trumpet technique. Without hesitation, they all said, "Harry James." Harry always pulled off a technical gem or two at this concerts. He used a very shallow Parduba mouthpiece, and was using zero pressure long before most players had heard of the non-pressure system. When I was a kid, every young trumpet player had an Arban's, and Mendez and James records.

  • great !!!

  • This is one of the sexiest things I have ever heard. Seriously. Trumpet, here I come.

  • i just love the music in this era.

  • Comment removed

  • Amazing! I love this sound! :)

  • this man was not on the music player board in my bandroom, so, i printed a picture handed it to the teacher, and said.."why dont you put a real music maker on the board!"

  • I love this!

  • Effortless!

  • I have this movie and the only parts I like are the parts that he's playing. The rest of the movie is...just...terrible.

  • Cool cool cool..James and Mendez were the best in their day..James made it so cool.

  • To think he played like this off his head on vodka! Total control.

  • I love how he's totally swaying to the sing while simultaneously raping his trumpet.

  • 1:32 is insane. the articulations are so precise while doing so much...

  • @hinyaha not really. he binds all notes and slices over the notes. but his lips are very powerful and (i have tried to play it by myself, its not possible) his fingers are FAST!!

  • @mellem51 That won't stop me from trying XD

  • @hinyaha yeah try it :D

  • 1:42 lol gotta love that.

  • gotta love trumpet

  • I was never too keen on strings in the James band. They sound good here. though.

  • Freakin' awesome. At 1:21 he looks so calm and collected, as if playing that masterpiece is nothing out of the ordinary.

  • Freakin' awesome.

  • wow, some flight of the bumblebee and at 0:56 it sounds a bit like summer time

  • OMG!

  • he's so freaking awesome!

  • that trumpet is his bitch

  • untouchable

  • 1:33! Incredible.

  • @MutleyPK Gotta love some Grand Russian Fantasia :)

  • Troot! Troot!

    Funtastic ... that is why Harry Jams is a gay icon!

    i LOVE IT

    Troot, troot,

    Rab Hines

  • who were the 10 people that dislike this?? how can you dislike this?!

  • Seductive slinking around 1:40? Lol

  • 135-145 is completely ridiculous.

  • I grew up thinking al hirt was the greatest and then I heard harry

  • When I saw him at 0:35 I was like...this is the coolest fucking trumpet player I've ever heard in my life. Soooooooo smooth and his tone is sexxxxxxxyyyyyyy as fuckkk. This guy was way ahead of his time the way he played.

  • Is he the best trumpeter?

  • @wilfred0203123 He was a trumpet Virtuoso who could play anything written (within reason, of course). His style was referred to as smaltz by stiff-knecks that hated anyone that didn't play mindless jazz! He will always be known and admired for his technical skill and gorgeous tone, matched only by Bunny Berigan of "I can't get started" fame.

  • what make of trumpet did he use? i love that sound :D

  • @olliea123 He played on an HN White (King) Silver Tone Liberty trumpet during this time period with a Parduba & Sons mouthpiece.

  • @olliea123 Large bore King modified trumpet. He had the valve assembly moved closer to the bell to accomodate his long arms. He was and is still admired for his technical proficiency and a gorgeous tone. Bunny Berigan had just as gorgeous a tone playing "I can't get started," shame he drank himself to death so young.

  • My favourite trumpeter ever!

  • he's the J.S. Bach of the trumpet

    i wish was born at that age... i love those songs and i'm only 16

  • If only I could've been there for this!

  • Damn cigarettes.

  • love love love that music

  • HAT a TALENT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • BEST TRUMPET PLAYER EVER! :)

  • No doubt - born 50 years too late.

  • Amazing talent. Too bad he fell victim to hard drugs.

  • holy crap.... id never heard of this guy till i just saw him in the related videos and he's damn good

  • robolojo-> you're wrong. He's not ahead of his time. He's timeless!!!

  • That truly is some freakin' soul.

    Way ahead of his time, Love it.

  • fucking awesome. if only the piece was longer!

  • Is that Pee Wee Hunt on trombone?

  • there is an old film called "best foot forward" with lucille ball and harry james in a tertiary role. by no means the best film ever made, but it's fun to watch harry. check it out if you can find a copy.

  • This was like the Vizzutti back in the day

  • @hawvichorst2 I somehow remember that Vizzutti played in Harry James' big band early in his career.

  • @mjbari3 Nope, it was Woody Herman that I was thinking of!

  • amazing i wish i was as good as him

  • It doesn't even look like he's trying! His lip muscles are powerful!!!!

  • kickin a**

  • this trumpet player's fantastic.

  • this guy is a beast

  • I have to do a project on Harry James, and I was looking for a good song by him to give as an example of his work. I think I have found that good song!

  • great playing ! Thats a bright sound,(not in vogue today :Chris Botti,Miles ect), It works as a lead trumpet for that big band stuff.

  • He sounds so good. Kind of reminds me of Vizzutti.

  • Mnoho lidí se nechalo zmýlit uniformami.Uvádím H.J. neměl armádní band,záběry jsou z filmu.Kromě nejslavnějších bandů Glenna Milera a Artie Shawa měla armáda ještě kolem 25 podobných těles. Sám jsem viděl po válce Erica Winstona. Zdeněk

  • awsome

  • fantastico

  • I LOVE the Big Band era!

  • I saw James perform several times in the 1950s and 60s. He always looked as though he could play with the trumpet suspended from a string, with absolutely no lip pressure applied. Thus, I doubt that this performance was lip-synched. (Check out the other players in the band.) Clearly, he was one of the top two or three ever. Let's not quibble over who was best; at that level, they were phenomenal!

  • How old are you (no offence)

  • Late 60s, alas.

  • Definitely live playing --- it is very obvious.

  • @tarbush361

    This is definitely lip-synched.

  • @kidfromredbank obvious troll is obvious?

  • bloody hell never really heared of this guy but by god he could play the tonguing is out of this world. truly awsome.

  • Good Lord in heaven, no wonder why he was always my favorite trumpet player. He makes it look so damn easy. Absolutely amazing.

  • James was using a special gold plated Selmer at this time. Louis Armstrong used the same Selmer model all his career. James switched to King horns in the 50s. The Paraduba mouthpiece really makes no difference, he simply had a contract to endorse it. He was a true child prodigy, read the book Trumpet Blues.

  • As near as I can tell, he never "endorsed" Parduba. He just tried one in about 1936 and really liked it.

  • I've never heard anyone play a horn like James could, even to this day. When you consider that the recording equipment in '42 was crummy by today's standards, you realize just how good he could really play. 5 Stars!

  • oops super olds* recording

  • to my eye, his trupet looks like a super old recording? plz leave some feed back and also.... GREAT VID ths guy has to be all time fav!!

  • It is most likely a selmer trumpet with his parduba

  • Holy Wow!

  • what's thenote that he ends on? i don't feel like getting my trumpet out to figure it out =]

  • it's a high D  :D

  • Wait isnt this the grand russian fantasia???

    i mean, at the end it takes a clear reference to it.

  • The end is basically Grand Russian Fantasia, yes.

  • i think you're right..the end sounds like Grand Russian Fantasia and some parts of the 7th variation on Carnival of Venice.

  • Whan an emboushure....I'll bet he could have cracked walnuts with his lips...

  • hands down, my favorite trumpet player. I just love his style and tone

  • haha, all of the expressions he shows makes it look like he's not even trying. So good.

  • That's the mark of a world class musician.:)

  • Phenomenal!

  • i really like his little shin dig from 0:34 to 0:45

  • he plays this piece like its SO EASY but when you see the sheetmusic what he actualy played its insane probably one of the hardest sheets to play in the world

  • He has polished all-round technique!

    He is the great "lyrical trumpeter" from Albany, Georgia.

  • que concierto de trompeta es

  • Concerto for Trumpet es el nombre que encontraras en la partitura.

  • yea its trompetista.

  • My first band director has pictures of this guy posted all over the walls, just to make us know what a perfect embochure looks like.

  • go trumpets! and it doesnt look like he is moving his embochure. most people do when they play brass. especially to get higher. its weird

  • harry james is my favorite trumpeter of all time

  • EXELENTE , É O CARA.

  • Such embochure, such force and purity, such frivolous phrasing. And a great ladies´ man to boot. Teii me today´s scene isn´t bland,or?

  • He was truly amazing! There were none like him before him and there will never be any one like him. Long Live harry James!

  • what was his mouthpiece size_

  • Parduba 5 star double cup I believe.

  • like it's important?? -.-

  • This guy was the greatest of the 20th century great trumpet players! he could play class, smaltz and swing with the best!!!

  • WoW!٩(-̮̮̃-̃)۶

  • Harry James!!!

  • I grew up on rock and all that hippy shit music.......but I always liked the music of my parents generation. I like it even better now. Harry James, for my money, was the best trumpet player that ever lived. This guy was born to play the trumpet

  • holy fucking jesus

  • Impressive Grandiose Awesome

    specially from 1:35 to 1:45

  • Comment removed

  • Amazing !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • harry de los mejores trompetistas guadalajara mex.

    extraordinario!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • is this guy a god--or wtf

  • fecking awesome

  • damn!!

  • lol i love this guys style....kinda dancing and swaying with the music

  • I have listened to this many times. And I just have no idea how he does it! He is possibly one of the greatest musicians of all time.

  • He definately has great technique, but I'd much rather listen to somebody who doesn't sound like

    their practicing the Arban

  • Nobody will ever play trumpet like that or last as long as Harry James. He was and is and forever will be the greatest!

  • trumpet master right here!!

  • Man this is great.Wish someday I could become this good.