HARRY JAMES - FLIGHT OF THE BUMBLEBEE - FILMSTRIP

[Elegantjet]

Fantastic!!!

[LoveHedgies]

o my ba-jesus! 

[123TNTpie]

im 13 and ive bin playin for 2 years another 10 to go to play this song

[sabinoson]

Now all we need is Gordon Jones and Keye Luke to ride in on their souped up and armored "Black Beauty" as "The Green Hornet and Kato" to this rendition!

[MrDotMontage]

can anyone tell me where i can find sheet music for this???

[katiemay1856]

awsome!!!!!

[windstorm1000]

I LOVE Harry's schamltzy tone--has some fat on it for your ear to hook on to--and I mean that in a good way. Its not on this solo understandibly--no time for it!!!

[hendrix0is0lord]

I still like Harry James Angus more.

[SPMylesable]

My chops are tired just from watching him play!

[theartfactor]

@SPMylesable And get this, Harry said that BUMBLEBEE was not the most difficult piece of music he ever played. The most difficult, according to Harry, was TRUMPET RHAPSODY I and II, because it was so long and had few if any rests.

[SuperSnackShack]

thought he was dropping to his knees at 1:20 from lack of breath... then i realized that it was just the camera

[SpRiTzSpLaSh]

I find this man incredibly good looking.

[RacerXGTO]

I used to play trumpet exactly like that, but then I took an arrow to the knee

[foreverblue04]

Harry James Potter!

[walezfynest]

Cool Calm Collected...ChickMagnet

[BigBlockTA79]

Jazz, sweet, classical, swing - Harry James could play all of those to perfection. There may be those that rival him in one style, but no one I know of can match him at all of them. Check out his version of Carnival of Venice - SUPERB!!!

[theartfactor]

@BigBlockTA79 To see this virtuoso's extraordinary talents watch the Esther Williams

1944 film, BATHING BEAUTY, and see him perform the violin standard, Hora Staccato, on the TRUMPET!

[92cervus82]

For his time, Harry was THE trumpet player, and remains one of the greatest of ALL time, possessing a truly unique style and sound ... and has anyone ever LOOKED better with a trumpet in their hand? It was Betty Grable who got lucky, not the other way around!

[theartfactor]

@92cervus82 For his time? Harry, his style and abilities hold up against any of the so called "trumpet stars" of today. He was an extraordinary musician, tremendously disciplined as a trumpeter but undisciplined in his personal life.  Were he around today he would still be tops.

[92cervus82]

@theartfactor I completely concur - I merely sought to put to Harry's playing in the context of his own time, during which he stood alone as the undisputed master!

[GamerReks97]

one of the best trupet players of the world

[pcrhkr]

I have heard the Doc, and others play this, and Harry James is on doubt the best I have heard. He made childs play out of it. God Gifted.

[Hiraghm]

My father always wanted me to play this. I tried. It was so *hard*, and I never did master it. Listen to him... you can hear every... single... note..

[chris67humphreys]

Superb.

Jill Dale

[Frazerpatstewart]

Iam a trumpet player myself and all hes doing is 3,2,1 over and over, THIS IS A LOAD OF BULLSHIT!!!!

[millionare61]

@Frazerpatstewart This is not a load of bullshit. I'd love to see you pull that off. You see how long he can hold his fucking breath. he was like doing 12 bar breaths. Holy shit and the speed of that along with tonging.YEAH YOU DO THAT SHITFACE!! also the soeed of it

[Hiraghm]

@Frazerpatstewart - Then you do it.

[givemetoast]

Harry James...no joke!

[br3nn3nrul3z]

This is like guitar hero on expert o_O

[mmarcelo99]

@br3nn3nrul3z harder

[ARMYTANKERS976]

that is awsome i have the music but i cant play it yet

[MrRacage]

this guy is amazing

[theartfactor]

Microblitz, you apparently missed my whole point. I'm sorry you just didn't understand.

[Microblitz]

@theartfactor I'm sorry you can't make your point without being rude. Don't worry I won't come back.

[Microblitz]

Harry James was probably one ofthe most underated trumpet players ever. The Jazz guys get all the glory, but he was technically one of the most brilliant players I've ever seen. If you watch Mendez playing the flight of the bumble bee, even he is tired after playing it. Harry even has time during the performance to make sure that his section is keeping up with him, and after, it looks like he just got done playing tune a day book one! if you want cool that's it.

[theartfactor]

@Microblitz

I would respectfully have to disagree with you on two points: First Harry was underrated ONLY by certain younger so called Jazz critics who were weaned on the Miles Davis school of trumpet Jazz. Veteran well rounded Jazz writers and historians have long recognized Harry's tremendous talent. Secondly, you must understand that musical sequences are pre recorded and musicians and singers just go through the motions for the camera.  The synch was incredible.

[Microblitz]

@theartfactor I fail to see anything "respectful" about your post since the second half of it was a thinly veiled attempt to belittle me. I see no point in continuing this discussion if that is your attitude.

[YoJoe456]

@Microblitz I assume you mean the Mendez - Bumblebee video on Youtube? He looks tired after playing it because he's doing it one breath to show off breath control. But I do agree, Harry James is a terrific trumpet player, and played with big, big names.

[pinkpanther1st]

@YoJoe456 to Microblitz,you've got it the wrong way round,Harry was the big name,and others played with him!!

[santival505]

U are sik wicked... Gah... Only dreams for me. Thank you for your talent.

[TheForrestal]

Crazychik:

A lot can be learned from the older tradesmen of all trades, I think because they took

their trade more seriously than many do today. Probably because overall pride in work and performance meant something.Thanks for your comment.

[davincent98]

Beautiful. I played for one year, and that taught me to read music and appreciate the trumpet players. Anyone that can work those fingers, tighten those lips, and hold that much air deserves something grandiose.

[theartfactor]

You are half correct. The other half is the breadth control to play those long difficult passages in one breadth. Another interesting fact is that Harry often purposely arranged his parts in extremely tough keys, especially for Bb trumpet players, for instance 6 sharps. That alone would kill most trumpet players

[TheRandomFinger]

@theartfactor So true i play the rumpet and i hate when there is alot of sharps or flats

[hershman1956]

The hardest part of this piece is the speed. Not everyone, even good trumpet or cornet players, can play at that speed.

[donmoseslerman]

what valve work unbelievable talent !

[theartfactor]

Harry James was trained first as a drummer, age 4. Started on the trumpet at age 9. In addition to becoming a trumpet virtuoso Harry was also a composer of original tunes which became James standards ( Carnival, Ultra, Back Beat Boogie, James Session and scores of others). He was also an arranger and conductor. He had perfect pitch and once he read an arrangement he had it memorized forever, in other words a photographic memory.

[TheSoujiaboy1]

<3 Harry james. not only is he a trumpet player he is also a conductor

[TheForrestal]

Thanks for picking up on my comment Theartfactor. It was complimentary to Harry James and me. Those musicians of the days of yore were truly high quality.

[TheForrestal]

I don't know trumpet but this piece must be incredibly difficult on an instrument that is played with only three fingers on one hand and with the lung capacity required to play those phrases without breaking. This man was damn good at his trade.

Am I wrong trumpet players?

[theartfactor]

@TheForrestal

You are right on the money, Forrestal. Some of the most difficult classical pieces were written primarily for the violin and the piano. Being a trumpet player myself and having a son who is a trumpet ace those pieces are extraordinarily difficult for the various reasons you state. 85 to 90% of the famous Pop and Jazz trumpeters of the 20th century never had the strict technical foundation that Harry James had. It showed in is playing throughout his career.

[theartfactor]

@TheForrestal

You are right on the money, Forrestal. Some of the most difficult classical pieces were written primarily for the violin and the piano. Being a trumpet player myself and having a son who is a trumpet ace those pieces are extraordinarily difficult for the various reasons you state. 85 to 90% of the famous Pop and Jazz trumpeters of the 20th century never had the strict technical foundation that Harry James had. It showed in is playing throughout his career.

[crazychickorita]

@TheForrestal you are not wrong it is damn hard to get 2 lines above the staff not to metion 4

[Edtique]

I not only have a James Parduba mouthpiece I have many of his classical and other arrangements and all the passages are arranged with enough space to breathe. (  Bee, Concerto, Carnival etc.) However I am happy to agree that James probably could circular breathe when needed. I was a kid determined to play like Harry James I only lacked one thing....talent! I believe I saw James smoking at one of the hotels in Vegas but maybe I was mistaken. I never actually met my idol but I miss him.

[theartfactor]

That makes sense because in Vegas and elsewhere with his big band playing mostly Jazz solos or ballads circular breathing would never be necessary but being the classically trained virtuoso he was, as a young guy, when he played the bravura classical numbers he more than likely used it then. As I stated before the circular breathing is primarily used by classical trumpeters especially on the long solo passages common in trumpet literature.

[Edtique]

Any time I have seen James play in person (Vegas) I never noticed any circular breathing , like tell-tale cheek puffs and imposible playing longevity with no apparent unlinking of the lips and mouthpiece ( Parduba No5 Double cup). Of course in the movie clips it's mostly all synchronized sound-over playing and not indicative of anything. When I was a kid I used to like to imitate James, the only person that thought I sounded like him was my mother! Eddie in New York.

[JayTay000]

Well this guys puts my playing to shame lol

[theartfactor]

Being the virtuoso of the trumpet that he was Harry James more than likely used a technique known as "circular breathing" which, when mastered, allows a trumpeter to take in and store breadth as he is expelling air.. Classical trumpeters use it more than big band or jazz trumpeters.

[theartfactor]

Being the virtuoso of the trumpet that he was Harry James more than likely used a technique known as "circular breathing" which, when mastered, allows a trumpeter to take in and store breadth as he is expelling air.. Classical dtrumpeters use it more than big band or jazz trumpeters.

[MusicChrisis]

I wonder how he breathes..

its like he can breathe through his ears.

[gomtao]

@MusicChrisis LOLOLOLOL

[TheyCallMeIndigo]

leave it to a group of trumpet players to try to prove me wrong over and over and over. X) how many trupmet players does it take to screw in a light bulb? 5... 1 to screw it in and 4 to say "I could do it faster, higher and with better technique."

[fleabites98]

that was hot

[theartfactor]

TheyCallMeIndigo:

You are only half right on your comment. Yes, there are alternate fingerings for some notes but the valve stem-cap distance is standard on all trumpets I have ever seen. A friend of mine owns two of Harry's 1960's trumpets, a balanced King and a balanced Selmer, both gold plated and engraved. I have held them both and they have the standard valve stem lengths. Face it James was an extraordinary trumpeter and was able to play compositions that most could never play.

[Edtique]

On this piece Harry James reigns supreme. James's natural full bodied tone

( Harry was the undisputed king of the squeeze, slide, glide and slur), add to this his intonation and volia, a Bee sound so realistic that you need to wear protective clothing. While it was written for violin James has equalled the effect and maybe even surpassed it. Back in the thirties all us kids wanted to play like Harry James. Eddie in New York

[Keysmusic]

Inspector Clouseau on the trumpet.

[theartfactor]

If anyone could do it Harry would have been the trumpeter to do it, however, the piece requires complex fingerings and valve positions to achieve the proper notes. On top of that there is the speed required to play it appropriately. As a fellow trumpeter I do not know how that could be physically possible. If any other trumpeter has a theory on this I am open to it.

[XtremeCJYoYoFreak]

@theartfactor The same way you become good at anything: practice, practice, practice. I've been playing the trumpet for years on a very high level and have been on "Flight of the Bumble Bee" for a few weeks now, but not nearly as close to this one as I would like to be. But oh well..oil your valves so there is no lag when you release one, and you have a good base.

[joshdphenom]

@theartfactor the tempo is just Vivace. It takes practice, that's all

[TheyCallMeIndigo]

@theartfactor a kid i went to school with could pull this off. alot of it has to do with tounging technique and having the proper horn. his keys are very short, thus giving more speed. also, alternative key positions help too. Harry James wasn't the only one to play this piece, as impossible as it looks. don't get me wrong, the peice is killer fast and hard as hell. 

[fleabites98]

@TheyCallMeIndigo post a video of your school friend playing ;) I dare you!!!!!

[TheyCallMeIndigo]

@fleabites98 it was 12 years ago. don't care if you don't believe it. Kid was insane at trumpet... but it's not the first time a high school kid has done it. he did it as a Juilliard audition. did it a ton of times in pratice damn near perfect and botched his audition.

[fleabites98]

@TheyCallMeIndigo haha, did I say I don't believe you? but it is just that you can't prove it PAL. so what about it was 12 years ago, you can still find him and record his performance. he should be even better now. I am look forward to watch this amazing performance. IN the world of performance music, people 'show' not 'blab'

[TheyCallMeIndigo]

@fleabites98 don't know where the dude is know. way to be an ass, btw. " As a fellow trumpeter I do not know how that could be physically possible." if you can't figure out how it's possible, then you're not very good at your instument, son. The fact that you think an instrument with 3 keys has "complex fingerings" speaks volumes about your playing. if you're going to be an asshole, then talk to sombody else. you asked for opinions.

[fleabites98]

@TheyCallMeIndigo wow, you sure know a lot of swear words, good on you. your quotes were from 'theartfactor' not from me. All I was saying was that you can't prove your school friend can play as good as Harry. By the way you need to polish up your youtube skill, you were so clouded by anger that you started to quote some statement that was not mine, haha. Have a nice one. haha

[gertnood]

@TheyCallMeIndigo Tonguing technique? It is not double-tongued. It requires flexibility, full command of the low and middle register, and nimble fingers/good technique. Proper horn? Well, the valves have to work smoothly, other than that it is up to the player. A player capable of playing this on a pro level horn could also do it on a student horn, provided each of them had smooth, free running valves. Alternate fingerings help with rapid passages, sure, that is standard practice.

[TheyCallMeIndigo]

@gertnood when i say, proper horn, i mean one with short stroke valves generally found on vintage horns. the piece can be done with double and triple tounging techniques.

[TheAngeltoDemon]

@TheyCallMeIndigo

It has nothing to do with the horn, if ever get your chops sorted out at a very high level, you realize the horn matters very little (Bill Adam, Bill Fielder, Claude Gordon, lots of legendary guys who figured it out) This piece isn't what makes Harry IMO. It was Harry's sound and all the emotion that came out of his horn is where he excelled. And he had such a huge solid core to his sound, it's not about bright or dark, it's the size of that core in the sound that is key.

[TheyCallMeIndigo]

@TheAngeltoDemon i was replying to the comment " As a fellow trumpeter I do not know how that could be physically possible." and was giving some advice and tips that can help those of us who aren't pro players reach the gaol of playing this piece easier.

[TheAngeltoDemon]

@TheyCallMeIndigo Cool, sorry to take out of context. Just tell him to nail Clarke Tech studies, fingers high, slam the keys down, go slow and build up with a metronome, right?:) Think I read that with Vizutti/Severnson.

[TheyCallMeIndigo]

@TheAngeltoDemon it's all good. no worries.

[dmpreheim]

According to the great book "Trumpet Blues- The Life of Harry James", on at least one occasion HJ played this with one finger.

[edwardconway27]

This man is fucking sick! You are God Mr. James!

[theartfactor]

No mute. He is playing that completely open. Rafael Mendez' version is played with a straight mute.

[joshdphenom]

Is he using a mute?

[kormiquizzle]

@joshdphenom Thats a negative ghost rider!

[theaed02]

SO RIGHT. MANY PLAY IT BUT NONE WITH THE EXCITEMENT AND STYLE THAT HARRY DOES. HE WAS SOMMETHING SPECIAL. AND THAT TONE...SOLID

[theartfactor]

Harry James played a Selmer Balanced model Bb trumpet until the late '50's when he switched to a King trumpet. In the filmstrip Harry is playing his gold plated specially engraved Selmer. I have a rare Selmer Balanced Harry James model Bb trumpet which my paraents purchased for me in 1954 when I was in high school. It is in mint condition and highly prized.

[irchristo]

@theartfactor: damn the "highly prized" - I would totally play that fancy trumpet!



[tptman001]

what type of trumpet is that

[Edtique]

Of course Harry James' version will always be my favorite, but if you are a Bee fan and want to hear a unique and incredible version, U-tube up the late Al Hert's rendition of the Green Hornet theme, you will be in for a treat. I managed to catch Al Hert live in concert and I must admit he plays one hell of a mean and clean trumpet. Al Hert like Harry James does not get the acolades that they deserve. Trust me listen and injoy Al Herts rendition of the Green Hornet Bee. Eddie in NY.

[Edtique]

Epilogue: This piece was written for the violin however no other instramentalist has ever made this piece sound like a living bee better or even close to Harry James. If ever a classic piece was written for Harry the Flight of the BumbleBee by Rimsky Korsakow is it. You can hear decent copies of Ciribiribin and maybe you can hear Hora-got-stucko played even better, but no one now or ever can play the Bee so life-like and exciting as Harry James. Eddie in New York.

[Edtique]

I was in New York City playing trumpet during the late thirties and fourties when Harry James was recognized as the BEST orchestra and soloist trumpeter in the country. As a kid I convinced my dad to swap my Boy Scout bugle for a B-flat trumpet and quickly junked my Bach 7C mouthpiece for a Paduba N0 5 Double Cup Jame's model with his name on it which I still have tucked away somewhere. I caught up with my hero in Vegas in the early sixties and he still blew us all away.

Eddie in New York.

[Zoomuck000]

That's like the best I've ever heard flight of the bumblebee played. He sounds so good and looks like he isn't even trying! That guy makes my trumpet playing look like crap lol

[theartfactor]

@Zoomuck000

Harry James, trumpet virtuoso, big band leader and Jazz superstar, was the first trumpeter to record that classical piece to my knowledge. He became a trumpet star in Benny Goodman's band in the late '30's, started his own great band in 1939 which he lead for 44 years until his death in 1983. He was a star in films and in BEST FOOT FORWARD lip synced to his own recording. That's what they do in films with singers and musicians so they get it right the first time.

[brassperfectionist]

idk why but i dont like this