Your Dance Date with Harry James, Plus Reups

Harry James led a big band for an impressively long time - from leaving the Benny Goodman band in 1939 until his death in 1983.

This 1950 10-inch LP is much closer to the beginning of his career than the end. Nonetheless, it came out when the big band era was already in decline.

For this date, James assembled a program that bookended uptempo numbers with ballads on each side of the record. Since this is one of Columbia's "Designed for Dancing" series, there is 10 seconds of instrumental noodling between each item, plus a snatch of Bix Beiderbecke's "In a Mist" at the end of each side.

The album opens with "Sweet Jenny Lou," a new song by Jimmy Mundy, arranged here by Paul Villepigue. "These Foolish Things" has a Neal Hefti arrangement.

With the "New Two O'Clock Jump," also arranged by Hefti, James revisits his "Two O'Clock Jump" from 1939. The earlier version was attributed to James and Goodman, with this one allotted to James alone. Both are based on Count Basie's "One O'Clock Jump" from 1937, one of the most famous swing records of all time, featuring a transcendental solo by Lester Young. I have included both the Basie and 1939 James records in the download as bonus tracks. These are not my transfers, but I did remaster the sound. You will quickly note the difference between Basie's incredible band and James's talented ensemble.

On side 2, "Big John's Special" is a Horace Henderson song first recorded by Fletcher Henderson in 1934. It was frequently performed by Benny Goodman (as "Big John Special"), with solos by Harry James when he was in the band. "Squatty Roo" (here spelled "Squaty Roo") is a Johnny Hodges song first recorded by him in 1941.

Throughout you will hear James's fat trumpet sound, plus solos by pianist Bruce McDonald. The featured sax players are likely alto Willie Smith and tenor Corky Corcoran.

I've done my best to liven up the surprisingly dull sound that emanated from my near-mint copy of this LP. The results are very pleasing, I think.

Previously in Columbia's "Your Dance Date" series, I've offered LPs by Les Brown, Hal McIntyre and George Siravo.

Reups

Rosemary Clooney - The Stars Are Singing
This is a soundtrack of sorts to Clooney's first movie, 1953's The Stars Are Singing. All vocals on this enjoyable EP are by Rosie, ending up with her giant hit "Come on-a My House." That particular number was written by Saroyan and Bagdasarian. The others came from the Livingston and Evans factory.

Ginger Rogers as Alice in Wonderland
This is the 1944 soundtrack to an aborted Disney production of Alice in Wonderland, with Ginger Rogers as a live-action Alice interacting with cartoon characters. The film never was produced, but Decca issued the pre-recordings in a 78 set. This transfer is from the later 10-inch LP version.