ALBUM: Trumpet After Midnight (1954)
MVC Score: 4.0/$$
Interesting background here for a trumpet player.
He was a contortionist in the family circus at age 4. Based in Albany, Ga., he did fancy trick horseback riding up until some horses tried to trample him, only to be saved by his mother’s pony. All this on his Wikipedia page.
He went on to become a band leader and his band was the first to back a young singer named Frank Sinatra.
Musically he was well-respected for his technical prowess on the instrument. My album is great. I have to admit that when I play jazz it’s usually one of my Blue Notes or Chet Baker or even Teo Macero. But I’ve had my James record on the turntable for several days now, and it is fabulous. It is sweet sounding, transports you to another time without being maudlin. It’s the sound of tinkling glasses, a post-war giddiness and a Cold War caution.
The liner notes give an interesting history of the trumpet itself and its place in music.
The vinyl is rigid and thick and says “unbreakable” on it. It’s sort of in the mode of the heavier vinyl used in new pressings. For you old-timers who may remember, the circus he grew up with was called the Mighty Haag Circus.
Some songs: Autumn Leaves, Moanin’ Low, If I Loved You, How Deep is the Ocean.
This is not an expensive record and could probably be ordered online at $5 to $10 plus shipping,