"In the late winter of 1953, the Harry James band was booked at the Bandbox. Next to the Bandbox was Birdland, 'the Jazz Corner of the World.' Between sets, Harry James frequently went to see Miles Davis play with his group...Surprisingly, Miles Davis had admired Harry James's sound while he was growing up in East St. Louis, Illinois. 'I just love the way [Harry James] played. I almost broke my teeth trying to get that big vibrato sound that Harry had. You've got to start way back before you can play bop. You've got to have a foundation.' From their meeting at Birdland, a lasting friendship was formed between the two trumpet titans."
—Peter J. Levinson, Trumpet Blues: The Life of Harry James (1999)
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