The saxophonist here is Corky Corcoran, lead tenor on Harry James' band recordings from 1941 through the 1970s. That's James on trumpet, of course, and James band stringman John deVoodgt to James' right. I'm guessing this is 1943 based on the cut of their suits and the fabulous 1943 newspaper photo of James on the right.
The photo at the top is from Betty's collection of snapshots and stills sent along to me by her friend Chris. Betty has donated all of her prints, including this one, to Rutgers University's Institute of Jazz Studies. But since she and Chris also are big JazzWax readers, they wanted you to see them, too.
JazzWax clip: It seems unfair for me to force you to look at photos of James from 1943 without letting you hear something by him as well. Here's the '43 James orchestra with strings featuring Helen Forrest singing the World War II heart-tugger I Heard You Cried Last Night...
A-ha! The real Harry James, in photos and on trumpet. Last Friday's Booker T. post got a bit confusing; while the clip was indeed of James's orchestra, the identifying still-frame showed, not James, but a band clarinetist soloing. Who was that unmasked man anyway?
Posted by: Ed Leimbacher | May 16, 2011 at 02:34 PM
When I arrived in the Pacific Northwest in the early ‘60s, Corky Corcoran was already something of a music legend in those parts. Word was Harry James had snatched him out of Tacoma, Washington when he was only 15 and became his legal guardian so that Corky could travel with the band. This was back in the early ‘40s, and when I first worked with Corky he’d been in and out of the James band for more than 20 years.
In the summer of 1965, the James band was on hiatus and Corky had come back to Seattle to play golf and enjoy featured billing in Burke Garret’s territory band -- with the emphasis on golf. His Vido Musso-like sound led the guys in the band to refer to him as “the last of the big sounding tenors”. He had great energy and fire for a guy who had been blowing so big for so many years and was a real inspiration to all the younger players. During subsequent summer breaks from James’ Las Vegas engagements, Corky would join my group at the Gaslamp Tavern in Bellevue, usually with a bunch of spectacular Johnny Mandel charts tucked under his arm.
Posted by: Jery Rowan | May 17, 2011 at 12:21 PM