Harry James "Blues for Sale" 1967

Harry James plays "Blues for Sale" from a 1967 TV show. Also featured is Sonny Payne on drums.

[@stixkubwa]

Am impressed by the way Harry James enjoyed his own band. His body language is so expressive. Same too with Sonny Payne.

[@RollinShultz]

I saw him live at Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh PA around 1970 it was awesomely inspiring for my H.S. trumpet days.

[@nylesfrench3568]

Sonny Payne is a Groovin Tornado. Great Tune, Harry was Great.

[@chewgumer]

Sonny Payne`s drumming was out of this world.

[@bblegacy]

In some ways I think he's my all time favorite drummer over everybody else in the entire spectrum of the last 90 years of Jazz and I mean EVERYBODY.

[@robertayer7654]

Harry simply played the hell out of this. What a player.

[@thomaskirkpatrick1134]

Tremendous Harry! On The Ed Sullivan Show!

[@philpryor7524]

Sensational. It's swinging, musical, fun, skilled, powerful, all together. Harry was as fine an all round trumpeter as any, while Sonny Payne's drumming is so worth watching for real humour under the class. That sax soli, the trumpet section, the tightness of all, it is a beauty!

[@Horizen3872]

That is swinging! Sonny was a great drummer! Catching sticks behind your back while keeping time is not something easy to do. Great band too.

[@711ATOM]

I grew up a big fan of Buddy Rich, watching him so many times on Carson, but wow, Mr. Payne could really drive a band; it just sounds great. He died of pneumonia when he was only 52. I wish there was more film of his performances.

[@mossmonaco9061]

HJ payed the hospital and funeral expenses.

[@williambeck6364]

Sonny Payne - WHAT A SHOWMAN!!!!!

[@Manofpeasable]

I like that the video description says, "from a 1967 TV show..." Some blip on the American TV map called, "The Ed Sullivan Show."

[@frankfan42]

Sullivan once said of Harry James that he was the "Babe Ruth of the Big Bands." I think the late 50s and earlu 60s James bands are awesome. You can almost hear Harry telling the critics who panned him for being overly commercial in the 40's ",Take That." It is obvious he was still in top form and had a modern, contemporary band that was still vital, pushing and had not fallen into the nostalgia mode. Thanks for a great video of a great band!.

[@sbullar]

I wonder why Sonny ever left Basie, you would think that would be the ultimate gig for anyone, especially a drummer. I never realized how long Sonny was with the James band, quite a few years. Sonny played in a style unlike about anyone else, very dynamic and powerful, but always swinging.

[@thecrippledrummer]

Sonny was an alcoholic to the point where Basie grew tired of the problems it caused.

[@steveszejna989]

Sonny Payne is an incredible drummer.

[@ParadiddleMcFlam]

Great! I never realized that Sonny Payne was such a showman!

[@millsbrothers]

Sonny is, was, a driving force and it was sad when he was no longer with Basie cuz wholy shit they fit together soo well! Thaats one drummer Id bring back to life!

[@arthurcarr1544]

Harry could play and the band swung, wow.

[@mikegilbert2500]

no one cooler than the great Harry James. Fantastic

[@dmanwainright2132]

OH SO COOL

[@bobwojnarowski6997]

What a performance by Harry and Sonny.

[@alfredoremus4409]

Qué buena está big band con el grandioso Sonny!!

[@dianabentley1938]

I remember seeing this! My uncle was Corky Corcoran, and you can bet we were tuned in to Ed Sullivan that night.

[@daniellesims5236]

Diana Bentley my dad was Ray Sims

[@wadeharris65]

Danielle, one of my favorite moments of your dad's was a record he made with Anita O'Day in the late '40s, "Malaguena"; after he takes a solo, he and Anita duet for just a few bars - she with her singing, he on his trombone. It doesn't last long, but it's pure magic.

[@dmanwainright2132]

Thanks Chuck! What a great song, saw this for the first time on an Ed Sull re-run last wk Harry James looks kinda like Rodney Dangerfield and just WICKED on the trumpet!! Sweet band, dummer is a swinging beast

[@ChuckParDueMusic]

@@dmanwainright2132 glad you enjoyed it!

[@ChuckParDueMusic]

@@dmanwainright2132 glad you enjoyed it!

[@thenel2162]

Sonny is my favorite in a big band period! Just a total mfer! Playing all this super hip shit.

[@nyterpfan]

His phrasing is so bad-ass...slick and stylish like nobody else!!

[@allenhinc8403]

Harry and the band sounding just well great. Harry really swinging on target. If you played the trumpet you know what he is doing is dam near impossible.

[@kerstinandersson3659]

SONNY PAYNE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@sherom]

Harry is the best ! Thanks for posting !

[@frankfan42]

This, of course, is from the Sullivan show. Thank you so much for posting this. Have a CD of Big Bands on the Sullivan show and Ed calls Harry James the Babe Ruth of the Big Bands! I agree with him.

[@musicom67]

1:55 - Nothing like being in Payne!

[@fa2433]

muchas gracias maestro por todo los que nos dio con su trompeta y su don para interpretarla gracias desde san luis argentina

[@GospelRichard]

Fantastic!!.

[@Oldpigsass]

My absolute favourite drummer of all time. Someone please explain a phrase I see all over the Comments sections: Old-fashioned drumming. Eh? Compared to present-day match grip detuned playing, which to me sounds like a bunch of Nike trainers in a tumble dryer?

[@juanmanuelparadacontreras9565]

Simplemente genial.

[@Woosterfan1954]

now that's swingin. Great video.

[@cjgaddy]

WOW! This is great. I love the Sax section run beginning at 1:15. I have now forgotten the lead alto player’s name, but I’ve always loved his sound with Harry’s Band.

[@ChuckParDueMusic]

The lead alto was Joe Riggs

[@rmo52]

Joe always sounded just like Marshall Royal. And a nice guy.

[@bblegacy]

Joe Riggs... one of my favorite totally unknown obscure players of the post-bop not avant-garde 60s generation. And what he hadn't already learned and known what to do before he joined Harry's band when he was originally hired to play 2nd Alto, he got to learn by sitting next to the legendary Willie Smith who played Lead for Harry's band when Joe first joined it. Willie had been the legendary Lead Alto player for Jimmie Lunceford from the early-mid 1930s until Lunceford's untimely death in 1947. From then on Willie Smith was with James until he left the band in about 1965 and then Joe moved over to the Lead chair. From everything I've ever heard about Joe Riggs from anyone who knew him he was a really great guy too but I have no idea whatever happened to him. It's like his career just ended and he was never heard from again after leaving Harry's band sometime in the 1970s. My guess is that he was possibly / probably employed in the casino house bands in Vegas until the business out there died in the early 90's when all of the casinos terminated the house bands for good. A musician friend I know who lives out in Las Vegas told me that Joe got out of music quite a while ago but was still out there and that he died sometime around 2016 if I remember correctly.

[@AlSternFlorida]

Sonny Payne was right up there with Buddy Rich. Might have been the greatest big band drummer EVER.

[@nyterpfan]

Sonny Payne is beyond incredible!! As great as Buddy was I actually think Sonny was the more expressive and swinging drummer!! He had a style and flair that infused the Basie and James bands with a unique kind of "kick" or "drive" (for lack of a better word) that gave the orchestra a dynamic spark---ESPECIALLY on the uptempo arrangements!! This performance is such a classic example of that!!

[@Soulman785]

nyterpfan Amen

[@davewhalen6284]

Wow!!

[@rfvee]

Great video. I dearly love Sonny, and to compare Sonny to Louie or to Buddy is unfair. I prefer Buddy with Harry's band though (and have virtually every recording available that Buddy did with Harry). Having said that, Sonny was a powerhouse in his own right, and I love his playing.

[@ChuckParDueMusic]

Sonny took a lot of knocks for being too flashy. That was unfair because the flashiness was part of his timing mechanism and intensity. Sonny learned to play drums from Chris Columbus and Lionel Hampton. He came by his showmanship naturally. Many of us who were close to Harry's band feel that Sonny was the best drummer for Harry's band he ever had, including Buddy Rich.

[@jazzfan445]

Agreed!

[@Pantheragatos]

Ah yeah ;-) Lovin' this very much!

[@joukoruuskanen840]

Holy smoke! I feel like a dog with two tails!!!!

[@user-um8ox4ug3c]

Harry Jamesがかなりの爺さんだ、演奏は若々しい

[@ParadiddleMcFlam]

@olbrneyes Thanks for your comment and info. Hopefully I did not come across as knocking Payne. Calling a drummer a "showman" is way over done in jazz. Practically every great drummer that I have seen (on clips sadly because I am too young) had elements of showmanship.

[@60march]

I'm sure this would go out live so how the hell did Sonny have the nerve to do that whole behind the back stick catching thing?????

[@ChuckParDueMusic]

He did it every night.

[@ChuckParDueMusic]

I don't pretend to know all of what went into Sonny leaving Basie. I do know that Sonny spent, off and on, nearly as much time with Harry as he did Basie. I have a copy of a signed contract between Harry and Sonny, where Sonny got paid the same amount as Buddy Rich had been making with Harry. Sonny Payne also had a serious substance abuse problem which had to affect his decision making. I do know that when Sonny was sick and died, that Harry James paid his medical and burial bills.

[@albertbanderas4679]

I saw Harry James in 1977 and Sonny Payne was still with him that night...

[@thecrippledrummer]

Unfortunately, Sonny had a serious drinking problem and Basie apparently got fed up dealing with it.

[@docsaxman]

Yeah, I play with Basie, and John WIlliams told me this about Sonny just recently, and I believe that Sonny was making more playing for Harry than Basie also. John said there were different periods that Sonny went out with Harry, and Harry was very helpful to him at the end as you said.

[@jazzfan445]

I am friendly with John Williams, too, and I would believe anything he said. Did he tell you that Sonny’s problem was alcoholism?

[@tommymorey]

Is that conti Condolli siting directly behind james, middle of trumpet section?

[@albertbanderas4679]

wow, it sure looks like.. even the angle of the trumpet. I think it is Roy Main on trombone (at the far left).

[@pegrueneis]

@olbrneyes right - Rich was a kind of his own - but sonny was best matching to this musik...genious

[@leeadams5544]

Hey Chuck do you know who the members of the trumpet section are? Thanks

[@ChuckParDueMusic]

Lee Adams Bob Carter, Tom Porrello, Al Yeager, Al Patacca.

[@leeadams5544]

The High E that the lead trumpet player pumps out is big and full with lots of sparkle and old school lead trumpet sound that is perfect for Harry's Band!

[@ChuckParDueMusic]

Lee Adams Tommy Porrello was playing lead. He still sizzles at 80 years old!

[@Pantheragatos]

He looks like Rodney Dangerfield ;-)

[@EmorySimsDrEmoryCarlSims]

This drummer is way better than Buddy Rich. He is tearing it up. He deserved much better recognition.

[@acfinney1]

Rich was more tasteful and may have been a little heavy at times, but this guy breaks up the smoothness with little respect for the bassist. My vote is for Rich.

[@tommymorey]

@acfinney1 they're not paying sonny $1000/week to compliment the bassist, or be smooth.rather to kick that band, swing it which he did beyond all of them, rich, Belsen, included.

[@wayneandrus240]

Not bad for a guy with dentures.

[@ChuckParDueMusic]

Implants