Guthman Takes Baton From James

Thu., March 20, 1997

Don Adair Correspondent

Perhaps it’s apocryphal, but the story is told that when he was 14, Harry James auditioned for Lawrence Welk’s orchestra.

It would have been a great gig for a kid old enough to be in ninth grade, but Welk did James the great favor of turning him away. “You play too loud for my band,” he told the young trumpeter.

Four years later, James was playing for Benny Goodman, and just three years after that, he led his own band to the heights of the big band pantheon during the golden years of swing.

The list of James hits include some of the greatest tunes of the war years - “You Made Me Love You,” “I Cried for You,” “I Had the Craziest Dream,” “I’ve Heard that Song Before” and “I’ll Get By.”

And though he may have been best loved for his romantic ballads, James and his band, the Music Makers, could tear it up, too. Someone called the cops one memorable night in 1943 at New York’s Paramount Theater when the band got a gang of zoot suiters and bobby soxers so worked up they almost threw a riot.

James and the Music Makers even made it to Spokane two or three times during the ‘40s, playing at the old Natatorium Park. He and the band returned in 1974 to play daily for a week during Expo ‘74.

James has passed on, but his baton has been picked up by trumpeter Gary Guthman, who has done stints with Stan Kenton, the Dorsey Brothers. Guthman is often accompanied by vocalist Dianna Donovan, who reprises the role of James’ “girl” singer, Helen Forrest.

Guthman and Donovan appear with the Spokane Jazz Orchestra Saturday night in “A Tribute to Harry James,” another in the SJO’s “Giants of Jazz” series.

Together, Guthman and the 18-piece SJO will play such James classics as “I Don’t Want to Walk Without You,” “Ciribiribin,” “Cherry Pink” and “Flight of the Bumble Bee.” They’ll even dip into the wild and woolly jump and swing tunes, “The Mole” and “Two O’Clock Jump.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 color photos

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: CONCERT The Spokane Jazz Orchestra, with Gary Guthman and Dianne Donovan, will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday at The Met. Tickets are $16 (or $14.50 for students, seniors and military personnel), available at G&B Select-a-Seat outlets or call (800) 325-SEAT.

This sidebar appeared with the story: CONCERT The Spokane Jazz Orchestra, with Gary Guthman and Dianne Donovan, will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday at The Met. Tickets are $16 (or $14.50 for students, seniors and military personnel), available at G&B; Select-a-Seat outlets or call (800) 325-SEAT.

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