Recital: Louise Baranger
"A Tribute to Harry James"
Saturday, May 27 11:30
Joseph Bowman, Reviewer

Louise Baranger performed a tribute concert dedicated to the great Harry James with the Louise Baranger Big Band in the Purchase College Black Box Theatre. Baranger, a former Harry James band member, has appeared with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, the Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey Bands, and made appearances on the Tonight Show Starting Johnny Carson. Baranger has a new recording on Summit Records titled Trumpeter's Prayer.

Baranger began with Harry James' signature tune, Ciribiribin and followed with James Session. Baranger began the next piece, You Made Me Love You, by explaining to the audience that although the song made James a commercial success, he shied away from performing it in later years because he considered himself to be a jazz artist. The concert continued with two James favorites, Music Makers and Ultra. Baranger then introduced former Harry James vocalist Jeanie Dennis who sang two James arrangements, I'm Beginning to See the Light and Some Other Day, and a Cole Porter favorite, I Get a Kick Out of You. The performance continued with a piece that James began each second half of a concert with, the Count Basie tune Corner Pocket. Baranger ended the wonderful tribute concert with two more Harry James standards, Trumpet Blues and Two O'clock Jump. Baranger's tasteful trumpet playing and the receptive crowd made the concert a fitting tribute to the late great Harry James. (Joseph Bowman, D.M.A. student, Arizona State University)