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Harry James captured in glittering “Phase 4 Stereo” with a band that he regarded as his best ever, recutting standards of his own such as “You Made Me Love You,” “I’ve Heard That Song Before,” “All or Nothing at All,” and “Two O’Clock Jump,” plus his versions of “Satin Doll” and “Take the ‘A’ Train,” spiced with a James composition, “The Mole.” “Ultra,” written by James, features some extraordinarily dexterous playing by the man in several places, while Eric Coates’ “By the Sleepy Lagoon” provides James with a perfect spot for some gentle lyricism. The sound throughout is extremely bright and crisp, in keeping with the recording’s audiophile origins. The overwritten notes by John Tracy have one major flaw, however – it would have been nice to have a list of the personnel with James on these recording dates, since they play so well (Bruce Eder/AllMusic).

Track listing:

Track Listing
Title/Composer Performer Time
1
Ciribiribin (They’re So in Love)
Harry James / Jack Lawrence / Alberto Pestalozza
Harry James
feat: Harry James & His Orchestra
0:30
2
You Made Me Love You
Joseph McCarthy / James V. Monaco
Harry James
feat: Harry James & His Orchestra
1:50
3
Two O’Clock Jump
Count Basie / Benny Goodman / Harry James
Harry James
feat: Harry James & His Orchestra
4:03
4
I’ve Heard That Song Before
Sammy Cahn / Jule Styne
Harry James
feat: Harry James & His Orchestra
1:58
5
Ultra
Harry James
Harry James
feat: Harry James & His Orchestra
4:20
6
Sleepy Lagoon
Eric Coates / Jack Lawrence
Harry James
feat: Harry James & His Orchestra
2:51
7
All or Nothing at All
Arthur Altman / Jack Lawrence
Harry James
feat: Harry James & His Orchestra
3:06
8
Cherry
Don Redman
Harry James
feat: Harry James & His Orchestra
1:37
9
Take the “A” Train
Billy Strayhorn
Harry James
feat: Harry James & His Orchestra
4:40
10
I Heard You Cried Last Night
Ted Grouya / Jerry Kruger
Harry James
1:58
11
The Mole
Leroy Holmes / Harry James
Harry James
feat: Harry James & His Orchestra
2:49
12
Satin Doll
Duke Ellington / Johnny Mercer / Billy Strayhorn
Harry James
feat: Harry James & His Orchestra
4:04
13
Ciribiribin (They’re So in Love)
Harry James / Jack Lawrence / Alberto Pestalozza
Harry James
feat: Harry James & His Orchestra
:30
14. (bonus track) I Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You

Personnel:

Alto Saxophone [Uncredited], Clarinet [Uncredited] – Everett Levey, Joe Riggs
Arranged By [Uncredited] – Bob Florence (tracks: B6), Dave Matthews  (tracks: B2), Ernie Wilkins (tracks: B3), Jack Matthias (tracks: A6), Jimmy Mundy (tracks: A5), Neal Hefti (tracks: A3)
Baritone Saxophone [Uncredited] – Jack O’Keefe
Bass Trombone [Uncredited] – Graham Ellis
Bass [Uncredited] – Don Baldwin
Drums [Uncredited] – Sonny Payne
Leader [Uncredited] – Harry James
Orchestra – Harry James And His Orchestra
Piano [Uncredited] – Jack Perciful
Tenor Saxophone [Uncredited] – Corky Corcoran
Tenor Saxophone [Uncredited], Flute [Uncredited] – Rod Adam
Trombone [Uncredited] – Jimmy Huntzinger*, Ray Sims
Trumpet [Uncredited] – Al Yeager*, Bill King (5), Bob Carter (4), Harry James (2), Tony Scodwell

_____________

Label: London Records – SP 44109
Series: Phase 4 Stereo
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, GAT
Country: US
Released: May 1968