Phil Harris
Phil Harris, 1956 s. Wikipedia
Born in Indiana, Phil Harris spent most of his youth growing up in Nashville, Tennessee and considered himself a Southerner at heart and at that time discovered music thanks to his own family. His father was the Tent Bandleader at the local circus and offered Phil his first job on the drum set, laying down the framework that he would carry throughout his life in show. Later on in the 1920s he would get his first start on the San Francisco jazz scene playing drums with the Harry Halstead Orchestra. After a small tenure recording with Carol Lofner in the early 30s, Harris began leading his own group in Los Angeles.
That brings us to this recording here. The year is 1933, Leah Ray and the Three Ambassadors join Phil Harris as he fronts the bandstand, taking turns on the microphone. The artful mesh of horns and strings on songs such as track number 6, “Ah, But I’ve Learned” is a beautiful example of how different timbres can create a vast backdrop. The sweet sound of Leah Ray’s vocals float over the top - seemingly taking a page from Phil’s own style, she plays with the performance as an actress would on the screen.
Other tunes like track number 3, “Come On, Get Up” gives way to Harris’ showmanship, where he and Leah perform as a husband and wife. While he had his start in the circus Harris also went on to have an extensive acting career; in the late 60s and early 70s, Disney employed the actor to star in a few of their animated films, lending his voice to the role of “Baloo” in the Jungle Book among others.
On track number 7, “Brother, Can You Spare A Dime” the opening theme by the band is reminiscent of a dramatic sting in an old radio program, leading way to the thoughtful yet estranged melody that carries the song through and the refrain repeated at the end of each vocal phrase. Harris could tell a story with words and then create the musical landscape for that story to be told and this song showcases this wonderfully with how the aforementioned radio sting passages comes back in various variations, giving us a hint as to where we are about to end up; with Leah Ray on track number 8, “Make Me Yours”. The gorgeous string arrangement comes back in full force with embellishments from the piano showing that from one instant to the next we can go from drama and suspense to a cheerful song of love and devotion.
At Hindsight our goal is not only the preservation of a longstanding legacy within recorded music but to add to it. With the help of Machine Learning and Modern Technologies, we can take these old recordings, clean them, and then give them a shine for the new world of streaming. Soon to be available anywhere that you choose to stream, stay on the lookout for “The Essential Series Remastered: Phil Harris And His Orchestra 1933”.