Klee, Harry

Multi-reed musician who started out playing alto saxophone for Charlie Spivak in the late thirties/early forties. Some of his earliest recordings include Gene Krupa 1942-1945 (released on CD in 2000), Innovations by Boyd Raeburn and His Orchestra, a three-volume set recorded in 1946, and The Jazz Scene, released the same year.

In 1951, he played alto saxophone on Stan Kenton’s Portraits on Standards. You can also hear him blowing saxophone on Frank Sinatra’s The Columbia Years (1943-1952) and Dean Martin’s Young Dino, recorded between 1946 and 1955. He was in the reeds section for Louis Armstrong’s Anthology 1945-1955.

From 1954 to 1955, he was in the recording studio In Collaboration with Andre Previn and Shorty Rogers. He did double duty on alto saxophone and piccolo on the Pete Rugolo album, Adventures in Jazz: The Complete Columbia Recordings 1954-1955. In 1955, he appeared on a pair of June Christy albums, Something Cool and The Misty Miss Christy. Around the same time, he reunited with Boyd Raeburn on Boyd Meets Stravinsky, Volume 2.

He spent much of the mid-50’s recording Moments to Remember with Louis Armstrong, Paich-ence: Complete Studio Sessions as a Leader with Marty Paich, and Songs for Swingin’ Lovers!with Frank Sinatra.

He recorded and appeared on an insane amount of albums in 1956, three of them with Pete Rugolo alone: Out on a Limb, Music for Hi-Fi Bugs, and Adventures in Sound. His musical adventures in 1956 also included A Swingin’ Affair! with Frank Sinatra, Mr. Roberts Plays Guitarwith Howard Roberts, Classical Jazz with the Zen and Chico Hamilton Quintet, Patti Page in the Land of Hi-Fi, Walter Gross Plays His Own Great Songs, and Sarah Vaughan Sings Broadway – Great Songs from Hit Shows. Hoagy Sings Carmichael with the Pacific Jazzmen appeared around the same time.

In 1957, Harry played flute on Sammy Davis, Jr.’s It’s All Over but the Swingin’ and Carmen McRae’s Carmen for Cool Ones. He was also a member of Buddy Collette’s Swinging Shepherds, whose collective name emblazoned an eponymous album plus Swinging Shepherds at the Cinema in the late fifties.

Speaking of cinema, Harry is credited with flute and piccolo on the soundtrack of the Susan Hayward prison drama, I Want to Live!, released around the same time he reacquainted himself with Pete Rugolo on Rugolo Plays Kenton, recorded in 1958 and released the following year. In 1959, he was in the woodwinds section for the five-volume set, Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Books.

He opened the 1960s with the Pete Candoli Sextet and Octet, playing flute on the LP, For Pete’s Sake, Henry Mancini on The Blues and the Beat, and Frank Sinatra on Sinatra’s Swingin’ Session. In 1961, he rejoined Sinatra on Point of No Return, played alto saxophone on Gerald Wilson’s You Better Believe It, and appeared on Al Hibbler Sings the Blues: Monday Every Day.

He embarked on a worldwide tour with Sinatra in 1962 that included stops in Hong Kong, London, and Paris. The London concert, at the Royal Festival Hall, was broadcast on ITV on 2^ndJune 1962. One of the Paris Concerts, at The Lido, was recorded for posterity on the simply titled Live in Paris.

In 1963, he appeared on A New Kind of Love with Errol Garner and Mink Jazz with Peggy Lee. He hooked up with Benny Carter on Tickle Toe and Lalo Schifrin on the soundtrack of Rhino! in1964. In 1965, he found himself Going the Frankie Randall Way. He appeared on Bobby Darin Sings the Shadow of Your Smile and Billy May Today! in 1966. In 1967, he played flute on Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Johnny Mercer Song Book, and was in the reeds section for Mancini ’67 and Nancy Wilson’s Lush Life. He helped paint Portrait of Carmen with Carmen McRae in 1968.

In 1972, he played flute on the Ella Fitzgerald-Cole Porter collaboration, Dream Dancing. He was in the woodwinds section for Peggy Lee’s 1975 album, Mirrors. In 1976, he was in the reeds section on Carmen McRae’s album, Can’t Hide Love. One of his last recordings appears to be Frank Sinatra’s 1979 boxed set, Trilogy.

He performs here on flute and alto saxophone as part of Boyd Raeburn’s orchestra on “Body and Soul” sung by Ginnie Powell.

Sources:

Klee, Harry

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