Biography
Louisville, Kentucky, produced a wealth of skilled players, and Jimmy Harrison numbered among them, contributing his trombone to an array of landmark groups that probed the rhythmic possibilities of syncopated music throughout the 1920s. Although he first took up the instrument at age fifteen, the idea of earning a living through performance did not arise right away. Still performing only informally around town, he joined his father on a relocation to Toledo, Ohio, where the pair ran a family restaurant. During that stretch he also pursued semi-professional baseball, weighing which kind of slide mattered more—the trombone’s or the one required to reach home plate. Eventually he departed Toledo with a traveling minstrel revue that showcased both his trombone work and his singing.
By 1919 he had settled in Atlantic City, fronting his own trio while also appearing in Charlie Johnson’s ensemble and another unit directed by the pivotal Sam Wooding. Fellow Louisvillian Hank Duncan drew him to Detroit for a period with the Kentucky Jazz Band, and there he formed a partnership with Roland Smith. He next returned to Toledo, where local engagements brought him together with June Clark and the celebrated James P. Johnson. As the decade gained momentum, Harrison stayed active, traveling with multiple outfits before reaching New York City for an engagement alongside Fess Williams.
In 1924 the same Clark—whose first name belied his gender—assumed leadership of one of the ensembles Harrison belonged to. Their association persisted across several venues, and from 1925 onward the trombonist spent several years in Billy Fowler’s orchestra. His résumé briefly included Duke Ellington as well, although that affiliation proved far shorter than the extended tenures later trombonists such as Lawrence Brown enjoyed with the same leader. Throughout the latter half of the 1920s he collaborated with other premier musicians then active, among them Elmer Snowden and Fletcher Henderson. While touring with the latter in 1930, Harrison began suffering health complications; a serious stomach ailment had taken hold. He continued working another year, including several months with Chick Webb, before dying in a private New York City hospital during the summer of 1931.
By 1919 he had settled in Atlantic City, fronting his own trio while also appearing in Charlie Johnson’s ensemble and another unit directed by the pivotal Sam Wooding. Fellow Louisvillian Hank Duncan drew him to Detroit for a period with the Kentucky Jazz Band, and there he formed a partnership with Roland Smith. He next returned to Toledo, where local engagements brought him together with June Clark and the celebrated James P. Johnson. As the decade gained momentum, Harrison stayed active, traveling with multiple outfits before reaching New York City for an engagement alongside Fess Williams.
In 1924 the same Clark—whose first name belied his gender—assumed leadership of one of the ensembles Harrison belonged to. Their association persisted across several venues, and from 1925 onward the trombonist spent several years in Billy Fowler’s orchestra. His résumé briefly included Duke Ellington as well, although that affiliation proved far shorter than the extended tenures later trombonists such as Lawrence Brown enjoyed with the same leader. Throughout the latter half of the 1920s he collaborated with other premier musicians then active, among them Elmer Snowden and Fletcher Henderson. While touring with the latter in 1930, Harrison began suffering health complications; a serious stomach ailment had taken hold. He continued working another year, including several months with Chick Webb, before dying in a private New York City hospital during the summer of 1931.
Albums
Singles
