The son of a Chicago Symphony musician Harry worked with in the fifties shares fond memories of working with Harry in the seventies when he was just getting started as a professional musician.
by James Ross Jr.
Chicago Symphony Percussionist (1979- )
I read The Drummer Drives! in a day and a half (couldn’t put it down), and found it to be a wonderful remembrance of Harry. I could relate to so many of the situations and people in the book, not least of which was Harry himself.
I have been a percussionist with the Chicago Symphony since 1979 and have started my 32nd year (hard to believe. I replaced Jim Lane who tragically died at the age of 37 from brain cancer—a wonderful guy). Prior to that, during the years I was a percussionist with the Grant Park Symphony between 1973 and 1978, I got to know and play with Harry in the section. I was pretty young then, and was just getting my feet wet in the professional playing world. Harry was a source of not only musical inspiration to me—he played mostly bass drum when he came in to sub (best bass drum playing I’ve ever heard)—but also an endless source of great stories from the Chicago and, beyond, music scenes.
Harry was always very kind and encouraging to me, which was important to me back then since, in retrospect, I don’t think I really knew what I was doing. If ever I was playing cymbals next to him, I knew I would be alright if I just followed Harry’s lead.
HARRY AND MY FATHER, JAMES ROSS SR. (1901-1980), worked together for years in the CSO and I can relate to the Fritz Reiner years because Reiner tried to get rid of my dad also. I’m a little fuzzy on exactly what saved him since I was so young and he never talked about that in detail, but I believe Dr. Oldberg (head of the Board of Directors, perhaps?) stepped in to save my dad’s job. In any case, Reiner was certainly not someone I wished I had played under. There was no excuse for his kind of human behavior.
When I was growing up, we lived very near the Melody Top Theatre, and I remember going with my father to see Damn Yankees with Shelly Berman. I also remember my dad saying that Harry was the percussionist on the shows out there in later years, so I really enjoyed the stories in the book about the musicals Harry played there in the sixties. The chapter on his days with the big bands and the Chuck Foster Orchestra also brought back memories for me because I also played with the Chuck foster band (for just a few weeks) during my freelance days in the mid-1970s.
The Drummer Drives! sparked many musical memories. The book meant a lot to me, and I’m sure many others are appreciating it, too. I find it interesting that both Harry and I as drummers married women who became authors. And there’s another link in our lives, as well. My mother, Martha Jean (nee Fitchett), was also a marimba soloist of some note. She did weekly live radio broadcasts in Cincinnati (where I was born), toured with the USO during WW2 and also soloed and played with many well known society bands during that era. At one point she was on tour and her roommate was the girl singer who eventually became known as Doris Day. Mom died just last year at the age of 89.
_______
Jim lives in Elmhurst with Andrea, his wife of twenty years, and their two children, Greg and Annie—“also our wonderful dog Kiko,” Jim adds. “Andrea has written a book on the history of Brookfield Zoo–Let the Lions Roar!– and is presently writing a book on Edith Rockefeller McCormick, the daughter of John D. Rockefeller and a fascinating character.”
Related Posts
Tags: Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chuck Foster, Fritz Reiner, James Ross, marimbists, Melody Top, percussionists
