I first met Harry Smallenburg in an 18-piece big band, where I was subbing as a vocalist. I didn’t recognize him as a regular, and I try to always say “Howdy” to players I don’t recognize, because I know what it feels like to be a sub.
He was soft-spoken and had an Irish twinkle in his eye. I walked up, stuck out my hand, and said, “Hi, I’m Angela.”'
I usually get the “Who is THIS weirdo” look, since I was very new to the big band scene at that time, but instead I got a big welcoming smile and a hearty handshake. I’ll never forget that.
It stuck with me, that reaction. So, a couple weeks later, when I was singing with the Woody James Band, I saw Harry’s name on a really cool arrangement of “S’Wonderful,” and I thought to myself, “REALLY—hmmmm—I didn’t know he was an arranger, and when I ran into him again, I mentioned that I loved his arrangement--it was KILLER, and I hadn’t realized that he was a monster Big Band arranger. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Harry was born locally here in Burbank, from a very musical family. His parents were educators, but his Mom also played piano, his Father played violin, and his siblings played drums, or guitar, or sax, and sang. Everybody had the music gene, and Harry chose the trombone over drums because he figured his parents would never tolerate the incessant racket of drums at home. So, he played trombone all the way through high school, picked up drums (anyway) and vibes along the way, and began arranging in about 11th grade. After high school, he went on to UCSB and then to UC Berkeley, where music activities gave way to reading books and writing papers, and he began to be fascinated by the idea of being an English teacher.
His very first job offer was in Detroit, teaching English at Wayne State University, then at the College for Creative Studies, an advanced art and design school. That was when music really came back into his life. Not only was he teaching interdisciplinary courses in ancient and modern literature and history of ideas, he was the go-to vibes player for jazz musicians at the Art School and began hearing the likes of George Gruntz and other cutting-edge jazz writers and players, which ultimately influenced his writing and arranging when he ended up back in Los Angeles. He later got a Master’s Degree in photography, which brought him into contact even more with modern art, writing, and music.
A new job offer appeared at PCC (Pasadena city college) teaching Literature, with a specialty in the Ancients and the Bible. Once he got settled in LA, he started taking trombone lessons with one of the greats, Roy Main. He later studied vibes with Emil Richards, another LA icon.
At about that same time, he started getting calls to fill in on drums, vibes, or trombone in various bands in and around the LA Area.
That’s when our paths crossed.
Needless to say he is a very talented man. In the meantime, he has raised two beautiful girls and has a lovely house in Burbank, right back where it all began. Now retired from PCC, Harry is a virtually full-time musician (as well as photographer and world traveler, etc., etc., you get where I’m going with this).
We all feel so lucky (as we often exclaim when we open up a new Harry Smallenburg chart) to have Harry playing trombone and sharing his vast talents with us in the Outrageous8.
Not only is he one of the founding members, but his name has transmogrified into a VERB: to be SMALLENBURGED is an honor(because it indicates a humility that all 8 members who read this will understand) known only to the few, the proud--the OUTRAGEOUS8!
Harry brings good cheer, constructive criticism, and generosity of heart and talent to our little group. Thanks, Harry, for a great interview. It was so much fun hearing about all your adventures.
Article by Angela O’Neill