J A M E S S T A M P
|
James Stamp was born in Carberry, Manitoba, Canada on December 20th, 1904. His father played cornet as an amateur, which led to the young Stamp trying out the baritone horn and the tuba. The elder Stamp was doing work with the Salvation Army where he played some cornet. By the time Jimmy was nine years old, he was playing cornet with the family band, along with his sister on trombone and his dad on the bass. Later, the Stamps moved to North Dakota, where Jimmy spent his high school years. After high school, he attended North Dakota Agricultural College.
As a newly married man he move to Rochester, Minnesota, where he played with the Mayo Clinic Band for five years. He moved to St. Paul, where he played in theaters and cafes. A short time later, he got his chance to join the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra as forth trumpet. The orchestra was touring from Minnesota to Florida and at times to Havana, Cuba. Once on their spring tour, the orchestra was in Cincinnati and Stamp turned in his resignation. He was not getting along with the first trumpet. According to Jimmy, "....the first trumpet player was under the impression that I was his valet!" Stamp filled in on first trumpet on the Brahams 2nd Symphony, which was giving the regular first player trouble. After that concert, he was offered the job of first trumpet for the next season.
Mr. Verbruggen, the conductor, had a stroke and Eugene Ormandy come to guest conduct the orchestra. Ormandy like Stamp's playing very much, but again Jimmy put in his resignation. During a rehearsal Ormandy was dressing down a violist sittin gnear Jimmy. He could not help himself and had to stand up and say, "Mr. Ormandy, do we have to stand for this sort of thing?" Ormandy stormed off the podium in a rage and went to his dressing room. Jimmy thought that he'd better write a letter of resignation before being fired from the job. Ormandy wouldn't accept it. He needed him too much.
Stamp went on to play first trumpet with the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra for seventeen years. After Ormandy left, Dimitri Mitropoulos became the conductor. The orchestra's finances were not very good, and for Jimmy the future did not look secure. So, in 1944 he decided to sell his house and move out to California. Mitropoulos tried to talk him out of leaving, but the house was already sold and he had made his decision.
As soon as the Stamps arrived in Los Angeles, Jimmy was called to play in the NBC orchestra. No sooner did he get off the phone with that contractor, he receives another call to play first trumpet at the Hollywood Bowl. He accepted the Bowl orchestra's offer and went on to a successful career in the film studios and in radio and television.
Stamp had an exceptional
reputation as a master teacher, which spanned over sixty years. He was
on the faculties of the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music, the University
of Southern California, and the California State Universities at Long
Beach and Fullerton. The list of names of players who went to his studio
reads like a "who's-who" of brass performers. From about 1976
he was a regular at the summer program in Switzerland. He was also invited
to teach at the Yamaha Music Camp in Tokyo, Japan. He was still optimizing
his playing and methods when he passed away on December 22, 1985.
