Dan Levinson’s Seven Sons of Rosy

A Grateful, Loving Tribute to Rosy McHargue In a unique cooperation of local Los Angeles area jazz clubs, the Jazz Forum (Santa Monica) presented their annual Tribute to Rosy McHargue with the Valley Jazz Club (San Fernando Valley/Canoga Park) at an extended Valley Club meeting. Formed as The Seven Sons of Rosy, the original band was made up of musicians he had mentored, taught, and musically supported for years. James “Rosy” McHargue was a clarinetist, saxophonist, arranger, vocalist, and involved friend and mentor to many young jazz musicians. Inspired as a young man by the recordings of The Original Dixieland Jazz Band in 1917 (credited by many as the very first Jazz recordings), Rosy studied them to learn jazz, focusing on their clarinetist, Larry Shields. Growing into a skilled jazz clarinetist and saxophonist around Chicago, Rosy rubbed shoulders and freelanced with Bud Freeman, Red Nichols, Glenn Miller, Frank Trumbauer, and Maury Sherman, father of a favorite pianist of mine, Ray Sherman. In 1934, he joined the Ted Weems Band, and when touring, his roommate was a young singer named Perry Como. But by 1943, he had his fill of traveling and the lif