George James was an American jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 saxophonist, clarinet

Clarinet

The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...

ist, and flautist

Flautist

A flautist or flutist is a musician who plays an instrument in the flute family. See List of flautists.The choice of "flautist" versus "flutist" is the source of dispute among players of the instrument...

.

James's career began late in the 1920s, in the bands of Charlie Creath

Charlie Creath

Charles Cyril "Charlie" Creath was an American jazz trumpeter, saxophonist, accordionist, and bandleader....

 and Johnny Neal. He moved to Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

 in 1928, where he played with Jimmie Noone

Jimmie Noone

Jimmie Noone was an American jazz clarinetist.- Background :...

, Sammy Stewart

Sammy Stewart

Samuel Lee "Sammy" Stewart , is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1978-1987. He attended Owen High School in Asheville and Montreat College, and signed his first pro contract with the Baltimore Orioles in 1975...

, Ida Marples, and Bert Hall

Bert Hall

Bert Hall was a film director, actor, writer and military aviator. Hall was one of America's first combat aviators, who flew with the famed Lafayette Escadrille in France, before the U.S. entered World War I. He has been given the honorable title "Soldier of Fortune" due to his distinguished career...

. Late in 1931 he toured with Louis Armstrong

Louis Armstrong

Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....

, and he remained in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 at the end of the tour, where he joined the Savoy Bearcats

Savoy Bearcats

The Savoy Bearcats were an eleven-piece jazz band, led by Leon Abbey, which was the house band at the Savoy Ballroom in New York City from its opening in 1926 to 1928. The band's name was changed from the Charleston Bearcats while they were at the Savoy...

 and, later, Charlie Turner

Charles Turner (musician)

Charles Turner was an American jazz trumpeter. Turner performed with Frank Sinatra for eight years, Ella Fitzgerald, Jimmy Dorsey, Ralph Flanagan, Harry James, Charlie Spivak, Count Basie and many other great musicians of the 20th century. Charles Turner was one of America’s greatest lead jazz...

's Arcadians. Fats Waller

Fats Waller

Fats Waller , born Thomas Wright Waller, was a jazz pianist, organist, composer, singer, and comedic entertainer...

 assumed leadership of the Arcadians in the middle of the decade, and James played under him until 1937.

James finished the decad

Decad

Pythagorus regarded the number 10, or "decad" as being a perfect number, which was often represented by the tetractys, which embraced the whole nature of number....

 of the 1930s playing in the Blackbirds Revue. Early in the 1940s he worked with James P. Johnson

James P. Johnson

James P. Johnson was an American pianist and composer...

, Benny Carter

Benny Carter

Bennett Lester Carter was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. He was a major figure in jazz from the 1930s to the 1990s, and was recognized as such by other jazz musicians who called him King...

, Teddy Wilson

Teddy Wilson

Theodore Shaw "Teddy" Wilson was an American jazz pianist whose sophisticated and elegant style was featured on the records of many of the biggest names in jazz, including Louis Armstrong, Lena Horne, Benny Goodman, Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald.-Biography:Wilson was born in Austin, Texas in...

, and Lucky Millinder

Lucky Millinder

Lucius Venable "Lucky" Millinder was an American rhythm and blues and swing bandleader. Although he could not read or write music, did not play an instrument and rarely sang, his showmanship and musical taste made his bands successful...

, and led his own band in 1943-44. Later in the decade James played with Claude Hopkins

Claude Hopkins

Claude Driskett Hopkins was an American jazz stride pianist and bandleader.-Biography:Claude Hopkins was born in Alexandria, Virginia in 1903. Historians differ in respect of the actual date of his birth. His parents were on the faculty of Howard University...

 and Noble Sissle

Noble Sissle

Noble Sissle was an American jazz composer, lyricist, bandleader, singer and playwright.-Early life:...

. He was active both as a leader and a sideman

Sideman

A sideman is a professional musician who is hired to perform or record with a group of which he or she is not a regular member. They often tour with solo acts as well as bands and jazz ensembles. Sidemen are generally required to be adaptable to many different styles of music, and so able to fit...

 into the 1970s, playing with Clyde Bernhardt

Clyde Bernhardt

Clyde Bernhardt was an American jazz trombonist.Bernhardt was born in North Carolina and raised there and in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania...

in that decade.