Harry James performed a trumpet adaptation in 1944 in the movie, Bathing Beauty. As far as I know this is the first recording of a trumpet version:
Rafael Mendez recorded “Hora Staccato” in 1957:
His performance is better than James’. The tempo is faster and Mendez's articulation is lighter and more precise. In comparison James’ version feels ‘thick’ and awkward. I attribute the difference to technique. Mendez has more technical skill than James did, though he couldn’t play jazz nearly so well.
Here is a 2015 recording by Brandon Ridenour:
It is comparable to Mendez’s version. I could easily have chosen a half dozen other contemporary performances, all as fleet as Mendez’s and Ridenour’s. I have no idea how many of Mendez’s contemporaries could play it as well as he did. But I suspect that the general level of trumpet technique has gone up over the last half-century so that the number of trumpet players who can perform at that level now is greater than the number in 1957.
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