“Take it, Bunny!”  Bunny Berigan and his Boys  Epic Records  (1960)  Drawn from mono 78s Berigan cut in the ’30s.  Bunny Berigan’s heavy drinking and fast-paced lifestyle cut his life short in 1942 when he was only 33 years old, and all told, the swing trumpeter’s recorded legacy doesn’t even span a decade.  Still, his incredible range on the instrument and his always beautiful tone have given him a deserved spot as one of the greatest trumpet players in the history of jazz.  Illustrated by the great New Yorker cartoonist William Steig!

Personnel and Recording Dates

Solo Hop. Recorded: New York April 25, 1935. Glenri Miller and his Orchestra: Bunny Berigan, Charlie Spivak (trumpet), Jack Jenny, Glenn Miller (trombone), Johnny Mince (clarinet and alto.), Eddie Miller (tenor), Claude Thornhill (piano), Larry Hall (guitar), Delmar Kaplan (bass), Ray Bauduc (drums).

It’s Been So Long, I’d Rather Lead A Band, Let Yourself Go. Recorded: New York, February 24, 1936. Bunny Berigan and his Boys. Bunny Berigan (trumpet), Joe Marsala (clarinet and tenor), Forrest Crawford (tenor), Joe Bushkin (piano), Dave Barbour (guitar), Morton Stuhlmaker (bass), Dave Tough (drums).

A Melody From The Sky, I Can’t Get Started, Rhythm Saved The World. Bunny Berigan and His Boys. Bunny Berigan (trumpet), Forrest Crawford (tenor), Artie Shaw (clarinet
in Melody and Started), Paul Ricci (clarinet in Rhythm) Joe Bushkin (piano), Morton Stuhlmaker (bass), Stanley King (drums).

I Nearly Let Love Go Slipping, But Definitely, If I Had My Way. Recorded : New York June 9, 1936. Bunny Berigan and his Boys. Bunny Berigan (trumpet), Jack Lacey (trombone), Slats Long (clarinet), Joe Bushkin (piano), Eddie Condon (guitar), Morton Stuhlmaker (bass), Cozy Cole (drums).

Dixieland Shuffle, Let’s Do It. Recorded: New York, February 17, 1937. Bunny Berigan and his Orchestra, Bunny Berigan, Henry Greenwald, L. Brown (trumpet), Ford Leary (trombone), Matty Matlock (clarinet), Hymie Schertzer (alto.), Art Drelinger (tenor), Les Burness (piano), Tom Morgan (guitar), Arnold Fishkin (bass), Manny Berger (drums).

(43 votes, average: 3.67 out of 5)

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