November 2008 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of jazz trumpet legend Bunny Berigan. During the month of November 2008, The Virtual Victrola will feature the music of Bunny Berigan, both as a sideman and bandleader.
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Toward the end of 1935, legendary A&R man John Hammond was contracted by Parlophone Records to produce a series of American jazz performances that were to be released in Great Britain. Parlophone arranged for Decca Records to record the sessions in New York. As usual, Hammond assembled hand-picked groups and chose the tunes for them to record. The records were made in a cramped studio nicknamed "The Broom Closet" by musicians.
Hammond
was particularly eager to introduce Mildred Bailey to a wider audience
overseas. Bailey was the first great white jazz singer of note, and
Hammond had already produced several of her recordings. To accompany
Bailey, Hammond's first choice was pianist Teddy Wilson, who had
established a strong relationship with Hammond and who would eventually
appear on nearly all the recordings that Hammond later produced for
Billie Holiday.
Hammond
only assembled a quartet to accompany Bailey; he complimented Teddy
Wilson with bassist Grachan Moncur, altoist Johnny Hodges (from the
Duke Ellington orchestra) and trumpeter Bunny Berigan.
Berigan and Hodges had never performed together as front-line men
before this session. The repertoire consisted of three Fats Waller
standards: "Squeeze Me," "Honeysuckle Rose," and "Willow Tree," and
"Downhearted Blues," a well-known tune that had been Bessie Smith's
first issued recording.
Despite Bailey's anger over the fact that she would be paid only scale wages for the session -- no royalties -- the overall mood of relaxation and satisfaction during the session is a wonder. Bunny Berigan later said that these records were some of the best he ever made. All the songs except for "Honeysuckle Rose" are taken at a slow blues tempo, and even "Honeysuckle Rose" only bounces along at a moderate gait. Bailey's sorrowful vocal on "Willow Tree," accompanied by Berigan's empathetic phrasing, is probably the high-point of this session. And Berigan shines as a soloist on "Honeysuckle Rose" and through his muted accompaniment on "Downhearted Blues."
Both
Berigan and Bailey were at the height of their creative powers when
these records were made. Bunny Berigan struggled with alcoholism and a
lack of personal responsibility -- both unfortunate traits of many who
are blessed with genius. Berigan worked steadily through the 1930's
and even led a moderately successful band before the effects of his
drinking caught up with him. Failing health left him a shell of his
former self by the early 1940's and he died in 1942 at the age of 33.
Mildred Bailey married bandleader Red Norvo; the couple became known as
"Mr. and Mrs. Swing." But she constantly battled with her weight and
eventually saw her fame dissipate in the wake of a new generation of
singers like Peggy Lee and June Christy. She died from complications
related to diabetes in 1951.
The
records for this set were originally issued in England. In 1941, the
American Decca record company, which produced the records and still
retained rights to them, reissued them as part of a six record set
entitled "Gems of Jazz." Incidentally, all four tunes in this set were
done in only one "take."
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The tunes:
Honeysuckle Rose
Download mildred_bailey_honeysuckle_rose.mp3
Wilow Tree
Download mildred_bailey_willow_tree.mp3
Squeeze Me
Download mildred_bailey_squeeze_me.mp3
Downhearted Blues
Download mildred_bailey_downhearted_blues.mp3
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