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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Legendary record producer and A&R man John Hammond established himself in the early 1930's as a fearless promoter of jazz, organizing the recorded debuts of such luminaries as Billie Holiday and Count Basie, and urging Columbia Records to invite Bessie Smith back into the studios for what would be her last record session. Hammond also had a passion for social justice, and strove to promote racial integration; when he wasn't able to achieve it publicly, he insisted on racially-mixed groups for the recording sessions that he produced.
The session that John Hammond produced for xylophonist Red Norvo on January 25, 1935 was a typical effort. Hammond recruited the up-and-coming black tenor saxophone star Leon "Chu" Berry and drummer Gene Krupa to join Norvo's group. Norvo brought clarinetist Johnny Mince, bassist Artie Bernstein, pianist Teddy Wilson, twenty-one year old guitar whiz George Van Eps, trombone star Jack Jenney, and trumpeter Bunny Berigan.
The set opens brightly with "Honeysuckle Rose," giving each of the soloists a chance to air his chops effectively. Then it settles down with the dance-tempo ballad "With All My Heart And Soul." An uptempo Teddy Wilson/Red Norvo original "Bughouse" follows; both this tune and "Honeysuckle Rose" are prime examples of Bunny Berigan's powerful lead playing. But the masterpiece of the session is the final number, the transcendent "Blues in E Flat."
Jazz historian and author Dick Sudhalter writes,
The mood is cumulative, each twelve bars adding something -- some insight, some new dimension -- to the chorus preceding it. In that sense it's the very best that jazz as a shared language has to offer: a colloquy, in which each speaker grasps a central idea and carries it a step further by adding thoughts of his own.
I can't really add anything to that, so for your enjoyment here is Red Norvo's Jan. 25, 1935 Columbia Records session:
Download Red Norvo - Honeysuckle Rose.mp3
Download Red Norvo - With All My Heart And Soul.mp3
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