Complete Deccas, Victors, & V Discs Alternate Takes (1945-1946)

Bunk Johnson | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 10, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 1945
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Document
• ASIN: B000000J1Y
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #185,617 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun dixieland set by Bunk & The Gang..., September 27, 2000

By 

Aaron The Baron - See all my reviews

This review is from: Complete Deccas, Victors, & V Discs Alternate Takes (1945-1946) (Audio CD)

This excellent CD has all of Bunk Johnson's recordings for Decca & Victor plus a couple of V-Discs and eight alternate takes, three were previously unissued. Bunk is heard in prime form throughout, and his band featuing clarinetist George Lewis, trombonist Jim Robinson, pianist Alton Purnell, banjo player Lawrence Marrero, bass player Alcide "Slow Drag" Pavageau and drummer man Baby Dodds is for the most part in tune and a hard swingin' group. Johnson and Lewis never sounded so wonderful together, and not like some of the earlier American Music performances, the sound quality here is quite excellent despite a faulty piano. For the two V-Discs (versions of "I Can't Escape From You" and "Snag It" that exceed five minutes), Bunk's band (with Red Jones on drums) is heard live from the Stuyvesant Casino. Some of the highlights of the high-quality New Orleans Dixieland set, which was put out by Document in 1996 (much of the music had formerly been on an Arhoolie LP), are hot & spirited versions of "Maryland, My Maryland," an uptempo "A Closer Walk With Thee," "When the Saints Go Marching In" and "Darktown Strutters Ball." Recomended.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not the greatest Bunk, March 31, 2001

By 

B. D. Tutt (London, UK.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Complete Deccas, Victors, & V Discs Alternate Takes (1945-1946) (Audio CD)

These are important recordings - after a series of releases on obscure enthusiasts labels, these 1945 recordings were the first (and only) time that major record companies (RCA and Decca) showed an interest in Bunk Johnson. They were widely distributed and therefore highly influential in the New Orleans revival.

Bunk is in strong form throughout, playing a consistently firm lead and demonstrating his great talent for melodic variation. Jim Robinson is also in superb form.

However, these recordings are inferior to the 1944-45 American Music sides for three reasons. First, the unneccessary inclusion of a pianist, who clogs up a superb rhyths section. Second, the deliberate muffling of Baby Dodds drums, rendering him almost totally inaudible on the RCA sides. Third, the fact that George Lewis had just undergone major dental work before the RCA sides and was in nothing like top form.

The 1944-45 American Music sides are inconsistent and need to be approached with care. However, their sound quality has been greatly improved on their CD release, and the finest of them are amongst the best New Orleans ensemble recordings of the entire New Orleans revival.

The recordings on this CD are important, but they do not do full justice to the Bunk Johnson, Jim Robinson, George Lewis, Laurence Marrero, Slow Drag Pavageau, Baby Dodds band. For that, the American Music sides are the ones to get.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Freedom Fighter, June 26, 2005

By 

Sven McGillicutty (ATM, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Complete Deccas, Victors, & V Discs Alternate Takes (1945-1946) (Audio CD)

What can be said by Bunk that hasn't already been said? A controversial figure of the south, who's technical playing was often pushed to the forefront over his pure love for music. Though this disc contains some rareties, I only suggest it for the true completist. I strongly recommend getting "...and his superior jazz band" before this if you do not already own it. "Panama" is the true mark of Bunk and his legacy.