Key Sessions 1931-1937 [Box set]

Bunny Berigan & His Orchestra | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 17, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 5
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Jsp Records
• ASIN: B000127NQG
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #466,339 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. When I Take My Sugar To Tea

2. Rockin' Chair

3. Building A Home For You

4. At Your Command

See all 25 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. My Lips Want Kisses

2. Doggone, I've Done It

3. How Do You Do It?

4. Someone Stole Gabriel's Horn

See all 25 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. You've Got Everything

2. Sweet Madness

3. Savage Serenade

4. She's Funny That Way

See all 25 tracks on this disc

Disc: 4

1. It's Been So Long

2. I'd Rather Lead A Band

3. Let Yourself Go

4. Swing Mr. Charlie

See all 25 tracks on this disc

Disc: 5

1. I'm One Step Ahead Of My Shadow

2. That Foolish Feeling

3. Where Are You?

4. In A Little Spanish Town

See all 24 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

The Key Sessions 1931 - 1937 CD E by Bunny Berigan

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--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Remastering, March 7, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Key Sessions 1931-1937 (Audio CD)

This disc is an excellent survey encompassing Bunny's work prior to fronting his own big band.

Before I comment on the content, I have to comment on the restoration. John R.T. Davies has outdone himself. I've heard many incarnations of these sides on 78, LP and CD, and nothing compares to the totally natural sound Mr. Davies has achieved on this set.

The content spans numerous studio recordings with Bunny in the sideman role featuring various artists including Bing Crosby, and the Boswell Sisters just to name a couple. There is also small group jazz with Berigan in the leader or session player role. The small group "I Can't Get Started" is here. It sounds very very good. There are even early studio sessions with Glenn Miller trying his hand at leading before he hit it big. Using those early Miller sides as a comparison I can simply stated that the JSP restoration far outshines the sound on the Columbia/Sony Best of the Big Bands release. You can pick up the nuances of Miller's arrangements in a way never before possible.

Even though I have some of this material elsewhere, none of it sounds this good. I can't wait for JSP's next release of Big Band Era material.

AND if you're a Berigan fan, you can't miss this one.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HOY HOY~, May 24, 2008

By 

G. Whiz (Earth) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Key Sessions 1931-1937 (Audio CD)

When the Mosiac boxes go out of print, what do you do? Buy this!

Triple-excellent!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Essential, but with some strange inclusions and sad omissions, February 17, 2010

By 

JJA Kiefte "Joost Kiefte" (Tegelen, Nederland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Key Sessions 1931-1937 (Audio CD)

There are no less than 124 titles on this most generous of Berigan compilations. Some strange choices and a few lamentable omissions however make me detract one star. The five discs span the years 1931-1937 (up to his first session as a regular bandleader for Bluebird, whose recordings are covered on a number of Classics discs, now probably hard to come by). Not included are any of his sides with Hal Kemp, Frank Trumbauer or Gene Gifford, whereas all four Glenn Miller sides, all the Red Norvo octet sides and a number of perhaps less interesting Chick Bullock sides are (all of which are readily available elsewhere).
We do get a plethora of other artists however, the Dorsey Brothers and the Boswell Sisters taking pride of place. We also find Bunny's complete pre-Bluebird recordings under his own name, as well as a number of titles which Bunny recorded with Adrian Rollini, Red McKenzie, Bud Freeman, Mildred Bailey and fellow hard-drinker Dick McDonough (the latter's titles in much better sound quality than the McDonough CDs on Bill Hebden's label). There is a wealth of great music here in excellently remastered sound quality (said to be by JRT Davies, but I couldn't find confirmation of this in the booklets or on the discs themselves). Recording dates and personnel are listed, but no record labels (just matrix numbers) or composer credits. The liner notes are not particularly well written or informative, but the music speaks for itself.
The prices that are currently being asked for this set are absolutely rediculous; I waited for more than a year before one offer of £ 35 came along, which I snapped up immediately. It was certainly worth it.