Back in New Orleans during part of 1944-45, the legendary trumpeter
Bunk Johnson
recorded fairly extensively with his regular group of the period: trombonist
Jim Robinson
, clarinetist
George Lewis
, banjoist
Lawrence Marrero
, bassist
Alcide "Slow Drag" Pavageau
, drummer
Baby Dodds
and occasionally the tuba of
Sidney Brown
. This CD, which launched the rebirth of the American Music label, has 13 performances, including two vocals by
Myrtle Jones
, three songs not previously released in the U.S., and two numbers ("Weary Blues" and "How Long Blues") being put out for the first time. In general,
Bunk
plays very well, and the ensemble-oriented music is quite enjoyable. ~ Scott Yanow