Bunk Johnson
had a rather unlikely career. Completely forgotten and out of music by the late '30s, he was given a new set of teeth and a trumpet and hailed as a legend.
Johnson
made an impressive comeback, but excessive drinking resulted in an erratic and short-lived career. Both overpraised by some and dismissed by others,
was actually a fine player when he was at his best. His final recording, which appears here along with two alternate takes, was arguably his best. Utilizing more modern players (trombonist
Ed Cuffee
, clarinetist
Garvin Bushell
, pianist
Don Kirkpatrick
, guitarist
Danny Barker
, bassist
Wellman Braud
, and drummer
Alphonse Steele
) than his usual New Orleans band,
performed a wide variety of music, ranging from
folk
songs and
swing
standards
(such as
"Out of Nowhere"
and
"You're Driving Me Crazy"
) to some
rags
(most notably
"The Entertainer"
). Throughout,
sounds at the top of his game, making this his definitive release. ~ Scott Yanow