Bunny Berigan Mosaic

[BruceH]

I've found that if a CD is in too tight, one thing you can do is reach over with your thumb and (gently) depress the inner spindle (the tines that hold the CD in by its center hole) while simultaneously pulling the CD up by its edges with your other hand. Once in a while the tines might crack or fall out (which means you're in trouble) but only if they were already damaged in the first place. Generally this works like a charm for me.

[ghost of miles]

Just finished listening to this set last night and I have to say it's one of my favorite Mosaic releases from the past several years--esp. in terms of pulling together a lot of material that I would never have come across otherwise. Yes, the vocal tracks are uneven, but God, Berigan's trumpet-playing is consistently brilliant, and some of the vocal tracks come from the likes of Mildred Bailey, Billie Holiday, and Lee Wiley. Richard Sudhalter's commentary is quite a pleasure to read as well; he draws upon interviews he did with session participants such as Bud Freeman, lending a nice sense of historical presence to the box. The set just gets better and better as you go through Discs 1-7; I plan to re-visit it frequently. So a big from me.

[David Ayers]

I've found that if a CD is in too tight, one thing you can do is reach over with your thumb and (gently) depress the inner spindle (the tines that hold the CD in by its center hole) while simultaneously pulling the CD up by its edges with your other hand. Once in a while the tines might crack or fall out (which means you're in trouble) but only if they were already damaged in the first place. Generally this works like a charm for me.

Even my mother, whose hands are not of the most flexible, has no problem getting out the most recalcitrant CD by just shoving in the centre 'til it pops out. And it 'never did her any harm' etc.

[BERIGAN]

I've found that if a CD is in too tight, one thing you can do is reach over with your thumb and (gently) depress the inner spindle (the tines that hold the CD in by its center hole) while simultaneously pulling the CD up by its edges with your other hand.  Once in a while the tines might crack or fall out (which means you're in trouble) but only if they were already damaged in the first place.  Generally this works like a charm for me.

Even my mother, whose hands are not of the most flexible, has no problem getting out the most recalcitrant CD by just shoving in the centre 'til it pops out. And it 'never did her any harm' etc.

Just got my disc 4! Yea Mosaic! I shall now put on my inspector Berigan cap and figure out why the hell I broke a cd....lets see know, just took out disc 3, no problem...open the trim 2 cd case up, put disc 4 in, now try to take it out...same problem!(well, didn't break the disc at least!) Checked out the inner disc on other cases in the set, and this seems to be a problem, to a lesser extent on all of them. It seems that when you open the case so that the inner portion of the tray is out of the cd case, there is little support...you don't want to break the cd case, but I will worry less about this in the future! The centers don't seem to want to compress, either. I will also gently loosen the teeth that hold the cd in place. Never noticed them on these sets before, but they are fairly long, and alternate ...4 will flex on one side, but not on the other(Do jazz nuts know how to waste time, or what? )

One of the hold down tabs is already stressed, turning white, so perhaps I will just get some cheap 2 cd cases, and replace these...No doubt Mosaic does not like the discs to pop out like many 2 cd cases do....and spends more for these, but these are too good!

By the by, I have replaced 100's of cd cases for being cracked, yellow, gummy, evil, what have you...so I felt really stupid for cracking a cd!

Edited July 3, 2003 by BERIGAN

[pryan]

I still have yet to receive my set; hope it's not held up at customs. If it doesn't arrive by tommorow I might have to give Mosaic a call; I'm sure it's been sent, however.

[pryan]

Well, it did arrive today and I am one happy dude! I'm planning on listening to the set in "reverse", from disc 7 (which I just finished listening to; wow, great stuff) backwards to disc 1.

I'm finding Bunny's playing to be just magnificent, especially on the one vocal session that I've listen to (the one with Teddy Wilson and Johnny Hodges). He's got that Prez-like way of accompaniment that's just so difficult to pull off, but it seems effortless to him.

Can't wait to listen to the rest and will report back.

[BERIGAN]

Well, it did arrive today and I am one happy dude! I'm planning on listening to the set in "reverse", from disc 7 (which I just finished listening to; wow, great stuff) backwards to disc 1.

I'm finding Bunny's playing to be just magnificent, especially on the one vocal session that I've listen to (the one with Teddy Wilson and Johnny Hodges). He's got that Prez-like way of accompaniment that's just so difficult to pull off, but it seems effortless to him.

Can't wait to listen to the rest and will report back.

Pryan, glad it arrived!!!!!

[pryan]

Thanks Berigan. I listened to disc six last night. One of the sessions on that disc (one under Bunny's leadership) has a funny story about it re: Bunny losing some of the arrangements and/or sketches that he had made. I think he blamed one of his kids for taking it to school, or something along those lines. At the session the guys kind of just "winged it", but the results are still good to my ears. The second date w/ Billie is on disc 6 as well.... sublime. B)

[brownie]

Up for renewal.

JSP is issuing later this month a 5CD box 'Bunny Berigan.The Key Sessions' that will include tracks from 1931 to 1937 with the Boswell Sisters, Tommy Dorsey, Bing Crosby, Glenn Miller et al. No idea yet on duplicates with the Mosaic box.

[Adam]

up for the sale

[Adam]

up for the hell of it

[king ubu]

So I played discs 1-3, parts of disc 4 and then (in chronological order) disc 7. First impression: darn good! Disc 7 contains three small group dates, the first pairing Berigan with Bud Freeman, and it's effin' ridiculous! The second has Johnny Hodges in, Teddy Wilson on piano as well as chubby Mildred (yup, I love her singing!) and no drums (funny John Hammond story - seems a drummer was scheduled but Hammond gave him a call not to appear without the other musicians knowing...). The third date is with Edgar Sampson and Eddie Miller (I like his contributions on the Classic Capitol quite a bit, but Bud Freeman is again providing highlights there, too), as well as Cliff Jackson on piano. And all three dates have Moncur senior thumping away on bass, and doing greatly! Really three fantastic dates!

As for discs 1-3, some of that is just run of the mill stuff, Berigan accompanying singers (bad ones, mostly) with ARC studio bands, Berigan playing with the Dorsey Bros. (often backing the same bad singers), and Berigan with the Boswell Sisters or just Connie Boswell - some of those sides are again pretty great. Never heard Connie Boswell before, but she's fine!

The highlight of these dates for me is the session (two tunes, two takes each) with Lee Wiley ( ) - Berigan had an affair with her, it seems, and he's backing her in a much more intense way than any of the other singers. Effin' great stuff again! Now I hope that the rest of disc 4 and discs 5 and 6 continue on the better side!

I wonder: what else to get to have more *good* Berigan? Classics' run of releases picking up after the Mosaic ends? (Or even those covering the same years? Is there material on those volumes coming from labels not covered in the Mosaic?)

[Stereojack]

I wonder: what else to get to have more *good* Berigan? Classics' run of releases picking up after the Mosaic ends? (Or even those covering the same years? Is there material on those volumes coming from labels not covered in the Mosaic?)

Berigan led his own big band beginning in 1937, which recorded extensively for Victor. The music is of pretty high quality with many classics in amongst the more commercial sides. Also recorded with Benny Goodman's band in 1935 and with Tommy Dorsey in 1937. Both associations yielded a number of classics, icluding King Porter Stomp, Sometimes I'm Happy (Goodman), Song of India, Marie (Dorsey). These are essentials for the Berigan fan.

Chronological Classics and Hep have issued several volumes of his Victor sides, none of which are on the Mosaic.

[brownie]

I abstained from seeking that box because I has nearly all of the material. The link to the Mosaic Bunny Berigan set discograph does not work anymore.

Missing from the box were the sessions with Lee Wiley that are now available on those Baldwin Street Music CDs!

These are better than 'good' Berigans!!

[jazzbo]

My best friend tells me that the JSP rips off the remastering of the Mosaic, leaving off the alternates and two sessions (I loaned him my Mosaic for comparison). Shame.

Jack, yes, those Berigan band sides and his sideman work not in the Mosaic are great. I have the Berigan band and the Dorsey band material on the excellent series of Bluebird lps transferred to cdr which sound great, and there are some excellent solos from Bunny in there.

Guy, I have most of the material in the Mosaic outside the Mosiac. . . but man it sounds better in the Mosiac, and the booklet is great. I've been thrilled with every single prebop release Mosaic has come out with: keep 'em coming Scott!

Edited June 10, 2007 by jazzbo

[sidewinder]

I've been thrilled with every single prebop release Mosaic has come out with: keep 'em coming Scott!

Yep, when it comes to this earlier material, Mr Wenzel is The Man. In the past I tended to avoid the early jazz sets but there's a great sense of discovery with sets such as this - and the inner anorak in me just loves the scholarly and completist presentation.

[brownie]

Guy, I have most of the material in the Mosaic outside the Mosiac. . . but man it sounds better in the Mosiac, and the booklet is great.

Lon, I'm sure about that!

But the Berigan box came out at a time when I decided I would not buy the same material twice. I still make exceptions for a dozen favorite giants (you can guess the majority of those) but still abstain for others even when they are as worthy of interest as Berigan. I try to stick to the decision -_-

[jazzbo]

Guy, I have most of the material in the Mosaic outside the Mosiac. . . but man it sounds better in the Mosiac, and the booklet is great.

Lon, I'm sure about that!

But the Berigan box came out at a time when I decided I would not buy the same material twice. I still make exceptions for a dozen favorite giants (you can guess the majority of those) but still abstain for others even when they are as worthy of interest as Berigan. I try to stick to the decision -_-

Hey I totally understand!

And I have the same aspirations. . .and fall short as well.

[king ubu]

Thanks everybody! I'll look for some RCA material then, likely rather on Hep than on Classics...

The Wiley material I have, Guy - all four of the Baldwin Street discs (although last time I checked detailed info was only online for Volumes 1 & 2).

[Mark J]

The excellent "Bill Dodge" transcriptions are in fact in print on cd, on the Circle label by George H. Buck.

Finally picked up this CD after being on my list since Lon's post here. Excellent recordings, a lot of the material Benny Goodman was recording at Columbia in 1934 (much of that with Jack Teagarden) but with a different band. Bunny Berigan is excellent throughout, nice to hear him in this format.