BUNNY BERIGAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1937 | The Classics Chronological Series – 766 (1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

1937 was the year Bunny Berigan went out on his own as a bandleader. He had cut his teeth with Tommy Dorsey and Benny Goodman, before paving the way to his own big band career with some small group sessions in 1936. On the heels of several if these combo dates, Berigan teamed up with such stellar players as tenor saxophonist George Auld, trombonist Sonny Lee, drummer George Wettling, and clarinetist Joe Dixon to begin one of the more overlooked swing outfits of the late '30s. While not always on par with such highly original groups as those led by Ellington, Lunceford, and Goodmam, Berigan's band did deliver over 100 quality sides for RCA between 1937-1939. This Classics roundup focuses on that monumental first year, with such highlights as "I Can't Get Started," "Frankie and Johnny," "Mahogany Hall Stomp," and "Black Bottom." For fans looking to follow Berigan's chronological trail, do yourself a favor and start out of sequence with this collection. Stephen Cook  
Tracklist :
1     Roses in December 3:10
George Jessel / Herbert Magidson / Ben Oakland
2     Mother Goose 3:01
Shank
3     Frankie and Johnny 2:45
Traditional
4     Mahogany Hall Stomp 2:29
Spencer Williams
5     Let 'Er Go 3:17
Larry Clinton    
6     Turn on That Red-Hot Heat (Burn Your Blues Away) 3:19
Louis Alter / Paul Francis Webster
7     I Can't Get Started 4:40
Vernon Duke / Ira Gershwin    
8     The Prisoner's Song 4:06
Guy Massey    
9     Why Talk About Love? 2:48
Sidney Mitchell / Lew Pollack
10     Caravan 3:27
Duke Ellington / Irving Mills / Juan Tizol
11     A Study in Brown 3:04
Larry Clinton
12     Sweet Varsity Sue 2:30
Sam M. Lewis / Charles Tobias
13     Gee, But It's Great to Meet a Friend 2:24
Fred Fisher
14     Ebb Tide 3:05
Ralph Rainger / Leo Robin    
15     Have You Ever Been in Heaven? 3:07
Jack Lawrence / Peter Tinturin
16     Mama, I Wanna Make Rhythm 2:45
Richard Byron / Jerome Jerome / Walter Kent
17     I'd Love to Play a Love Scene (Opposite You) 2:50
18     I Want a New Romance 3:01
Burton Lane
19     Miles Apart 2:50
Mack David    
20     A Strange Loneliness 2:54
Johnny Burke / Sammy Mysels    
21     In a Little Spanish Town 3:10
Sam M. Lewis / Mabel Wayne / Joe Young
22     Black Bottom 3:19
Lew Brown / Buddy DeSylva / Ray Henderson