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Bunny Berigan
1909 - 1942
Bunny Berigan, during 1935-1939, was arguably the top
trumpeter in jazz (with his main competition being Louis Armstrong and Roy Eldridge
Blessed with a beautiful tone and a wide  range
(Berigan's low notes could be as memorable as his upper-register shouts),
Berigan brought excitement to every session he appeared on. He was not afraid
to take chances during his solos and could be a bit reckless, but Berigan's
successes and occasional failures were always colorful to hear, at least
until he drank it all away.
Bunny Berigan played in local bands and then college groups in the Midwest.
He tried out for Hal Kemp's orchestra unsuccessfully in 1928 (rejected
because of his thin tone, remarkably) but showed tremendous improvement by
1930 when he was hired. After a few recordings and a trip to Europe, Berigan
joined Fred Rich'sCBS studio band in 1931, where (except for a few months
with Paul Whitemanhe would remain up to 1935. Berigan soon gained a strong
reputation as a hot jazz soloist and he appeared on quite a few records with
studio bands, the Boswell Sisters, and the Dorsey Brothers In 1935, he spent
a few months with Benny Goodman's orchestra, but that was enough to launch
the swing era. Berigan had classic solos on Goodman's first two hit records
("King Porter Stomp" and "Sometimes I'm Happy") and was
with B.G. as he went on his historic tour out West, climaxing in the near
riot at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles.
Berigan soon returned to the more lucrative studio scene, making his only
film appearance in 1936 with Fred Rich. In 1937, he joined Tommy Dorsey's
band and was once again largely responsible for two hits: "Marie"
and "Song of India." Berigan's solos on these tunes became so
famous that in future years Dorsey had them written out and orchestrated for
the full trumpet section. After leaving Dorsey, Bunny Berigan finally put
together his own orchestra. He scored  early on with
his biggest hit, "I Can't Get Started." With Georgie Auld on tenor
and Buddy Rich on drums, Berigan had a potentially strong band.
Unfortunately, he was already an alcoholic and a reluctant businessman. By
1939, there had been many lost opportunities and the following year Berigan
(who was bankrupt) was forced to break up his band. He re-joined Tommy Dorsey
for a few months but never stopped drinking and was not happy being a sideman
again. Soon Berigan formed a new orchestra, but his health began declining,
and on June 2, 1942, he died when he was just 33. What would this brilliant
swing trumpeter have done in the bop era?
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