A must-have for any Bunk fan.
11/05/1998
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Eight good to excellent tracks, including - Panama - of the 942 versions of this that I own, this is the the only one with any "Latin" flavor. It must be the only "correct" one.One track - Yes Lord I am Crippled - that I just I couldn't get interested in. Track 10 is what makes this a must-have. At 9+ minutes long, it's the three "talking records" pasted together as a single CD track. You have to turn up the volume, sit real close to a speaker, and replay this interview several times to catch all the words. It's a first-person account that begins in 1895!!!"
Historic recording of the New Orleans revival.
B. D. Tutt | London, UK. | 04/14/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Bunk Johnson's first band recordings are rough and ready, poorly recorded and with crude drumming which cannot compare with that of Baby Dodds on later Johnson recordings. And yet, there is something inspiring about the music on this disc. Johnson plays strikingly well, and in "Moose March", the band recorded one of the most joyously invigorating perfomances of the New Orleans revival. The talking records are interesting but should be taken with a pinch of salt.All reservations apart, it is a historic session, and should be in the collection of all jazz lovers."