Tiger Rag    Kid Ory

Tiger Rag AM  213

Am 643

11(3)

12(3a) 

13(3b)

14(3c)  

Tiger Rag AM 212      

A

Making runs-the Bunk Johnson duo recordings with Bertha Gonsoulin (p)

By Christer Fellers

Bunk Johnson was interviewed By Bill Russel on American Music AM LP 643. Bunk talks about the early days in New Orleans, his collaborations with Buddy Bolden and demonstrates Buddy´s trumpet style by whistling a tune called making runs. Bunk also demonstrates the use of the diminished chord.

Interestingly enough Bunk also got a chance to play the same tune on his trumpet, backed up by Bertha Gonsoulin on the piano. The session took place in San Francisco 1943 in Bertha´s home. Bunk started the tune by playing Make me a Pallet on the floor  in the key of Eb and then change key to Ab in the Making runs  part. Making runs  has the same basic chord structure as for instance Tiger rag.

Bill Russel says in his notes from the session: "Every time Bunk played it (Making runs) he had a different variation, so I got him to do it four times".

On AM LP 643 we hear one of the takes being played while bunk is talking and two more or less complete takes without any overdubbed talking. On DAN VC-7022 and DAN VC-4020, 12 inch LPs, four takes appear and on AMCD-16 one of the takes. The question for the serious Bunk Johnson researcher is obvious. Which versions of Making runs  are present on the different media. The task is not easy. Some of the takes are very different, but some takes almost identical in places but different in the details. Bunk uses refined alterations of some of the phrases. Furthermore Bill Russel has deleted parts of some takes. To elucidate the differences I decided to describe each take by a series of squares in time, each describing the features of the specific chorus. A pattern emerged which made me compare the takes.

The first conclusion from the study was that there are in fact only four versions. The four DAN takes all seems to be complete and the takes are also in the order in which they are recorded, judging from listening. In the discography the takes are numbered: 11(3), 12(3a), 13(3b) and 14(3c).

On AM 10 inch LP 643 the slowest version 11 is used behind Bunks talking. After the talk, take 12 is played with the exception that the introduction and the first  chorus of Pallet on the floor  is deleted. Take 14 is also played but with Pallet on the floor  completely deleted. The AMCD-16 uses take 14.

The different versions vary in tempo and emotion. The slow version 11 fits very well behind Bunks´ talking. The whole tune is well balanced and Bunk plays three breaks completely different. Break two uses the two first bars of Louis Armstrongs tune Hotter than that. Alternative versions of this break is used several times and I use the abbreviation: HTT below.

Take 12 is a fast version. Bunks seems unbalanced and has less command of the tempo. The first chorus is also deleted by Bill Russel on AM LP 643. The rest of the tune works better. The Making runs  part includes three breaks. The first one is different from those in take 11, and well balanced. The next two breaks are simple and different from the once played so far. In all an exciting take.

Take 13 starts with a lot of scratches from the record. In the Making runs Bunk plays some simple but exciting variations of the melody. The structure of the first break has been used in previous takes, here with a slight change at the end. Break two employs a simple scale upwards of eight quarter-notes. Break three is a not too great. The fourth break is an alternative of HTT again. Again an exciting take with some new improvisations.

The final take 14 is used on the CD. First break is HTT. Second and third breaks-nothing new. Final break uses a fault-free chromatic scale upwards. Not the best take I think.

In 1944 Bunk was back in New Orleans and was recorded with the New Orleans band including George, Jim, Slow Drag, Baby Dodds and Lawrence Marrero. Two exciting takes of Tiger rag are issued, AM 212 and 213 and we can hear further variations on the Making runs theme here.

I urge you to listen to the different takes of Making runs  and Tiger rag  and I´m sure you draw the same conclusion as Bill and myself. Bunk could indeed play a tune many times without repeating himself.

The Making runs theme is also heard on Kid Ory´s Verve LP "Song of the Wanderer". Maybe also Ory heard Buddy Bolden play it in New Orleans and remembered it at the time of recording.