That's Bunk

"Saints Go Marching In," the illicit Bunk Johnson CD I bought at the Petticoat Lane Market in London, turns out to be not that illicit after all. It's a legit Past Perfect collection of recordings from 1944, when the New Orleans trumpeter saw a revival in his career. The sound is excellent and Bunk plays with a sextet and septet of other notable New Orleans-oriented musicians, including drummer Baby Dodds, clarinetist George Lewis, who's a standout, and trombonist Jim Robinson.

Bunk may not have been Louis Armstrong, but "Saints Go Marching In" is a really nice package of traditional New Orleans jazz with tasty versions of the title track, "Careless Love," "St. Louis Blues" and "C.C. Rider," among others. He does two boffo renditions of his own "Midnight Blues." Not a bad minute out of all 77:20 of it. Plus, I paid less than six bucks and that almost makes me giddy.