[Dixielandjazz] Maria Elena

[George Thurmond]

    This might be of interest to those of you following the "Maria Elena"
thread of the past few days.  The Colombia LP "Bunk Johnson - The Last
Testament of a Great Jazzman" contains extensive album notes by George
Anakin who attended part of the recording session on the last day of the
three days it took to record the album.  This was on December 26, 1947, and
things were delayed in getting started because of the 26-inch snowstorm in
NYC on that day.  He (Avakian) wrote it was the worst snowfall in the City's
history.   (Maybe it was surpassed, in turn, by this week's blizzard).
"Maria Elena" was the last tune recorded.  Avakian then wrote, rather
poignantly IMO:

            "When Bunk left . . . (Carnegie) . . . hall and went out into
the
    fantastic snowstorm, it was from the last professional engagement
    he was ever to play.  A week later he went back to New Orleans"

    The notes go on the state that other hoped for jobs never material-
ized for Bunk, and after suffering a stroke in 1948, he died July 7, 1949.

    Bunk's second career odyssey  which began in Werlien's (Sp?)
music store on Canal Street with "Moose March" for the Jazzman label on that
humid day in June, 1942, ended with "Maria Elena" on that cold snowy day in
New York in December, 1947.


George (Bunk Lives!) Thurmond




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