[Dixielandjazz] Bunny Film Clip -- plus Rich band members

[Don Ingle]

The film clip you mention is one I have from some years ago on a 
Blackhawk Films release on CD.
It was Jerry Collona, and in the sax section is Adrian Rollini.

When Bunny put his band together for recording, the bass player was Hank 
Wayland who worked for several years with my dad's Natural Seven, 
includuing their tour of Great Britain in 1951. Hank was on Can't Get 
Started, Prisonere's Song, etc. This was a 12" 78 for the extra length 
of recording time. He was on all the sides that were done with that band 
-- which played more for the recordings than for audiences. Short lived 
as a band, it still had the top NY musicos aboard. Bunny's increasing 
alcoholism and failure to perform well in the dates booked  soon got out 
and the band just could not get bookings to sustain it. A tragic human 
flaw that took its toll on another player with the same initials -- Bix 
Beiderbecke..

Though Bunny seemed more influenced by Louis, he knew and admired Bix -- 
and his recording of In A Mist was his tribute to Bix a half decade 
after Bix passed.

Hank Wayland was a terrific bass player, and a real character. He was a 
large part of the Red Ingle comedy routines, but always the solid 
bassist. I worked onthe band for over a year when Hank was aboard and 
the tales of the Berigan band, and also the Bob Chester band of that 
time are good memories of Wayland (who worked with that band as well in 
the mid-to-late
30's.

Hey - this proved to be a neat thread to follow. I hope I contributed to 
it -- beats the hell out of the recent rounds of rants. So join in, you 
with other information so we can all learn more about the subjects at hand.
Don (snowless - finally -- in North Michigan) Ingle