Composed by Dick Howard, Bob Ellsworth and Russ Morgan; probably arranged by Gene Kutch.
Recorded by Bunny Berigan and His Orchestra for Elite on March 11, 1942 in New York.
Bunny Berigan, solo trumpet, directing: Kenny Davis (lead), Bob Mansell, Fred Norton, trumpets; Max Smith, Charlie Stout, trombones; George Quinty (lead alto), Walt Mellor (alto and baritone), Red Lange, Neal Smith (tenors), saxophones; Gene Kutch, piano; Tony Espen, bass; Jack Sperling, drums; Kay Little, vocal.
The story:
Much of the story of what was going on in Bunny Berigan’s band at the time the recording presented with this post was made can be found in the post here at bunnyberiganmrtrumpet.com on his fine recording of “Skylark,” which was made on the same date as this recording. A link to that post can be found at endnote (1). A very general summary of that situation can be stated thusly: Berigan’s band was playing well; he was playing well; he and his band were making a little money, indeed they were on the comeback trail. Tragically, he was also on the verge of beginning the process where his health would deteriorate alarmingly, resulting in his death on June 2, 1942 at age 33.
Here is a bit more narrative about what was going on in the Berigan band just before their March 11, 1942 recording date, which produced “Somebody Else Is taking My Place”: They had resumed touring on February 23 at the Totem Pole Ballroom, Auburndale, MA, where they enjoyed an engagement of six days, closing on the 28th. While at the Totem Pole, the band broadcast over station WAAB on the 25th and 26th. Business was booming at the Totem Pole: Gene Kutch: “The boys in the band stayed at the Lorraine Hotel in Boston. It was a great engagement. On our last night, we attracted a crowd of about 3,000 customers. Lawrence Welk replaced us.” (2) Variety reported on Bunny’s success at the Totem Pole: “Bunny Berigan at the Totem Pole, Auburndale, Massachusetts, Feb. 23-28, is always a favorite here with 12,200 dancers at the usual 1 dollar 45 cents per couple for a fine gross of 8,845 dollars. Turned in the heaviest Saturday (February 28) ($3,000) in weeks.” (3) Bunny had some stiff competition while he was in Boston. On February 28, the Raymor-Playmor twin Ballrooms were presenting Stan Kenton and Will Bradley.
After the Totem Pole gig, the band played a one-nighter in New Britain, CT, then took a few days off. During the month of February, after Bunny rejoined his band (he had been in Hollywood working on the sound track for the feature film Syncopation), they had played engagements on 17 of 23 dates. On one of those dates, they had played three shows. On three of the the six “off-dates,” the band rehearsed. On only three of the off-dates had the band actually rested. For whatever reasons, MCA was now finding more work for Bunny and his band.
During the brief respite at the beginning of March, Berigan temporarily replaced female vocalist Kay Little with Nita Sharon. This replacement applied only to the band’s road engagements. Ms. Little would perform with Bunny’s band on the March 11 recording date. Bunny was not at all displeased with the singing of Kay Little, who was married to Bunny’s male vocalist, Danny Richards. George Quinty, who played lead alto saxophone in the band, provided the background details: “I talked Bunny into hiring Nita Sharon as a temporary replacement for Kay Little, who had discovered she was pregnant and wanted to go home to her folks. I knew Nita, who had been working in Cleveland, so I got hold of Kutchie (Berigan band pianist Gene Kutch) to play for an audition for her. She got the job, but she didn’t last very long.” (4)
The music:
The personnel in the studio on March 11 with Bunny were: Kenny Davis (lead), Bob Mansell, Fred Norton, trumpets; Max Smith, Charlie Stout, trombones; George Quinty, (lead alto), Walt Mellor (alto and baritone), Red Lang, Neal Smith (tenors), saxophones; Gene Kutch, piano; Tony Espen, bass; Jack Sperling, drums; Danny Richards, Kay Little, vocals. Danny Richards, after waiting for more than three years to record with Bunny Berigan, would finally get his chance. Kay Little would also record with the band, even though Nita Sharon continued working on the road with Berigan temporarily.
The music:
“Somebody Else is Taking My Place” was composed by Russ Morgan, Dick Howard, and Bob Ellsworth in 1937, but was resurrected as a World War II pop hit exploiting the separations that were occurring throughout the nation as young men went off to war. Here it is cast in a straightforward brisk-tempo dance arrangement by Gene Kutch, which Bunny and the Berigan band play very well. Bunny states the melody in the first chorus on open trumpet. Kutch’s brass voicings are very similar to those also being used then by Benny Goodman’s young pianist and arranger, Mel Powell. Bunny plays the modulation into Kay Little’s vocal. She sings and swings with gusto here (her approach is similar to those used by Louise Tobin and Connie Haines), displaying good range, flexibility and pitch control. Bunny leads the brass after the vocal, and Red Lange pops out of the ensemble for a brief solo before Bunny and the brass wrap things up brightly. Although the Berigan band swings nicely in this performance, this record was not designed for jazz thrills. It is a fine example of an economical arrangement designed to sell this pop tune to record buyers. I am reasonably certain that Eli Oberstein clearly communicated to Bunny what he wanted as the Berigan band prepared for this recording session, and he got what he wanted.
A bit more story:
Bunny Berigan had every reason to be very happy with this recording session. He had played wonderfully, his band sounded tight and swinging, and his vocalists both did their jobs very well. The arrangements his band played were good, with Gene Kutch’s chart on Skylark being excellent. The tunes, with the exception of Skylark, were ordinary items then being featured by almost all dance bands, and as such were grist for the pop record market. Skylark was also very popular then, but it is clearly a cut above the run-of-the-mill pop tunes that then formed the core of most bands’ repertoires. I think that Eli Oberstein, who produced the session, was also probably quite pleased with the recordings Bunny and company made that day. This recording session was the best Bunny had had in three years. These recordings, as issued on the Elite label, were on the market by mid-April.
(Note: Some releases, including those appearing by license to the Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. on their Air Chief Philharmonic label, incorrectly attribute the vocals done by Kay Little on the March 11, 1942 Berigan recordings to Nita Sharon.)
The recording presented with this post was digitally remastered by Mike Zirpolo.
Notes and links:
(1) https://bunnyberiganmrtrumpet.com/2019/02/23/skylark-1942-bunny-berigan-with-danny-richards/
(2) Ibid., February 28, 1942.
(3) Variety, March 4, 1942, cited in the White materials,
(4) White materials, March 1, 1942.
Great information as always! Were there any recordings with Nita Sharon?
Paul, she definitely did not record with Berigan. I have checked and found no other recordings by her. She was another of many mystery girls in the world of swing.
By the time France’s Chronological Series released its final Berigan volume, I’d read so much here and there about the deterioration of Bunny’s overall health and musicianship in his waning months that I almost dreaded hearing his last studio date — even as I felt a burning curiosity. Many years later now, even though I still experience a range of emotions and reactions in listening to the sides that resulted from this session, I feel most strongly that my favourite musician ended his recording career on a high note, literally and figuratively. The humble Elite label and Eli Oberstein’s dictates don’t matter — what matters is that Bunny himself was still playing with heart and, despite everything, fire.
“Skylark,” the gem of the date, has more character and poignancy, of course, but “Somebody Else …” too, even with its rather lean arrangement, is a well-executed testament to Bunny’s leadership skills and Herculean strength. We Berigan aficionados are burdened, it may at times seem, by the knowledge of how booze systematically destroyed a brilliant musician and bandleader — as well as a father and son; we know that, with the hospitalisation of late ’39, he was essentially a dead man walking .. and blowing. Nevertheless, we can — sometimes — forget, for the few minutes’ length of an Elite side, and cheer him on, just as he was cheering on his band through his playing.
If only Bunny had known that nobody would take his place …
Nobody would and nobody could.