Bunny Berigan: Elusive Legend of Jazz

Bernard ``Bunny'' Berigan (1908-1942) was only 33 when he died an alcoholic's death in New York City, far from his rural hometown of Fox Lake, Wis. Berigan, who played with Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey before forming his own band in 1937, wasn't as widely recognized as other bandleaders of his era, but his fans were intensely loyal. His own fidelity, however, comes into question: when Berigan's wife heard that the trumpeter was having an affair with singer Lee Wiley, she confronted him, saying, ``It's her or me''--Bunny choose Lee. Dupuis, a former Detroit school principal, brings together the major successes and myriad scrapes of Berigan's brilliant yet tormented career. Interviews with friends and acquaintances from Fox Lake as well as from the music industry give this enjoyable if occasionally sluggish volume a friendly, admiring tone. Photos not seen by PW. (Mar.)