Biography
Georg Brunis belonged to the celebrated Brunies family of New Orleans, yet he trimmed the spelling of his surname after consulting a numerologist. At eight he performed on alto horn both in a family trio and alongside Papa Jack Laine’s Reliance Brass Band; by ten he had switched to trombone. In 1920 he relocated to Chicago and took a chair in Paul Mares’ ensemble, later moving with Mares into the Friars Society Orchestra that would evolve into the New Orleans Rhythm Kings. A durable recording and performing partnership with Ted Lewis began in 1924, after which Brunis settled into the New York scene in 1935. He worked numerous clubs there, entered Muggsy Spanier’s Ragtime Band in 1939, and appeared regularly with Eddie Condon, Lewis, and Art Hodes. Returning to Chicago in 1949, he assembled his own group and maintained a long residency at Club 1111 from 1951 through 1959 before leading ensembles in Wisconsin and Ohio.
Albums