Bix Beiderbecke
Bix Beiderbecke was one of the greatest jazz musicians of the 1920s. His colorful life, quick rise and fall, and eventual status as a martyr made him a legend even before he died. Possessor of a beautiful, distinctive tone and a strikingly original improvising style, Beiderbecke's only competitor among cornetists in the '20s was Louis Armstrong but, because of their different sounds and styles, you can't really compare them.
Beiderbecke was a bit of a child prodigy, picking out tunes on the piano when he was three. While he had conventional training on the piano, he taught himself the cornet. Influenced by the original Dixieland Jazz Band, Beiderbecke craved the freedom of jazz but his straitlaced parents felt he was being frivolous. He was sent to Lake Forest Military Academy in 1921 but, by coincidence, it was located fairly close to Chicago, the center of jazz at the time. Beiderbecke was eventually expelled because he missed so many classes. After a brief period at home he became a full-time musician. In 1923, Beiderbecke became the star cornetist of the Wolverines and a year later this spirited group made some classic recordings.
In late 1924, Beiderbecke left the Wolverines to join Jean Goldkette's orchestra but his inability to read music resulted in him losing the job. In 1925, he spent time in Chicago and worked on his reading abilities. The following year he spent time with Frankie Trumbauer's orchestra in St. Louis. Although already an alcoholic, 1927 would be Beiderbecke's greatest year. He worked with Jean Goldkette's orchestra, recorded his piano masterpiece "In a Mist" (one of his four Debussy-inspired originals), cut many classic sides with a small group headed by Trumbauer (including his greatest solos "Singin' the Blues," "I'm Comin' Virginia," and "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans"), and then signed up with Paul Whiteman's huge and prosperous orchestra. Although revisionist historians would later claim that Whiteman's wide mixture of repertoire (much of it outside of jazz) drove Beiderbecke to drink, he actually enjoyed the prestige of playing with the most popular band of the decade. Beiderbecke's favorite personal solo was his written-out part on George Gershwin's "Concerto in F."
With Whiteman, Beiderbecke's solos tended to be short moments of magic, sometimes in odd settings; his brilliant chorus on "Sweet Sue" is a perfect example. He was productive throughout 1928, but by the following year his drinking began to catch up with him. Beiderbecke had a breakdown, made a comeback, and then in September 1929 was reluctantly sent back to Davenport to recover. Unfortunately, Beiderbecke made a few sad records in 1930 before his death at age 28. The bad liquor of the Prohibition era did him in.
For the full story, Bix: Man & Legend is a remarkably detailed book. Beiderbecke's recordings (even the obscure ones) are continually in print, for his followers believe that every note he played was special.
© Scott Yanow /TiVo
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Discografía
197 álbum(es) • Ordenado por Mejores ventas
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BD Music Presents Bix Beiderbecke
Be Bop - Editado por BDMUSIC el 25-06-2005
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Saga Jazz: Davenport Blues
Jazz tradicional & Nueva Orleans - Editado por SAGA el 16-08-2005
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Bix Beiderbecke, Volume I: Singin' The Blues
Jazz tradicional & Nueva Orleans - Editado por Columbia Jazz Masterpieces el 01-01-1990
Discoteca Ideal QobuzDisponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
Jazz - The Essential Collection, Vol. 9 (Remastered)
Jazz - Editado por IN+OUT Records el 04-06-1998
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Bix and Tram: A Hot Jazz Classic
Frankie Trumbauer And His Orchestra, Bix Beiderbecke
Jazz - Editado por Shellac Revival el 05-10-2020
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Bix Beiderbecke and the Wolverines 1924-1925
The Wolverines, Bix Beiderbecke
Jazz - Editado por Timeless Records el 04-07-2008
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Bix Beiderbeck: Young Man with a Horn
Jazz - Editado por Retrospective el 01-01-2010
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The Golden Age Of Bix Beiderbecke - 1927
Pop - Editado por Parlophone UK el 01-01-1983
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That Devilin' Tune: A Jazz History (1895-1950), Vol. 2 (1927-1934)
Jazz - Editado por West Hill Radio Archives el 04-10-2011
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Vol. II: At The Jazz Band Ball
Jazz tradicional & Nueva Orleans - Editado por Columbia Jazz Masterpieces el 25-09-1990
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
The Unheard Bix
Jazz - Editado por Bix Beiderbecke el 04-10-2023
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
Bix Beiderbecke And The Chicago Cornets
Jazz - Editado por Milestone el 30-06-1991
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The Indispensable Bix Beiderbecke (1925-1930)
Jazz - Editado por RCA Records Label el 01-01-1983
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Singin' The Blues
Jazz - Editado por Jazz Experience el 05-08-2016
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
Singin' The Blues
Jazz - Editado por Jazz Experience el 05-08-2016
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
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The Bix Beiderbecke Story
Jazz tradicional & Nueva Orleans - Editado por Columbia el 28-02-1990
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
Bix Beiderbecke and the Wolverines 1924
Bix Beiderbecke, The Wolverines
Dixie - Editado por Olympic Records el 26-06-1927
Disponible en24-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
All Time Jazz: Bix Beiderbecke
Jazz - Editado por Bella Musica Edition el 16-05-2014
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -