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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Bix Beiderbecke With Jean Goldkette's Orchestra: 1924-1927
Jazz - Editado por Retrieval el 04-05-2007
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Riverboat Shuffle
Jazz - Editado por Charly Records el 14-04-2006
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Riverboat Shuffle
Dixie - Editado por Charly Records el 14-04-2006
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Bix Beiderbecke - Gold Collection
Jazz - Editado por Retro Music Box el 22-01-2021
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Complete Jazz Series 1928 - 1929
Bix Beiderbecke, Paul Whiteman
Jazz - Editado por Complete Jazz Series el 15-10-2008
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BEIDERBECKE, Bix: Riverboat Shuffle (1924-1929)
Jazz tradicional & Nueva Orleans - Editado por Naxos el 25-11-2001
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Complete Jazz Series 1927 - 1928
Jazz - Editado por Complete Jazz Series el 15-10-2008
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The Ultimate Collection
Jazz - Editado por H&H Music Ltd el 10-01-2008
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Singin' The Blues
Jazz - Editado por Charly Records el 14-04-2006
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My Pretty Girl
Jazz - Editado por Transatlantica el 28-07-2023
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Jazz Collection: Bix Beiderbecke
Jazz - Editado por Dominio el 23-04-2014
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At the Jazz Band Ball
Jazz - Editado por Synergie OMP el 09-09-2012
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A Jazz Hour with Bix Beiderbecke: Jazz Me Blues
Jazz - Editado por Blaricum CD Company (B.C.D.) B.V. el 24-10-2000
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Early Jazz (Remastered)
Jazz tradicional & Nueva Orleans - Editado por Ornithology Rec. el 30-01-2013
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Riverboat Shuffle - From The Archives (Digitally Remastered)
Jazz - Editado por Essential Media Group el 03-11-2009
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Complete Jazz Series 1927 - 1930
Jazz - Editado por Complete Jazz Series el 15-10-2008
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Since My Best Gal Turned Me Down
Bix Beiderbecke, Bix Beiderbecke & His Rhythm Jugglers
Pop - Editado por Big East Records el 25-11-2023
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Bix Beiderbecke and the Wolverines 1924-1925 (feat. Sioux City Six and Rhythm Jugglers)
Bix Beiderbecke, The Wolverines
Jazz - Editado por Olympic Records el 23-07-1965
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Bix Beiderbecke Selected Favorites, Vol. 5
Jazz - Editado por Charly Records el 21-03-2011
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo