The Stardust Road by Hoagy Carmichael, University of Indiana Press, 1946īugles for Beiderbecke by Charles Wareing and George Garlick, Sidgwick and Jackson Limited, London, 1958 Sometimes I Wonder by Hoagy Carmichael and Stephen Longstreet, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1965 Remembering Bix, by Ralph Berton, Harper & Row, 1974īix: The Definitive Biography Of A Jazz Legend, by Jean Pierre Lion, Continuum Publishers, 2004īix Beiderbecke by Burnett James, Cassell & Co, Ltd., 1959 Evans, Arlington House Publishers, 1974īix The Leon Bix Beiderbecke Story, by Philip R. The official cause of death was lobar pneumonia and edema of the brain.įor more information about Bix check out the Bix Beiderbecke Resources A Bixographyīix Man And Legend, by Richard M. He died at age 28 in 1931 during an alcoholic seizure. But mainly, he holed himself up in a rooming house in Queens, New York where he drank a lot and worked on his beautiful solo piano pieces “ Candlelights“, “Flashes”, and “In The Dark” (played here by Jess Stacy (“Candlelights”) and Ralph Sutton Bix never recorded them). He returned to New York in 1930 and made a few more records with his friend Hoagy Carmichael and under the name of Bix Beiderbecke and his Orchestra. BIX BEIDERBECKE FULLHe kept Bix on full pay long after his breakdown, and promised him that his chair was always open in the Whiteman Orchestra, but, Bix was never the same again, and never rejoined the band. It should be noted that Paul Whiteman was very good to Bix during his struggles. He suffered from delirium tremens and he had a nervous breakdown while playing with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra, and was eventually sent back to his parents in Davenport, Iowa to recover. In 1929 Bix’s drinking began to catch up with him. He also recorded some of his best work with Trumbauer and guitarist, Eddie Lang, under the name of Tram, Bix, and Eddie.īix was able to bone up on his sight-reading enough to re-join Jean Goldkette’s Orchestra briefly, before signing up as a soloist with Paul Whiteman’s Orchestra. Whiteman’s Orchestra was the most popular band of the 1920’s and Bix enjoyed the prestige and money of playing with such a successful outfit, but it didn’t stop his drinking. In 1926 he spent some time with Frankie Trumbauer‘s Orchestra where he recorded his solo piano masterpiece “In a Mist”. In late 1924 Bix left the Wolverines to join Jean Goldkette‘s Orchestra, but his inability to read music eventually resulted in him losing the job. Bix was influenced a great deal by the Original Dixieland Jass Band, but soon surpassed their playing. In 1923 Beiderbecke joined the Wolverine Orchestra and recorded with them the following year. (photo courtesy Great American Songbook Foundation) Recently discovered photo: Al Gande, Bix Beiderbecke, Johnny Hartwell. He was soon expelled for skipping class and became a full-time musician. His parents disapproved of his playing music and sent him to a military school outside of Chicago in 1921. The legend of Bix grew even larger after he died.īix never learned to read music very well, but he had an amazing ear even as a child. His hard drinking and beautiful tone on the cornet made him a legend among musicians during his life. He played a lovely rendition of "I'll be Friend with Pleasure".Bix Beiderbecke (Ma– August 6, 1931) was one of the great jazz musicians of the 1920’s he was also a child of the Jazz Age who drank himself to an early grave with illegal Prohibition liquor. With Whiteman he recorded many great solos like "Lonely Melody", "Dardanella", "Sweet Sue" and "Oh Miss Hannah" - this last song with Bing Crosby on vocals. He recorded great solos with his friend 'Frankie Trambauer' like "Singin' the Blues" and "I'm Coming, Virginia". His more famous recordings were with his little orchestra, "Bix and his Gang", in 1927. His compositions like "In a Mist" and "In the Dark" are very advanced for the time. His alcohol abuse was dramatic during this time and was the main cause of his premature death. He stayed with Whiteman until 1929, with many interruptions. After this he played in the Charlie Straight orchestra in 1925, with Jean Goldkette in 1926-27 and in the middle of that year he signed a contract with the famous Paul Whiteman. His first recordings were with "The Wolverines" in 1924. He also played the piano, but he had more success playing the cornet with a very personal style. Bix Beiderbecke was the first talented white jazz cornet player.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |