Jazz / Early Jazz
Al Gande Trombone
Al Rinker Vocals
Andy Secrest Cornet
Austin Young Vocals
Benny Goodman Alto, Clarinet
Bernie Daly Reeds
Bill Chalis Piano
Bill Rank Trombone
Bing Crosby Vocals
Bix & His Gang Band
Bix Beiderbecke Cornet, Piano
Bix Beiderbecke & His Rhythm Jugglers Band
Bob Gillette Banjo
Boyce Cullen Trombone
Bud Freeman Sax (Tenor)
Carl Kress Guitar
Charles Gaylord Violin, Vocals
Charles Strickfaden Baritone, Clarinet, Horn (English), Reeds
Charlie Margulis Trumpet
Chauncey Morehouse Drums
Chet Hazlett Reeds
Dick Voynow Piano
Doc Ryker Alto
Don Murray Sax (Tenor), Clarinet
Ed "Snoozer" Quinn Guitar
Eddie Lang Guitar
Eddie Pinder Trumpet
Edwin Edwards Composer
Frank Signorelli Piano
Frankie Trumbauer Bassoon, Sax (C-Melody)
Frankie Trumbauer & His Orchestra Orchestra
Fred Farrar Trumpet
Gene Krupa Drums
George Marsh Percussion
George V. Johnson, Jr. Tenor (Vocal)
Hal McDonald Drums
Hal McLean Clarinet, Alto
Harry Barris Vocals
Henry Busse Trumpet
Hoagy Carmichael Vocals
Hoagy Carmichael & His Orchestra Orchestra
Howdy Quicksell Banjo
Irving Brodsky Piano
Irving Riskin Piano
Izzy Friedman Clarinet, Alto
J.C. Jones Composer
Jack Fulton Vocals
Jack Teagarden Trombone
Jean Goldkette & His Orchestra Orchestra
Jimmy Dorsey Clarinet
Jimmy Hartwell Clarinet
Joe Venturi Violin
Kurt Dieterle Violin
Lennie Hayton Celeste, Piano
Lindsay McPhail Composer
Lloyd Turner Trombone
Mario Perry Violin
Mary McCreary Composer
Matty Malneck Violin
Melvin Endsley Composer
Mike Pingatore Banjo
Mike Trafficante Bass, Tuba
Min Leibrook Tuba, Sax (Bass)
Mischa Russell Violin
Mitchell Parish Composer
Nick LaRocca Composer
Paul Mertz Piano
Paul Whiteman Orchestra Orchestra
Pee Wee Russell Clarinet, Alto
Ray Lodwig Trumpet
Roy Bargy Piano
Rube Crozier Bassoon, Alto
Scott Yanow Compilation, Liner Notes, Compilation Producer
Scrappy Lambert Vocals
Stan King Drums
Steve Brown Bass
The Wolverine Orchestra Orchestra
Tom Gargano Drums
Tommy Dorsey Trombone
Tony Sbarbaro Composer
Vic Moore Drums
Walter Michels Composer
Wesley Vaughan Vocals
Wilbur Hall Trombone
Bix Beiderbecke
Active Decades: '20s and '30s
Born: Mar 10, 1903 in Davenport, IA
Died: Aug 06, 1931 in New York, NY
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Big Band, Swing, Early Jazz
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, and he has long stood as proof that not all the innovators in jazz history were black. 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 (due to their different sounds and styles) one really could not 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 straight-laced 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 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 (most of their records are unfortunately quite commercial), 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 being 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 really 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, All Music Guide |
