Bix Beiderbecke

Biography

Leon Bismark 'Bix' Beiderbecke was born on March 10, 1903, in Davenport, Iowa, into a middle-class German-American family. From an early age, he displayed remarkable musical talent, beginning to play songs by ear on his family's piano when he was just four years old and being considered a child prodigy. While he had some early piano lessons, Beiderbecke preferred improvising and 'improving' classical melodies rather than learning to read music properly. His musical direction changed dramatically at age 15 when he heard the Original Dixieland Jazz Band's recording of 'Tiger Rag,' which inspired him to pursue jazz music despite his parents' disapproval of his musical ambitions.

Beiderbecke's professional career began in earnest when he joined the Wolverine Orchestra in 1923, making his recording debut with the group on February 18, 1924. His rapid development can be traced through the band's recordings over the next eight months, with his solos becoming longer and more personal on classics like 'Riverboat Shuffle,' 'Royal Garden Blues,' and 'Big Boy.' He became arguably the first significant white jazz soloist in a music whose pacesetters had been exclusively African-American. After brief stints with Jean Goldkette's Orchestra (where his inability to read music initially cost him the job), he found his most significant collaborations with saxophonist Frankie 'Tram' Trumbauer, eventually joining the prestigious Paul Whiteman Orchestra in 1928.

Beiderbecke's musical style was characterized by an unusual purity of tone and inventive lyrical approach, with one contemporary describing his sound as like 'shooting bullets at a bell.' His seminal recordings 'Singin' the Blues' and 'I'm Coming, Virginia' (both 1927) demonstrated his gift for extended improvisation and helped invent the jazz ballad style. His piano composition 'In a Mist' (1927) mixed classical impressionist influences with jazz syncopation, reflecting his unique harmonic sophistication. Despite his immense talent and influence on the development of cool jazz, Beiderbecke's life was cut tragically short by alcoholism, dying on August 6, 1931, at just 28 years old, making him jazz's first cult hero.

Fun Facts

• Beiderbecke taught himself to play cornet largely by ear, leading him to adopt non-standard fingering that some critics connected to his original sound
• He was expelled from military school outside Chicago in 1921 for skipping classes to play music, after which he became a full-time musician
• His nickname 'Bix' was a family tradition that had also been applied to his father and grandfather
• All five of his piano compositions were published by Robbins Music during his lifetime, with 'In a Mist' being the only one he recorded

Associated Acts

• Wolverine Orchestra - cornet, piano (from 1923-10 until 1924-10)
• Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra - cornet (from 1927 until 1929)
• Bix and His Rhythm Jugglers
• Hoagy Carmichael and His Orchestra
• The Chicago Loopers
• Bix Beiderbecke and His Orchestra
• Wolverine Orchestra
• Broadway Bell‐Hops
• Sioux City Six - cornet
• Bix Beiderbecke and His Gang - eponymous, original

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Original Dixieland Jazz Band - Primary early influence that inspired Beiderbecke to pursue jazz (Tiger Rag recording) [1918-1920s]

Key Collaborators

• Wolverine Orchestra - First major professional band, made recording debut (Riverboat Shuffle, Royal Garden Blues, Big Boy) [1923-1924]
• Jean Goldkette Orchestra - Major dance band, toured widely including famous Roseland Ballroom performance (Various recordings and performances) [1924, 1926]
• Frankie 'Tram' Trumbauer - Key musical partnership, frequent collaborator and close friend (Recordings under 'Tram, Bix, and Eddie') [1926-1928]
• Eddie Lang - Guitarist who recorded with Beiderbecke and Trumbauer (Tram, Bix, and Eddie recordings) [1926-1927]
• Paul Whiteman Orchestra - Most prestigious dance orchestra of the era, final major band (Various recordings and performances) [1928-1931]

Artists Influenced

• Cool Jazz Movement - His pure tone and harmonic sophistication hinted at what would become cool jazz (Singin' the Blues, I'm Coming Virginia) [1950s development]

Source: Wikipedia

Discography

Albums

Top Tracks

1. Singin' The Blues (Bix Beiderbecke, Volume I: Singin' The Blues)
2. Blue River
3. There'll Come A Time
4. Clarinet Marmalade (Bix Beiderbecke, Volume I: Singin' The Blues)
5. Big Boy (Bix Beiderbecke And The Chicago Cornets)
6. I'm Coming Virginia (Bix Beiderbecke, Volume I: Singin' The Blues)
7. Ostrich Walk (Bix Beiderbecke 20 Classic Tracks)
8. In a Mist (Bix Beiderbecke, Volume I: Singin' The Blues)
9. Jazz Me Blues (Beiderbecke, Bix: Bix Lives! (1926-1930))
10. Way Down Yonder in New Orleans (The Golden Age Of Bix Beiderbecke - 1927)

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia- MusicBrainz

Tags: #dixieland, #jazz