Finally 'hearing' Bix Beiderbecke

[wesbed]

Note: inspired by the 'Finally hearing Sonny Clark' thread.

It happens all the time. You hear a certain jazz artist or style of music, and it either hits you or doesn't. You can't do much to force the music to hit. It will hit you whenever it does.

I started reading the History of Jazz book (by Gioia) a few days ago. I read of the influences on jazz of Louis Armstrong. I've been listening to jazz since the mid 1980s and never appreciated the influence of Armstrong. I listened to parts of the Armstrong Hot Five and Seven groups.

The book dealt, next, with the subject of Bix Beiderbecke. The book discussed how Bix was interested in a nice, floating tone. Yet, at the same time, was a very sophisticated player like Armstrong.

I listened to Bix on my way to work this morning (via the Bix/Tram Mosaic box). Yes, yes... a very nice tone from the cornet of Beiderbecke. The kind of sound you want to keep hearing for the duration. I never noticed this sublte softness till today. I wish there were more songs on the Bix/Tram Mosaic that place Bix out in front of the group. I don't believe the style of music, in the 1920s was nearly as focused on the soloist as the music of later years. The listener must listen closely to appreciate Bix's tone on the old recordings.

I'm happy to be finally 'hearing' Beiderbecke.

[jazzbo]

Hey all Bix fans wish there were more solos, longer solos, more real jazz work, it's a desire we have to hear more of that golden sound.

Also I personally wish there were more piano recordings because I think his piano pieces were special compositionally and performance wise. . . .

Glad you're enjoying him!

[EKE BBB]

Hey all Bix fans wish there were more solos, longer solos, more real jazz work, it's a desire we have to hear more of that golden sound.

So, you don´t like those Paul Whiteman arrangements, Lon?

Now seriously, if you go through all the Sunbeam sets to have a overall impression of Bix´s legacy, listening just a few bars of Bix soloing here and there, you regret the limitations of length in 78 r.p.m. recordings, the non-soloist focus of the era... and above all, you regret Bix joined Paul Whiteman´s orchestra!!!

[EKE BBB]

BTW: there were some interesting opinions on Bix´s influence on jazz and on subsequent players in a thread at AAJ:

Put your thoughts on BIX in this thread

(not that I started it )

You may find the final posts quite hard to read (no avatars, no links, no separation). That´s because I restored by copy-and-pasting all the posts lost during AAJ breakdown.

[David Williams]

I don't believe the style of music, in the 1920s was nearly as focused on the soloist as the music of later years. The listener must listen closely to appreciate Bix's tone on the old recordings.

Actually, I bought the JSP Bix/Tram CDs for Bix, but was surprised how much I enjoyed the ensemble playing, in addition to Bix' own.

[Harold_Z]

... a very nice tone from the cornet of Beiderbecke. The kind of sound you want to keep hearing for the duration.

In his autobiography "We Called It Music", Eddie Condon said that the first time he heard Bix play it sounded "like a girl saying yes".

Somewhere else, I can't recall where, Eddie said that Jimmy McPartland sounded like what he thought Bix would have sounded like had he lived. If you can get a hold of a copy of Jimmy's "Shades Of Bix" you can see what he meant.

Every year on Bix's birthday, WKCR usually plays at least 24 hours of Bix. At some point they play a "Bix Solo Tape". A tape where all his solos have been excerpted and strung together. It's fascinating. It goes well over an hour and is totally interesting all the way through.

Bix was one of the handful of guys whose playing was so influential that it influenced people 2nd and 3rd hand. He changed the music that came after him.