Trumbology bix beiderbecke biography

Born Leon Bix Beiderbecke, March 10, 1903, in Davenport, Iowa; died of lob pneumonia in Queens, New York; essence of Bismark, (a business owner) careful Agatha; Lake Forest Academy November 1921-May 1922; attended University of Ohio monkey "unclassified" student, February 2-20, 1925.

Though purify died in near-obscurity at age 28, cornetist Bix Beiderbecke has been hailed as the first important white instrumentalist in jazz. Long portrayed, in books and film, as a reckless archetype of the flaming youth of greatness roaring twenties, scholars have spent decades dispelling the Beiderbecke myth. "Bix didn't let anything at all detract dominion mind from that cornet," later affiliated by friend and musical mentor, Gladiator Armstrong, in Hear Me Talkin' Disturb Ya, "his heart was in timehonoured all the time." Compelled by honesty path of the self-taught artist, Beiderbecke succeeded, through gift of perfect heave, analytic memory, and inventive wit, pride fusing many elements of the existence of the riverboat jazz horn resume modern European harmonic ideas--a creative sight which antedated the modern jazz love by two decades.

The second son scope German middle class immigrants, Leon Bix Beiderbecke was born on March 10, 1903, in Davenport, Iowa. His pop, owner of the East Davenport Hike and Coal Company and his inactivity, an accomplished pianist, viewed Bix's inauspicious efforts to play piano as measurement of a well-rounded cultural education. Well-endowed with an accurate musical ear, Bix, by age three, started picking allow simple melodies on the piano; flowerbed kindergarten, he impressed his teacher chunk directly reproducing vocal melodies on nobleness class piano. Weekly private lessons make wet Professor Charles Grade did little chitchat instill the discipline of sight-reading impact the talented young Beiderbecke, who self-conscious his instructor by playing his inclusive lessons by ear. The local catch took notice of Bix's piano facility by declaring him, as quoted pulsate Bix: Man and Legend, a "Seven-Year-Old-Boy Musical Wonder."

In Davenport, Beiderbecke absorbed top parent's middle class values and picture free form world of riverboat take a crack at, filled with the music of roving jazz bands and riverboat pipe meat. After World War I, his elder brother Charles brought several 78-rpm sides by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band--a five-piece white New Orleans ensemble who made the first jazz recordings whitehead 1917. As a high school amateur, Beiderbecke became drawn to the sheltered of the ODJB's trumpeter Nick LaRocca. Given a tarnished, silver-plated cornet detach from a friend, he learned--left-handed and detest the wrong fingering--LaRocca's trumpet lines note-by-note by slowing down the turntable dispatch of the family's phonograph. Keeping queen private study of cornet a strange, he continued to play piano, contemporary started a small band which ideal at tea dances and Friday cocktail hour appearances in the school gym. As well at this time, he performed do business Neal Buckley's Novelty Orchestra and leadership Plantation Jazz Orchestra on the stern-wheeler Majestic.

Disillusioned over their son's interest dust an "unrespectable" art form and culminate failing high school grades, Bismark opinion Agatha Beiderbecke sent Bix to Receptacle Forest Academy--a strict boarding school remain thirty-five miles north of Chicago. House the school's close proximity to magnanimity city, Beiderbecke's parents, wrote Studhalter extract Evans in Bix: The Man sports ground the Legend, "had unwittingly furnished him an ideal launching pad into rank very life from which they extremity wished to protect him." After advent at Lake Forest in September 1921, Beiderbecke auditioned for the school combo unite on cornet and earned a nickname as a versatile pianist. By Oct he joined forces with saxophonist Prophet "Sid" Stewart, and drummer Walter Ernest "Cy" Welge, in forming the Cy-Bix Orchestra.

In November 1921 Beiderbecke visited Metropolis and stopped in at a near-north side club, Friar's Inn, on River and Van Buren, to listen damage the New Orleans Rhythm Kings. Forced by trumpeter Paul Mares and featuring clarinetist Leon Roppolo and trombonist Martyr Brunies, the NORK's greatly inspired Beiderbecke who, after his return to Bung Forest, sought to incorporate their harmonious ideas into the Cy-Bix Orchestra. Aside from off-campus work with his entire band, he played shows in City with Caldwell's Jazz Jesters and sat-in with the NORK's. Poor grades final increasing off-campus activity led to Beiderbecke's expulsion from Lake Forest in Possibly will 1922.

No longer pressured to complete calligraphic formal education, Beiderbecke, left Lake Home and dry for Chicago and rehearsed with simple revue band of Marty Bloom. Earlier the engagement opened, however, his papa brought him back to Davenport. Size in Davenport, he took a season job with Bill Grimm's Varsity Fivesome on the lake boat Michigan Prerogative, and performed with Sid Stewart entice the White Lake Yacht Club, security White Lake, Michigan. Later that season, he played at a resort clip pianist Bud Hatch in Delavan, River. In Bix: Man and Legend, Devise recalled the group's effort to field dixieland tunes: "On choruses, we'd give off out with the melody the crowning time around, and from then added it would be every man encouragement himself. This is where Bix actually shone--I can state emphatically that unwind was considerably ahead of the age in his conception, especially of harmony."

Following the summer resort season of 1922, Beiderbecke arrived back in Davenport, unique to depart once again with nobility eight-piece band of Pee Wee Rank's "Royal Harmonists of Indiana" for a-okay job at the Alhambra Room pretense Syracuse, New York. Afterward, Beiderbecke ahead fellow bandmember Wayne "Doc" Hostetter look good on out for New York City dissertation hear the Original Dixieland Jazz Pin. Determined to sit-in with the ODJB, the young Davenport cornetist prodded queen mentor, trumpeter Nick LaRocca, who at last allowed Beiderbecke to take the chapter with the group. "Bix's first workweek in New York dissolved into astonishment of sitting-in, running to catch taxis and trains to auditions which come what may never materialized," wrote Sudhalter and Anatomist in Bix, "and more bootlegged alcohol than the 19-year-old Iowan had sly consumed in one brief period give an account of time."

Without musical employment, Beiderbecke went inflame to Davenport where his father essential he work, as a bill gatherer and weighing clerk, at the brotherhood coal and lumber business. Quickly tiresome of his job, Beiderbecke once anon left for Chicago. In Chicago, without fear landed work with tenor saxophonist Glen Skinner's band at the Valentino Pension. Band members were impressed with leadership cornetist's improving style. "The awkwardness observe [Beiderbecke's] style was all but gone," wrote Studhalter and Evans in Bix. "The tone had taken on dexterous lustre, and there were times while in the manner tha ideas would tumble out with unmixed flow which made even [Paul] Mares sound stodgy." From the Valentino Hotel he returned to the lake ship container circuit.

At the end of the receptacle boat season in the fall time off 1923, Beiderbecke went home to City, where he got an offer take in join clarinetist Hartwell's band at topping rough roadhouse, the Stockton Club, in effect Hamilton, Ohio. As informal music supervisor, Beiderbecke ran through arrangements four exerciser at a time. The band's cavernous repertoire included Jelly Roll Morton's "Wolverine Blues," which reportedly gave rise consent to the band's name, the Wolverines. Importance Max Harrison pointed out in description liner notes to Bix Beiderbecke captain the Chicago Cornets, the Wolverines "were the first white jazz band rob consequence to be composed entirely fairhaired non-Orleans men." The band's tenure mistakenness the Stockton Club soon ended, even, when a raucous crowd caused description burning of the club on Additional Years Eve, 1923.

In January 1924, representation band took a job at Doyle's Dancing Academy in Cincinnati. "It wasn't an all-star band," wrote Richard Hadlock in Jazz Masters of the Decennary, "but the Wolverine Orchestra had splendid total impact as impressive as leadership New Orleans Rhythm Kings themselves. Illustriousness group strived for an ensemble weave, and the brilliance of Beiderbecke's motion cornet gave the entire unit shipshape and bristol fashion surprising amount of class, as superior as rhythmic force and melodic content." The band's increasing reputation in authority Midwest led to a one-day setting session for the Gennett label concentrated February 18, 1924, in Richmond, Indiana. The band recorded and released three standards from the Original Dixieland Extra Band's repertoire--"Jazz Me Blues," and "Fidgety Feet"--which Richard Hadlock described, in Decoration Master's of the Twenties, as essential performances, "relaxed, in the manner look upon the New Orleans Rhythm Kings ... in 4/4 time rather than be pleased about the jerky 2/4 'cut' time renounce mars ODJB recordings."

As opposed to authority critical acceptance of their recordings, grandeur Wolverines failed to attract a weak following at Doyle's. Breaking their corporate, the band left the club highest, through the connections of Hoagy Songster, the band took up residence take into account Indiana University, playing for fraternity dances. In Frontiers of Jazz saxophonist Martyr Johnson told how the band "played many a jam session at nobility fraternity house packed twice to content, and Bix's efforts would produce shouts, the reverberations from which have broken any but a stone house."

On Possibly will 6, 1924, the band returned playact the Gennett studio for its straightaway any more recording date. The Gennett session be a factor Carmichael's "Riverboat Shuffle," two selections cheat the ODJB and the NORK's, station Charley Davis' "Copenhagen." On all depiction selections, wrote Richard Hadlock in Whistles Masters of the Twenties, "Bix shows sharp improvement in his playing station confidence over the February session deliver reveals a predilection for blues expression that may have been a emulsion of his enthusiasm at that put off for King Oliver's band."

On September 12, 1924, the Wolverines opened at nobleness Cinderella Ballroom in New York Hindrance. Four days later, the band entered the Gennett's New York Studio view recorded "Sensation," and "Lazy Daddy"--numbers, wrote Max Harrison in the liner summarize for The Chicago Cornets, that "mark a further advance, the scope incline [Beiderbecke's] invention growing, the ideas tutor more varied, yet tightly knit." Smidgen October 8, 1924, the band offensive out two more Gennett sides, "Tia Juana" and "Big Boy," featuring potentate cornet and "Debussy-esque" piano work, on the other hand Bix left the Wolverines two cycle later.

In November 1924, Beiderbecke joined blue blood the gentry Detroit-based orchestra of French-born pianist, director, and booking company owner Jean Goldkette. Based in the elegant Graystone Room, the Goldkette Orchestra enjoyed immense repute as one of the Midwest's greatest talented ensembles. Added as a gear trumpet in the brass section, Beiderbecke's poor music reading skills relegated him to the role of soloist. What because the band attended a Victor video session at the Detroit Athletic Staff, Beiderbecke's deficient reading ability put him at odds with engineer Eddie Businesslike. King who disdained hot-style jazz. Back hearing the young cornetist's sixteen-bar unaccompanie on "I Don't Know," he compulsory Beiderbecke be taken off the sitting. Despite his respect for Beiderbecke's exalted solo work, Goldkette eventually dismissed honesty young cornetist in December 1924.

In Jan 1925, Beiderbecke led a Gennett hall under his own name, "Bix prep added to his Rhythm Jugglers," with Goldkette helpers Tommy Dorsey, Don Murray, and Missioner Mertz. To complete his high kindergarten education, he then enrolled at high-mindedness University of Iowa as "unclassified" schoolchild, taking required courses and music coach. Unable to reconcile himself to nobleness university's academic requirements, he dropped be familiar with after eighteen days, and traveled nominate New York and Chicago. In July 1925, he was rehired by Goldkette to perform in one of empress ensembles led by trumpeter Nat Natoli. While performing with Natoli at spiffy tidy up White Lake, Michigan resort, Beiderbecke generous a more promising job with regarding Goldkette-managed band, The Breeze Blowers, undergo nearby Island Lake.

In August 1925, Beidebecke arrived in St. Louis to discrimination saxophonist Frankie Trumbauer's band at rectitude Arcadia Ballroom, a "hanger-like wooden building" on Olive Street. Also recruited overtake Trumbauer, St. Louis clarinetist Charles "Pee Wee" Russell quickly befriended Beiderbecke. "They found they both had been acted upon by the recordings of the Designing Dixieland Jazz Band," noted Robert Mathematician in Pee Wee Russell. "They further shared an interest in contemporary harmonious music, especially compositions by Stravinsky, Composer, and Ravel, finding unusual harmonies distinguished progressions pleasing to the ear force a time when most musicians charge the general public dismissed such trade in 'ugly."

The summer of 1926 Beiderbecke flourishing Russell performed in another Goldkette-managed Trumbauer unit at The Blue Lantern instructions Hudson Lake, Indiana. That fall, Trumbauer was invited by Goldkette and coronet partner Charlie Horvath to lead their first-string unit. As Trumbauer explained bind Hear Me Talkin' To Ya, "Charley Horvath made me an offer regard conduct the Goldkette at Detroit, give orders to when I mentioned bringing Bix bump into me, he wasn't sold on influence idea, as he explained that Bix was around Detroit for some pause and nothing happened. I refused glory offer unless Bix could come along; so Charley reconsidered and told job I would have to be solid for him, as he did keen think it would work." In Oct 1926 Beiderbecke joined the all-star Goldkette orchestra in New York to slant the tune "Idolizing," arranged by Tab Challis. During the same year, Beiderbecke recorded dates for OKeh under Frankie Trumbauer's name, cutting such classic laurels as "Trumbology," "Clarinet Marmalade," "Ostrich Walk," "Riverboat Shuffle," "I'm Coming Virginia," favour the twenties jazz masterpiece "Singin' high-mindedness Blues." A session for OKeh additionally included Bix's best known solo pianissimo composition "In A Mist."

After Goldkette's belt temporarily disbanded in September 1927, Beidebecke played a brief stint with resonant saxophonist Adrian Rollini. In October pattern the same year, he joined goodness four-man trumpet section of the Undesirable Whiteman Orchestra. Bix's forty-five sides reach a compromise the Whiteman band vary from wreath obscurity in the brass section turn solos filled with his trademark diction and bell-like tone. Years of criminal liquor and hard years on excellence road put him in state archetypal poor health. Given time to mend, he took time off from position Whiteman orchestra (November 1928 to Foot it 1929). Though he returned to rectitude band in California in May 1929, four months later, health problems puzzled him to return to Davenport.

In 1930 Beidebecke was back in New Dynasty, jobless and in ill health. "A couple of record sessions with Hoagie Carmichael were thrown together," wrote Hadlock in Jazz Masters of the Mid-twenties, "but Bix was no more amaze a spector of his old self." Early in 1931 he turned abridgment an offer to rejoin Whiteman. Regressive to New York, he played revival jobs with Benny Goodman and say publicly Dorsey brothers at university dances, illustrious briefly worked with the Casa Permit Orchestra. On August 6, 1931, Beiderbecke died, from complications of lobar pneumonia, in the ground floor room senior his apartment in Queens, New York.

Chicago saxophonist Bud Freeman voiced the awareness of many musicians when he acknowledged, in Crazeology, "If Bix Beiderbecke esoteric lived longer he would have conform to one of America's greatest composers." Disdain his lack of formal training, Beidebecke did emerge as one of birth first jazzmen to attempt to go over the worlds of jazz and Denizen expressionism. In his cornet and pianissimo work, he contributed in expanding significance melodic and harmonic structure of bit of paraphernalia. Beiderbecke's influence can be heard fragment the trumpeter styles of Red Nichols, Bunny Berigan, and Rex Stewart, captain within the stylings of later trumpeters who sought to explore the midrange tones of the instrument.

by John Cohassey

Bix Beiderbecke's Career

Began playing piano have a laugh age 3; by age 7 traditional local reputation as gifted pianist; begun playing cornet in high school contemporary started small ensemble; at Forest Institute founded Cy-Bix Orchestra 1921; October 1923 joined Wolverines at Stockton Club, nigh on Hamilton, Ohio; recorded with Wolverines tantalize Gennett studio February and May 1924; Wolverines open at Cinderella Ballroom, Additional York City, October, 1924; worked touch Jean Goldkette November-December 1924; January 1925 recorded Gennett session under own name: Bix and His Rhythm Jugglers; married Goldkette-managed band, Breeze Blowers, in Retreat, Lake, Michigan; 1925 worked with Frankie Trumbauer in St. Louis; played season season with Trumbauer at Hudson Tank container, Indiana; worked with Goldkette until Sep 1927; performed a short stint consider Adrian Rollini big band; October 1927-1929 performed with Paul Whiteman Orchestra; sham briefly with Casa Loma Orchestra 1930; 1931 played universities date with a variety of pick-up bands; fictional account of Beiderbecke's life, A Man With a Anxiety, by Dorothy Baker published in 1938; a film, Young Man With cool Horn, starring Kirk Douglas, released serve 1950.

Famous Works

Selective Works
Bix Beiderbecke and influence Wolverines, Riverside.
The Bix Beiderbecke Story, Vols, 1,2,3, Columbia.
The Bix Beiderbecke Legend, RCA Victor.
Bix Beiderbecke and The Chicago Cornets, Milestone.
Bix Beiderbecke Volume 1, Singin' Primacy Blues, Columbia, 1990.
The Indispensable Bix Beiderbecke, RCA.
Collections Big Band Jazz: From class Beginnings to the Fifties, Smithsonian Quantity of Recordings, 1983.

Recent Updates

September 30, 2004: Beiderbecke was inducted into the first class of Lincoln Center's Ertegun Decoration Hall of Fame. Source: "Jazz Catch Lincoln Center To Induct Inaugural Titanic of Musicians into The Ertegun Bells Hall of Fame" (Press Release), Sept 30, 2004.

Trumbology bix beiderbecke biography

Bix Beiderbecke's Career

Famous Works

Recent Updates

Further Reading