Bix Beiderbecke - Bix & Tram

Beiderbecke, Bix/Trumbauer, Fr

These remastered recordings attest to Bix's timelessness. We draw mainly on OKeh recordings made between 1927 and 1929. Bix was born in Davenport IA, in 1903. His pianist mother nurtured his musical gifts. A music teacher advised against formal tuition. Bix later regretted his lack of basic grounding.Inspired by Original Dixieland Jazz Band records, the teenage Bix acquired a cornet on which he forged his unique sound. Unhappy, his parents sent Bix to an academy near Chicago. Ironically, the Windy City at the time was the headquarters of jazz. King Oliver was in town with his Creole jazz Band featuring Louis Armstrong and elsewhere the New Orleans Rhythm Kings supplied extra inspiration.Bix soon made his musical mark on the campus circuit. Expulsion from the academy followed, and he turned pro. In 1923 he joined The Wolverine Orchestra and made his recording debut.In New York with the band, Bix met Frank Trumbauer. Bix, Tram and Miff Mole united for a recording session in October 1924. Issued as by The Sioux City Six, these sides announced Bix and Tram's musical allianceThey worked and recorded with Jean Goldkette's Orchestra and formed a splinter group for a season in 1926. The band was a magnet for aspiring musicians of the Chicago school.We pick up Bix's discography from its midway point, as his studio career entered its most productive phase.Bix later joined Paul Whiteman - the most prized 'hot trumpet' seat of the era. His two years with the band were dogged by alcohol-induced illness. He died from pneumonia in August 1931. Since his death, Bix has continued to influence jazz cornettists. Louis Armstrong observed, Ain't none of them play like him yet. Frank Trumbauer's career has been overshadowed by Bix's but his contribution to jazz is lasting. At a period when the saxophone was trying to find a niche as a valid jazz instrument, Tram, playing the C-melody model gave it status. He directly inspired altoist Benny Carter and the tenorman Lester Young.

Price: $47.98