Bix Beiderbecke

Bix Beiderbecke's earliest recordings open this first volume of his complete works as presented by the Classics chronological reissue label. While some other compilations actually skip the marvelous Gennett recordings that 21-year-old Beiderbecke made with the Wolverine Orchestra between February 18 and October 7, 1924, this wonderful edition presents these precious artifacts as a prelude to his first recordings as a leader. The Wolverine Orchestra stood for primal Chicago-styled New Orleans polyphony. One may turn to these old records again and again for solace, comfort and inspiration. "Jazz Me Blues," lovingly described by historian Ralph Berton as "an X-rated title," is a fundamental cornerstone of traditional jazz…

Although this is technically the third volume in the Classics Bix Beiderbecke chronology, close examination reveals that volumes three and four retrace a timeline already traversed by the earlier installments, resulting in a reshuffled, non-linear progression that is atypical of the Classics Chronological Series yet seems oddly appropriate for an authentically surreal character like Beiderbecke. This volume follows a timeline from November 18, 1927 to April 22, 1928. Because the producers of this series ladled most of the "Bix & Tram" collaborations into the Frankie Trumbauer portion of their label's catalog, the entire Classics "Bixology" initially fit into two volumes (issued in 1996) with two additional volumes (issued in 2002) documenting Beiderbecke's tenure as a sideman with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra during the years 1927-1929…

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. 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, because of their different sounds and styles, you can't really compare them.

Bixology is the alternate title of Bix Beiderbecke's piano-composed etude, "In a Mist." In the wonderful world of reissued classic jazz, Bixology is also a logical choice for the title of a Beiderbecke anthology. Indeed there are several on the market that share this heading. Issued in 1990, the Giants of Jazz Bixology is a haphazard grab bag of 25 recordings culled from Beiderbecke's all-too-brief career. Opening with the fabulous "Jazz Me Blues" as played by the Wolverines on February 18, 1924, this overview skims through some of the records Beiderbecke made in cahoots with his C melody saxophone-toting friend Frankie Trumbauer, tosses in "Trumbology" which is a spotlight feature for Trumbauer (and not Beiderbecke); touches upon Beiderbecke's magnum opus the "Davenport Blues," and stumbles over several more Wolverines sides as if accidentally or unconsciously treading a path already trodden…

In his brief life, cornetist Bix Beiderbecke cultivated a unique and personal 'voice. ' His pioneering use of introspection and understatement, the boldness of his harmonic language, his tone itself, all would echo far downstream in the course of jazz history.