Essay about Bix Beiderbecke - 986 Words

BIX BEIDERBECKE The virtuoso Leon Bix Beiderbecke was born in 1903 and died young in 1931. Though his life was short, Bix’s legacy was long-live. He was raised in Davenport, Iowa, by his mother Agatha and father Bismark. He was the youngest of the German middle class family, his father owned a lumber amp; coal company in east davenport while his mother was a pianist. As a boy, Bix Beiderbecke had a few piano lessons, but he was self-taught on cornet and developed an unorthodox technique by playing. He was blessed with the gift of a musical ear which helped him greatly throughout his career because he was not able to read music very well. Growing up Bix found his passion, which was to become a musician, it seemed that he would not let†¦show more content†¦Armstrong played was usually â€Å"hot† and played loudly with high notes, whereas Bix played in a more subdued manner with low and melodic notes. Biederbecke was known for putting solos and creating a fluid s ound. He had a unsual way of stringing together note choices. Bix was way ahead of his time and influence many people for the next couple of decades. He played and gave the audiences another option to listen to. Beiderbecke developed a beautiful and original style. His cornet playing, noted for its brilliant phrasing and its clarity of tone. Beiderbecke also played and composed at the piano throughout his working life, his famous pieces include In a Mist, Flashes, Candlelights, and In the Dark. Their use of pandiatonicism, whole-tone scales, and parallel 7th and 9th chords reflect his interest in impressionist harmonic language. Bix Beiderbecke played cornet on four number one hit records in 1928 recorded with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra: Together, number one for two weeks, Ramona, number one for three weeks, My Angel, number one for six weeks, and Ol Man River, with Bing Crosby on vocals, was number one for one week. By contrast, Louis Armstrong did not have any number one records in the 1920s. Ol Man River would be the first of 41 number one hits for Bing Crosby during his career. Beiderbeckes originality made him one of the first white jazz musicians to be admired by black performers. Louis ArmstrongShow MoreRelatedLeon Bix Beiderbecke was a Talented Musician and Piano Teacher521 Words   |  2 PagesBix Beiderbecke Leon Bix Beiderbecke was born on March 10, 1903 in Davenport. Bix was named after his father, Leon Bismark Beiderbecke, even though there is dispute over whether his legal name was also Leon Bismark, or if it was in fact Leon Bix. He was one of the most sought after cornetists in the 1920s, while he only became famous many years after his death in 1931. Today he is careful one of the early jazz musicians skilled enough to be related to the great Louis Armstrong, and his advancedRead MoreDavenport Blues Essay1104 Words   |  5 Pagesbreak at Bar 7** 2:14 A Band (8 bars) 2:27 C Clarinet Solo (4 bars) → Band (4 bars) **Solo break at Bars 1-4 (stop time)** Closing (2 bars) 2:41 Band (2 bars) The â€Å"Davenport Blues† is a jazz piece written by Bix Beiderbecke in 1926 during the Jazz Age. Recorded by Bix and his Rhythm Jugglers, the â€Å"Davenport Blues† is in 32-Bar form and the choruses are structured A B A C form. In between each chorus is a 16-bar verse whose melody does not change upon repeat. The choruses on the otherRead MoreComparing Bix Beiderbecke And Louis Armstrong1567 Words   |  7 PagesFrom their time of birth, no two people could have seemed less likely to cross paths than Bix Beiderbecke and Louis Armstrong. Coming from radically different backgrounds, both musicians drew upon their influences to make music that revolutionized jazz, creating two separate legacies interwoven among each other in the peak of jazz popularity. Both Beiderbecke and Armstrong used their trumpets and their unique styles of playing, ranging from hot jazz to cool jazz, to fuel political, cultural, andRead MoreListening Log724 Words   |  3 Pagesand bell-lik e. Additionally, the rhythm is around 70 beats per minute in the second selection vs. the first arrangement being about 50% faster at around 100 beats per minute. Bix Beiderbecke plays much more of a ballad all the instruments play throughout the song, which makes the improvisation harder to pickup. Beiderbecke also doesn’t present quite the range of Armstrong either. D. Your opinion: What is your SUBJECTIVE reaction to these selections? (Do you like one more than the other? WhyRead MoreThe Jazz Age, By F. Scott Fitzgerald Essay1606 Words   |  7 PagesOne of these households was that of Mr. and Mrs. Beiderbecke, a German immigrant family in the lumber business, whose second son grew up to be known as the first major white jazz soloist. iii. Discussion – Part 1 According to a 1910 article in his hometown’s local newspaper, 7-year-old Bix Beiderbecke was â€Å"the most unusual and the most remarkably talented child in music† that there was in the city of Davenport, Iowa (Lion 5). Nine years later, Bix was asked to join a music group in his high schoolRead MoreThe Origins Of Jazz Music2067 Words   |  9 Pagesâ€Å"Syncopations are no indication of light or trashy music and to shy bricks at hateful ragtime no longer passes for musical culture.†[16] Much like Joplin, Bix Beiderbecke could be considered a childhood prodigy teaching himself to play the cornet at an early age. However his entrance into a musical career was restricted by his parents, who sent Beiderbecke to military school, which he was later expelled from, as they held the belief that music was not a serious career choice. It was after he left the schoolRead MoreIn The Middle Of The 19Th Century, Congo Square Became1369 Words   |  6 Pagessolos as the jazz style evolved beyond the collective improvisation that characterized the hot New Orleans sound. Louis Armstrong’s virtuosic command of the trumpet led to his emergence as an independent soloist, soon followed by the likes of Bix Beiderbecke on cornet, Johnny Dodds, Sidney Bechet and Jimmie Noone on clarinet, and Kid Ory and Jack Teagarden on trombone. Dodds and Armstrong played together in King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band during this transition away from group improvisation. RecordingsRead MoreEss ay on Benny Goodman, King of Swing2395 Words   |  10 Pageshis first professional gig in 1921 in a vaudeville show at Central Park Theater. In 1923, at the age of 14, Benny Goodman left school to play with local bands, including Bill Grimm’s riverboat orchestra with Bix Beiderbecke. There is an interesting anecdote about Benny’s first meeting with Bix. One day, Benny received an emergency call from Grimm, asking him to fill in for Grimm’s clarinetist, who was ill. Benny arrived early in the day at the dock where the boat on which he was to perform was mooredRead MoreLouis Armstrong : A Great Blues Player1257 Words   |  6 Pagesband in New Orleans at the time. Because of this he was finally able to quit his odd jobs and focus all his attention to music. In 1919 Armstrong played on riverboats during the summer months with a band led by Fate Marable. He also encountered Bix Beiderbecke and Jack Teagarden while playing there and he had the opportunity to improve his music reading skills. His early career was spent as a jazz musician. In 1922 King Oliver asked him to move to Chicago to join his Creole Jazz Band and began veryRead MoreThe Legacy Of Louis Armstrong Essay1401 Words   |  6 PagesBeginning in 1919, Armstrong spent his summers playing on riverboats with a band led by Fate Marable. It was on the riverboat that Armstrong honed his music reading skills and eventually had his first encounters with other jazz legends, including Bix Beiderbecke and Jack Teagarden. Although Armstrong was happy to stay in New Orleans and pursue his music there, during the summer of 1922, Armstrong received a call from his previous mentor Joe Oliver. King Oliver wanted Armstrong to come to Chicago and play