This is the second volume in the all-too-brief
Classics Bix Beiderbecke chronology. It presents all 13
Okeh Records cut by
Beiderbecke & His Gang between October 5, 1927 and September 21, 1928, followed by
Beiderbecke's very last recordings, made between May 21 and September 15, 1930 for the
Victor,
Vocalion and
Brunswick labels. He is heard leading his own band and sitting in with
Hoagy Carmichael's orchestra as well as
Irving Mills & His Hotsy Totsy Gang. Three years into his brief recording career,
Beiderbecke was already beginning to feel confined by the artistic limitations of the entertainment industry. In his excellent and insightful novel-length tribute "Remembering Bix,"
Ralph Berton recalled his final encounter with
Beiderbecke, which took place during the autumn of 1927 shortly before
Bix began working for
Paul Whiteman.
Berton describes their conversation as they listened to the recently waxed
Bix & His Gang sides. Although
Berton rightfully perceived that some of these were among the hottest and best of
Beiderbecke's recordings,
Bix was not entirely happy with the results, and even threatened to destroy the master of
"Goose Pimples" which was soon issued as
Okeh 8544. During this performance he momentarily intruded upon the opening of
Frank Signorelli's piano solo, became frustrated and tossed off what he later called a "phony Charleston lick," then responded to gesticulations made by an engineer urging him to finish up before they ran out of room on the disc by letting loose with a couple of very atypical high notes, sharp and fortissimo.
Beiderbecke was horrified, incredulous and ultimately contemptuous when the session's producers went ahead and issued what is demonstrably a botched take. Yet in retrospect the excitement of hot
jazz transforms even these obvious flaws into personable idiosyncrasies. All 13 sides are anchored with beefy bass saxophones, handled expertly by
Adrian Rollini or ably by
Min Leibrook. Like the turning of a page, the '30s began for
Beiderbecke with a series of collaborations hinting at potential developments that either blossomed or withered away. With names like
Benny Goodman,
Jack Teagarden,
Tommy and
Jimmy Dorsey,
Bud Freeman,
Gene Krupa,
Hoagy Carmichael and violinist
Joe Venuti (who can be heard bawdily intoning the words "Barnacle Bill the Shit-head" in a raspy voice), this home stretch of the
Beiderbecke discography reads like a "most likely to succeed" roster. Yet three gifted participants would soon be taken out 'way ahead of schedule; guitarist
Eddie Lang was soon to die from complications following a tonsillectomy,
Ellington's ex-trumpeter
Bubber Miley was already in the process of drinking himself into an early grave, and
Bix Beiderbecke's days were numbered. On August 6, 1931 he succumbed to alcoholism and pneumonia at the age of 28. The music on this compilation is an essential portion of his legacy. ~ arwulf arwulf
![Pennies From Heaven [feat. Jordan Officer]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0068944018123_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Pennies From Heaven [feat. Jordan Officer]")
![Ellington at Newport [1999]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0886974920526_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Ellington at Newport [1999]")
