Bix Beiderbecke an American Jazz Composer

Leon “Bix” Beiderbecke was one of the most influential jazz musicians and trumpet players of the early 20th century, rivaled only by Louis Armstrong. Born in Davenport, Iowa, on March 10th 1903, Bix had an interest in music at an early age. Unfortunately, a long bout with alcoholism slowly began to deteriorate his health and Bix died on August 6th, 1931 from an alcoholic seizure.

When Bix was a boy he was sick often and he received poor grades in school. This led his parents to enroll him in a military boarding school just north of Chicago. While attending school Bix would often break curfew to go to Chicago and visit clubs and speakeasies to see jazz shows. He was highly influenced by the Original Dixieland Jass Band, and this is evidenced by the fact that he would later cover many of their songs. Eventually, skipping class and breaking curfew caught up to Bix and he was expelled from the boarding school. This allowed him to pursue a career in music. Bix didn’t have much formal training in music, but he had a good ear for music and was skilled on both the piano and trumpet. He would eventually gain much of his musical abilities, such as reading and writing music, while performing with various ensembles.

The first group that Bix joined and became known for being a part of was The Wolverines. It was with the Wolverines that Bix made his first recordings in 1924. The Wolverines played in many different venues, such as colleges, clubs, and bars. As the group gained popularity Bix became more sought after in big cities such as New York and Chicago. Bix soon joined Jean Goldkette’s Orchestra in 1924 and enjoyed some success with the group. Unfortunately, his poor sight-reading skills led to him losing his job with Jean Goldkette’s Orchestra.

Bix was never so much a band leader, but he was a very renowned soloist during his time. After leaving Jean Goldkette’s Orchestra, Bix joined Frankie Trumbauer’s Orchestra in 1926. It was during this time that Bix began to flourish and fine tune his musical abilities. It was during this time that Bix also recorded his first piano solo, “In a Mist”, and many pieces showcasing his abilities as a trumpet player. After playing with Trumbauer’s Orchestra Bix was finally able to sight-read well enough to re-join Jean Goldkette’s Orchestra. However, this didn’t last long, as Bix soon signed a contract with Paul Whiteman’s Orchestra, the most popular jazz ensemble of the time. During his time with Paul Whiteman’s Orchestra Bix began to develop a very smooth style of playing. His tone was soft and beautiful, and his solos were often more lyrical and introverted as opposed to the show-stopping solos of Louis Armstrong. Also during this time, Bix was paid a large salary and he began drinking very heavily. In 1929 Bix suffered from delirium tremens and left Paul Whiteman’s Orchestra and headed back home to Davenport. During this time Whiteman continued to pay Beiderbecke and remind him that his position in the orchestra would always be open. Bix returned to New York in 1930 and made a few recordings with a group he called Bix Beiderbecke and His Orchestra, the only group Bix would lead.

Bix Beiderbecke’s bout with alcohol and sickness finally caught up to him on August 6th 1931, and he died at the age of 28. His style and music became very popular after his death and he influenced many great musicians.

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