The Bixography Discussion Group
A vehicle for Bixophiles and
other
interested individuals to ask questions, make comments and exchange
information
about Bix Beiderbecke and related subjects. Any views expressed in the
Bixography Forum represent solely the opinions of those expressing them
and are not necessarily endorsed or opposed by Albert Haim unless he
has
signed the message.
Bix
and A.D.(H.)D. . Brad Kay on May 09 2000
Psychological
Quackery. . Philip Colston. on May 09 2000
Interesting
.
. Scott Black on May 09 2000
Dyslexia
Is A Different Matter.. Philip Colston. on May 09 2000
If That's The Case. . Scott
Black on
May 10 2000
Not A Cure. . Philip Colston. on May 10
2000
Bix, A.D.D. and us. . Brad Kay on May 10 2000
Fitting In. . Philip Colston. on May 10 2000
Bix and
A.D.(H.)D.
by Brad Kay
The recent heated discussions of
Bix's sexuality, and what relevance it may have had to his
music, has prompted me to raise
another area of speculation:
Could Bix have been afflicted with A.D.(H.)D. (Attention Defecit (Hyperactivity) Disorder)?
According to the authors of
"DRIVEN
TO DISTRACTION - Recognizing and Coping with
Attention Deficit Disorder from
Childhood through Adulthood" (E.M. Hallowell and J.J.
Ratey, MDs / Touchstone Books,
1994),
these are the classic symptoms of A.D.D. in adults,
any fifteen of which are enough
to warrant a diagnosis:
1. A sense of underacheivement,
of
not meeting one's goals (regardless of how much one has
actually accomplished).
2. Difficulty getting organized.
3. Chronic procrastination or trouble getting started.
4. Many projects going simultaneously; trouble with follow-through
5. Tendency to say what comes to
mind without necessarily considering the timing or
appropriateness of the remark.
6. A frequent search for high stimulation.
7. An intolerance of boredom.
8. Easy distractability, trouble
focusing attention, tendency to tune out or drift away in the
middle of a page or a conversation,
often coupled with an ability to hyperfocus at times.
9. Often creative, intuitive, highly intelligent.
10. Touble in going through established channels, following "proper" procedure.
11. Impatient, low tolerance for frustration.
12. Impulsive, either verbally or
in action, as in impulsive spending of money, changing plans,
enacting new schemes or career
plans,
and the like.
13. Tendency to worry needlessly,
endlessly; tendency to scan the horizon looking for
something to worry about,
alternating
with inattention to or disregard for actual dangers.
14. Sense of insecurity.
15. Mood swings, mood liabliity, especially when disengaged from a person or a project.
16. Restlessness.
17. Tendency toward addictive
behavior
- substance abuse or activities such as gambling,
shopping, eating or overwork
18. Chronic problems with self-esteem.
19. Innacurate self-observation.
Seeing oneself as less effective or powerful than other people
do.
20. Family history of ADD or manic-depressive illness or depression or substance abuse.
How many anecdotes have we read
about
Bix that fit this profile? His trouble concentrating in
school. His youthful daredevil
exploits.
His singleminded hyperfocus on music. Endless stories
of him getting lost or misdirected.
His always leaving the organizing to somebody else. His
chronic self-medicating with
alcohol.
His boundless creativity, to the point of being unable to
play the same thing twice. His
inability/impatience
with "proper" musical training, and his
constant frustrating search for
that later in his career. His self-deprecation "I'm just a musical
degenerate..." His impulsive
generosity.
And in the end, his crushing sense of failure, of never
having acheived anything worthwhile
(in the famous phone call to Bobbie Nichols).
These are just some of the
incidents
that come to mind; no doubt you will recall others. All I
can say, as a certified A.D.D.
sufferer
myself, these anecdotes seem to me like red flags,
pointing to Bix's obvious condition,
a syndrome that didn't even have a name in his era. Just as
his music was 50 years ahead of
his time, so were his problems!
Bix's sexual orientation may or
may
not have had a direct bearing on his creativeness as a
musician, but a condition like
Attention
Deficit Disorder definitely would. Seen in the light of it,
much of his behavior, both
creatively
and self-destructively, makes perfect sense to me,
especially when seen in context
with his outer world, which didn't have the slightest clue about
either.
N.B.: Hallowell and Ratey have
this
to say about A.D.D. and creativity: "Throughout history
there have been many great men and
women who have had various learning disabilities that
they managed to overcome. Although
it can't be proved he had it, Mozart would be a good
example of a person with A.D.D.:
impatient, impulsive, distractible, energetic, emotionally
needy, creative, innovative,
irreverent,
and a maverick. Structure is one of the hallmarks of the
treatment of A.D.D., and the tight
forms within which Mozart worked show how beautifully
structure can capture the dart-here,
dart-there genius of the A.D.D. mind... Albert Einstein,
Edgar Allan Poe, George Bernard
Shaw and Salvador Dali were all expelled from school,
and Thomas Edison was at the bottom
of his class. Abraham Lincoln and Henry Ford were
pronounced by their teachers to
show no promise. The novelist John Irving nearly flunked out
of high school because of an
undiagnosed
learning disability..."
'Nuff said. Responses?
Posted on May 09 2000, 06:44 PM
Psychological
Quackery.
by Philip
Colston.
"Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder" is a quack diagnosis used to justify the medical
treatment of people whose
personalities
happen to fall outside of the standards of the ordinary
people who make up the "cattle-herd"
of human population. I could not fail to notice that the
majority of the "symptoms" you
listed
in your posting were in fact traits that are highly
desirable, particularly in creative
individuals.
The diagnosis of ADHD has been
used
as an excuse to employ the administration of
psychotropic drugs for the purpose
of controlling the behaviour of children and adults. This
practise is outrageous. Having
failed
by physical means and coercion to deny children the
ability to exercise their rights,
parents and educators have now turned to the use of
mind-altering medication to force
them into submission. This is akin to the replacement of
strait-jackets by drugs like
Thorazine
in mental institutions. It is sad that people are so
obsessed with uniformity,
conformity,
and compliance, that the most creative people are now
chemically crushed in the name of
medicine.
Bix had a terrible problem with
alcohol,
but in spite of this, his far too brief career was loaded
with extraordinary creativity and
accomplishment. Rather than lament what was not recorded,
or what might have been but failed
to come to pass, we ought to thank our lucky stars for the
immense body of work that has
survived
Bix, never mind his extensive influence on the work
of countless other musicians.
Philip Colston.
Posted on May 09 2000, 07:23 PM
Interesting.....
by Scott Black
I am now 46 years old. I've been
playing the cornet since the age of 5. In spite of having many
teachers, both in public, and
private,
I could never learn to read music. So, I just accepted
that as my lot in life.
After reading several articles about
A.D.D., I decided to go to a doctor to find out more.
Guess what? I found out that, not
only did I have A.D.H.D, but was also dyslexic. So I
thought I'd try the medication.
Within ONE year, I could read music. Within TWO years, I
was conducting FIVE different shows
a week on the Mississippi Riverboat the DELTA
QUEEN. Since then, I've become a
published and recorded songwriter with BMI. This is
something I wouldn't have ever
thought
of before being treated. I've always had close to
perfect pitch, perhaps nature
compensates
us in other ways, when dealing with some kind of
infliction.
So, I agree with Brad that this
could well have been a reason for Bix's trouble with reading
music. And again, as much as
everybody
has a right to their opinion, you seem to voice yours
without checking the facts, or doing
your homework.Quackery? I'm sure it has been abused
by many doctors as a cure all for
hyper children, but it does help those who truly have the
disorder. In fact it can change
their lives.
Posted on May 09 2000, 08:38 PM
Dyslexia
Is A Different Matter.
by Philip Colston.
Dyslexia is an actual disorder
that
greatly interferes with the ability to decipher written or
printed symbols. It is unrelated
to intelligence, and is amenable to treatment: special training in
milder cases, and medication in
more intractable cases. Your former inability to read music
was due to the dyslexia.
I think that Bix was likely able
to read music early on, in the sense of knowing what the
symbols and note positions on the
staves meant. His trouble was in "sight reading", that is,
playing an instrument whilst reading
the score directly and without prior examination. Fluency
in this skill takes practice, to
which I imagine Bix devoted little time or effort. In spite of this, it
appears that Bix eventually became
sufficiently proficient in sight reading to satisfy the
requirements of his professional
employment.
I stand by my statements
regarding
"ADHD". It is possible that some adults "feel better" when
taking medication for this supposed
disorder. This is likely due to the potent psychoactive
qualities of the drugs prescribed.
All people should think very carefully before ingesting
chemicals that cross the
"blood-brain
barrier". Long-term use can lead to permanent
physiological brain damage.
Philip Colston.
Posted on May 09 2000, 09:29 PM
If That's The
Case...
by Scott Black
Then the medication is also a
cure
for Dyslexia. This is a major news story, and should be
treated as such. I, like others
learned at an early age, how to deal with it. It doesn't hamper
my ability to read words, some times
spelling looks odd. But I could read by the age of three,
and was reading novels by the age
of five. I can read and retain a five hundred page book in
four hours.No problem, at the same
time, the spelling of a simple word looks like a typo to
me. So, I don't bother. The only
time I worry about it, is when writing. My spelling can go out
the window, and I don't realize
it until after it's sent.
A.D.D. is a very real disorder,
probably over used by some doctors, but at the same time a
very real problem that can be dealt
with. As for the side effects, after 10 years so far, there
has been one. A better life.
Posted on May 10 2000, 05:56 AM
Not A Cure.
by Philip Colston.
With the notable exception of
anti-pathogenic
agents, most drugs do not "cure" physiological
or psychological ailments. Rather,
they are used to manage disorders and control or alleviate
symptoms and associated conditions.
There is no drug cure for dyslexia. However, for some
who are afflicted with this
condition,
the concentration required in learning to overcome its
bizarre effects can be aided with
medication. The traits associated with ADHD are likewise
not permanently alterable. The
medication
must be taken indefinitely, except in cases where
the psychological evolution of the
individual negates the "symptoms" for which the medication
was sought. This is what happens
when children are said to "grow out of" ADHD (which I
maintain is not a true disorder,
but a set of personality traits, many of which are positive in
nature).
You have clearly overcome the
problems
of dyslexia. I note that your spelling easily surpasses
that of the majority of Americans.
I did not say that the ingestion of psychoactive drugs will
with certainty cause brain damage,
but that it can do so. This is well documented. Also, I
believe that any conscientious
physician
would agree with me when I say that such drugs
should be used only when nothing
else will work, for genuine disorders, and then only after
very careful consideration.
Philip Colston.
Posted on May 10 2000, 09:41 AM
Bix, A.D.D.
and
us.
by Brad Kay
Mr. Colton and Mr. Black,
Thank you for your heartfelt
responses.
I find it fascinating how different they are, one of you
being an A.D.D. sufferer; the other,
obviously, not.
Pardon me while I free-associate:
The issue of A.D.D. medication as
a behavioral control for unruly, overcreative children is a
moot point here. The symptoms I
posted are those of the classic ADULT case of A.D.D.,
which, again, I am suggesting dogged
Bix all his life.
The contemporary term "Attention
Deficit Disorder" has an unfortunate, perjorative ring. It is a
way of typing people with certain
traits who don't fit in a goal-oriented world that has always
been hostile and sometimes downright
homicidal to the dreamers, the shamans, the creators.
In an alternate universe where such
types were honored rather than scorned, Bix might have
lived a long and productive life,
sure of his place in a society that appreciated those qualities.
In such a world, the traits we
identify
as "A.D.D." would manifest very differently, and might
be considered enviable.
However, those traits are quite
real
(Mr. Colton!), and we and Bix are stuck with society as
we know it, and those of us who
are stuck with those traits and this society have a mighty
tough time coming to terms with
both.
Speaking from experience, I, at
age
48, a life-long posessor of those traits, have had a hell of
a hard time coping with the ordinary
realities. I have found it nearly impossible to hold down
normal jobs and regular
relationships,
and have traditionally found refuge in my piano, my horn
and my pipe. (I gave up the latter
recently in the interest of clear thinking. Turns out I play
better when feeling lousy but
straight,
than when I'm "groovy" and high.) I tried Ritalin and
other medications, and they helped
somewhat, but the best help came from IDENTIFYING
THE PROBLEM, and learning to cope
with it on its own terms.
People with A.D.D. who have no
idea
what they're up against, have a tendency to
self-medicate with the poison of
their choice, to lessen the frustration of trying to play by rules
they can't understand. I find it
significant that Bix has been reported as drinking prodigiously,
but seldom seeming intoxicated.
More than one account has him playing with the same
accuracy and aplomb after a full
evening of boozing as at the start. Apparently, his drinking
was more about containing his
reality
than about just getting high.
Also significant in the light of
A.D.D. is Bix's level of abstraction. A couple of incidents come
to mind. One is how he rehearsed
with the Charley Straight band in 1925: The band would
run down a new arrangement twice.
The first time, Bix, instead of playing, would be staring
into space, or reading a dime novel,
seemingly paying no attention whatsoever. The second
time, he would pick up his horn
and create a part for himself that one of the musicians said
was, "like the cellophane wrapping
around our basket of fruit." Another is the notation in the
trumpet part of one of his Whiteman
section-mates, "Wake up Bix," as if that were a matter of
course. A.D.D. people are famous
for seeming to be there/not there simultaneously.
To me, the reason why Bix has
been
and continues to be such an object of fascination and
investigation is that we are all
transfixed with wonder at the origin of genius. Where does it
come from? Why him and not me? How
did he do that?? By suggesting that Bix had the
syndrome that is lately and
unfortunately
labeled A.D.D., I am pointing out some of the
aggravating, pearl-producing
qualities
from which genius has been known to emerge. Again,
Bix is hardly alone here. In this
harsh world, invention is the child of necessity.
Posted on May 10 2000, 05:09 PM
Fitting In.
by Philip Colston.
Please understand that I never
said
that the traits you outlined in your initial posting did not
exist, but rather, that I do not
consider them to represent a "disorder". It is quite possible that
Bix shared many of these traits
with you and Mr Black, although they would have been
accompanying characteristics of
his genius rather than the cause of it. I consider many of these
traits to be positive attributes!
The reason that these personality
qualities are to-day considered symptomatic of disorder is
that mankind, especially in America,
has become increasingly obsessed with uniformity. I can
certainly understand how the
ignorant
masses should desire to control and subvert those who
fall outside of their standards.
What I can not understand is why those different (and often
much more creative and intelligent)
outsiders should desire to conform to the mindless cattle.
Why do they allow the propaganda
of disorder and defect to make them feel as if there is
something wrong with them? One could
argue that it is the ignorant masses who are due for
improvement!
Man has advanced himself from the
cave-man by adapting his environment to his needs,
rather than by adapting himself
to it as animals do. I call upon those who feel they have
ADHD to reject the criticism of
others, and to reject mind-altering medication. They should
live their lives as their unique
personalities dictate. The world needs more truly creative
people, and less interchangeable
non-entities.
By the way, all Bix followers owe
you a debt of gratitude for your fascinating "Cradle of
Love" scholarship.
Philip Colston.
Posted on May 10 2000, 08:24 PM
############################################################################
Is
Don Murray the Young Man to the Left of Bix in the Bix and the Rhythm
Jugglers
Photograph? . Alex Revell on Jan 12 2000
If
not Murray, who? . Mike Heckman on Jan 19 2000
Murray
or not? . Hans Eekhoff on Jan 31 2000
URGENT
PLEA FOR HELP . Mike Heckman on Jan 31 2000
Good
Copies of Photos. Albert Haim on Feb 01 2000
Don Murray Photographs . Frank
Manera on
Feb 19 2000
We Need GOOD Photos of
Don Murray
.
Albert Haim on Feb 21 2000
We
don't have good
photos, but it IS Don Murray . Albert Haim on Mar 04 2000
Is Don Murray
the Young Man to the Left of Bix in the Bix and the Rhythm
Jugglers
Photograph?
by Alex
Revell
I've always been puzzled by the
clarinet
player in the photo of the Rhythm Jugglers session,
the one with Bix's arm round his
shoulder. I don't think he in any way resembles Don Murray,
who is said to have been on the
session. The playing on the record doesn't sound like Murray
either, but then they were all so
high it's hard to tell! If you look at the many photos of Don I
feel he has a different shape of
face, hair and general appearance altogether from the man in
the Rhythm Jugglers photo. I had
some correspondance with Phil Evans over this and we had
to agree to differ. I have the very
greatest respect for Phil's research - none better, what a
great loss -but he was basing his
view on the memories of people, and speaking as a
reseacher in another field, I know
just how dangerous that can be. I'd beinterested in other
readers' views on this photo.
Posted on Jan 12 2000, 11:44 AM
If not Murray,
who?
by Mike Heckman
I agree that the clarinetist does
not look much like other pictures of Don Murray. But, Hoagy
in 1946 and Tommy Dorsey in 1937
(through their respective ghost writers) and Paul Mertz
in 1958 said it was Murray.
Posted on Jan 19 2000, 09:18 AM
Murray or not?
by Hans Eekhoff
Dear Alex,
I agree that it doesn't look much
like Don but it is not totally different either.
It is my experience that pictures
taken when one is sloshed (as they all were at that
session)make one often look
completely
different!
Also I know most pictures of
clarinet
players from that time and this guy looks more like
Murray than any of those.
My bet is therefore still on Don
but I've lost bets before.
Kind Regards,
Hans Eekhoff
Posted on Jan 31 2000, 09:33 AM
URGENT PLEA FOR
HELP
by Mike Heckman
Alex and I have been engaged in
numerous
trans-Atlantic emails about this topic and, I was
on the point of being convinced
he was right, that it's not Murray in the Rhythm Jugglers
photo. The clincher was the photo
on p.113 of Evans-Evans showing Bix and Murray in
1922. Murray's hairline looks higher
than the Jugglers' clarinettist's 2 1/2 years later.
Then Alex inquired if I had heard
the story that Murray's death was caused by a beating
inflicted by gangsters. My thought
is that his informant was thinking of the story wherein
Tommy Dorsey, with the Scranton
Sirens playing at a mob joint in Philadelphia, was warned
not to even think about going out
with the gangsters' molls who hung around the club. Tommy
said: "Aw, who's afraid of those
guys." (Stop me if you've heard this one.)
Those guys heard and TD was
marked
for a roughing up. Tommy heard about it and left in
haste to join Jimmy in the Goldkette
band. The gangsters then mistakenly leaned on a sax
man. I tracked down the source of
that story and Bingo!
The source is Richard DuPage's
notes
in a booklet I got with the Columbia Stringing the Blues
album C2L 24. The hapless saxist
was not Don Murray but a Jimmy Crossan. AND, better
than that, at the top of the page
with that information is a large picture of the Goldkette band
in 1924 (the same personnel that
recorded It's the Blues). Don Murray sits in the front row
glaring at the camera.
The urgent plea is for someone to
produce a decent copy of that picture. The one in the
booklet is muddy and does not xerox
or scan well. A good copy will, I think, settle the
question of the identity of the
Rhythm Juggler.
Posted on Jan 31 2000, 01:37 PM
Good Copies of
Photos
by Albert Haim
I have asked Rickey Bauchelle
(the
daughter of Doc Ryker) and Alann Krivor (the grand
nephew of Jean Goldkette) for copies
of photos of the Godlkette band from around 1925 and
of any photo of Don Murray in their
possesion. They are looking through their collections and
will get back to me soon. When I
hear from them, I will report on the findings.
I have been wavering on this issue.
However, last night, after examining every photograph that
I could find, I came to the
conclusion
that the fellow on Bix's left in the Rhythm Jugglers photo
is indeed Don Murray. I will expand
in a future message.
I am grateful to Alex for
questioning
the identity of the clarinet player. It is important to keep
an open mind on these matters and
to research in depth every unresolved issue related to Bix.
Posted on Feb 01 2000, 03:56 AM
Don Murray
Photographs
by Frank Manera
Dear Albert:
Have taken a look at Storyville
Magazine #122 December 1985-January 1986 "Don
Murray-The Early Years(1904-1923)"
by W.K. Plath.
I remember sending you a copy of
this issue, a long time ago and failed to make note of it
during our telephone conversation
a few weeks ago.
In looking over the Rhythem Jugglers
photo in where Bix is embracing both Don Murray and
Tommy Dorsey, I find it safe to
state that the guy on Bix's left is Murray.
The c.1922-23 photo (centerfold)
with Dellie Coon's Original Royal Purple Orchestra,
Murray is posed, holding tenor sax.
I see "sort of" a resemblance of
Murray in comparing both photos, although differently posed,
under much different circumstances.
Best Regards, Frank
Posted on Feb 19 2000, 11:42 AM
We
Need
GOOD Photos of Don Murray
by Albert Haim
Frank:
Indeed, the photo of Dellie Coon's
includes Don Murray. Unfortunately, the copy you sent me
(I am grateful for the copy, don't
get me wrong!), although with perfectly legible text, is not of
the quality needed to solve the
problem posed by Alex. What we would need is a good scan
of the original photo and of any
other Murray's photos of 23-25.
Thanks for your contribution.
Albert
Posted on Feb 21 2000, 10:03 AM
We
don't have good photos, but it IS Don Murray.
by
Albert Haim
Alex's questioning of the
identity
of the clarinet player to the left of Bix in the 1925 photo of
the Rhythm Jugglers is eminently
reasonable when one compares that photo with
well-authenticated photos of Bill
Murray from subsequent years. There are important
differences between the "old"
DonMurray
and the clarinet player in the Jugglers photo. Don
Murray is a lot heavier and his
hairline has receded quite a bit. On some photos, Don's eyes
are somewhat bulging and his lips
seem thicker than those of the clarinet player with the
Rhythm Jugglers. When Alex first
brought up this question, I tended to agree with him.
However, recently, Rickey Bauchelle
(the daughter of Doc Ryker, the alto sax player in the
Jean Goldkettte orchestra) sent
me a copy of the September 1978 issue of the Mississippi
Rag. There is a close-up of the
sax section of the 1924 Jean Goldkette Orchestra with Doc
Ryker, Jimmy Dorsey and Don Murray.
I scanned the photo, cropped it and posted it in
http://www.geocities.com/alberthaim/donmurray.htm
Next to it I posted an image
(courtesy
of Hans Eekhoff) of the clarinet player in the Rhythm
Jugglers recording session. Now
we can make a fair comparison: the two photos are from
approximately the same date. I must
admit that the images are poor, but there is no question
at all that the clarinet player
in the Rhythm Jugglers records is indeed Don Murray. Note the
identical widow's peak, eyebrows,
ears, nose and chin. The main difference is, of course, the
hair and the hairline. However,
in the photo from the Goldkette orchestra Murray's hair is well
combed and slicked down (as it is
in all subsequent photos of Don Murray whereas the hair
of the clarinet player in the Rhythm
Jugglers photo is dishevelled (this is not surprising as there
had been a lot of drinking
throughout
the recording session). I conclude that the clarinet player
in the Rhythm Juggler photo is
unquestionably
Don Murray. I agree with Alex that in his later
photos Don looks fairly different.
Apparently, in a short time Don Murray put on a lot of
weight and had lost hair. Thus,
the difficult identification.
As a footnote, one could compare
the 1921 classic photo of Bix with the one that I recently
posted in the photo gallery. Go
to
http://www.geocities.com/alberthaim/bixphotos.htm
and then ask yourself, are these
photographs of the same person?
Albert
Posted on Mar 04 2000, 05:37 AM
############################################################################
Who
Wrote "A Whim of Fancy?" . Albert Haim on Mar 22 2000
Pete
King is the composer . Albert Haim on Apr 04 2000
Who Wrote "A Whim of
Fancy?"
by Albert Haim
Hello Bixophiles:
Marisa Samuels, the stepdaughter
of Lou Raderman wrote on March 19, 2000 and made the
following inquiry. Marisa is trying
to find out the name of the composer of "A Whim of
Fancy", an instrumental that Lou
did and that she has on tape. In addition, she would like to
know if the song was used in a
movie,
and if so, what is the name of he movie. Marisa asks if
I, Mike May or Russell Sands (the
grand nephew of Lou Raderman) ever heard of this piece.
I gave Marisa a partial answer.
Here is what I told her:
**********
"A Whim of Fancy" was recorded by
Pete King in 1957. The song is one of many in an album
(Liberty LP LRP-3042) entitled
"Music
for the Girl You Love". Incidentally, the album is
available from
http://www.worldwidewax.com/recs/06/0610.htm
I don't have the album, but I
imagine
that the name of the composer will be on the record or in
the liners. I found that the library
at Bowling Green State University has a copy of the album. I
wrote to one of the reference
librarians
asking her if she could look up the composer. She has
not answered yet, but let's give
her a couple of days. If I don't hear from her in the next two
days, I will post your inquiry in
the Bixography Forum and maybe one of the readers will have
some information."
*********
I did not get an answer form the
librarian at Bowling Green. I'll try again when I come back
from the West Coast on March 31.
In the meantime if any of you knows the information that
Marisa wishes to have, please write
to her at Lewsamuels@aol.com and copy me.
Thanks.
Albert
Posted on Mar 22 2000, 01:19 PM
Pete King is
the
composer
by Albert Haim
The librarian that I contacted at
Bowling Green University provided the following information.
"A Whim of Fancy" was
written/published
in 1957. Pete King, who is the conductor on both
albums of instrumentals (the same
album one monoaural, the other stereo), also wrote the
tune. The Publisher is Liberty
Songs,
Inc. and it is an ASCAP song.
Posted on Apr 04 2000, 02:36 PM
############################################################################
Whiteman
Love Nest . George Ferrick on Feb 18 2000
Love
Nest . Hans Eeklhoff on Feb 18 2000
Whiteman Love Nest
by George Ferrick
I have a copy of the whiteman
"Love
Nest" Vic 24105 that has lead in grooves. Is this a dub?
The lable is a later victor with
silver lettering. The inner area of the record has the usual VE in
a circle. Dub or master pressing?
Posted on Feb 18 2000, 01:23 AM
If you can see avery faint "2" in
the run-off area (indicating the take) it is probably not a dub,
the run-in groove could be added
later (usually this is visible) but I think it is dubbed, although
why Victor would again reissue this
record at a time when nobody cared for it remains a
mystery, unless it was reissued
in the late 30's (or even later)during the Bix revival.
The original issue has gold
lettering,
(see the label page).
Hans Eekhoff
Posted on Feb 18 2000, 05:07 AM
############################################################################
Best
Complete Bix that's available? . Todd Brashear on Dec 09 1999
Complete
Set of Bix's Recordings . Albert Haim on Dec 09 1999
Untitled . Malcolm Walton on Jan 27 2000
Best Complete Bix that's available?
by Todd Brashear
Hi,
I'm a new convert to Bix after hearing several of his
tunes in the Allen Lowe set "American
Pop". I've been looking for the best way to get his
complete
recordings. I haven't had much
luck finding "Bix Restored", but I did find a set at
Collector's
Choice of 9 CDs, but I can't tell
who puts it out. Can anyone recommmend one or the other
of these sets? How bout the best
sound quality? Anyone have a source for the Bix Restored
if indeed this is the set to get? The
one I found at Collector's Choice is at
http://www.ccmusic.com/ccm_detail.cgi?item_code=SUN0009
Thanks,
Todd Brashear
Posted on Dec 09 1999, 09:10 AM
Complete Set of Bix's Recordings
by Albert Haim
Hello Todd,
The two "Bix Restored" sets (each containing three
CD's)are
available from cdnow.com and
from worldsrecords.com The third set is in the works.
A fourth set will be issued in the future.
I suspect that the 9-CD set from Collector's Choice is
an Italian set. If my suspicion is
correct, we are dealing basically with the 14-LP Joker
set from the 1970's with the addition
of recordings that have been discovered since the initial
issue of the Joker set.
By far, the best sound quality is found in "Bix
Restored".
This was a labor of love with the
best possible sources used to produce the masters.
If you are patient, I would advise you to get the two
issued
volumes of Bix Restored set now
and the remaining volumes as they are issued.
Albert
Posted on Dec 09 1999, 05:12 PM
Although I've not yet got "Bix Restored" (on order at
present)
I strongly suspect that it will be
the best available sound to date as the transfers were
originally done for the Bix 20 volume
Sunbeam LP set by John R.T.Davies. Everything he does
is remarkable (e.g the King Oliver
Creole Jazz Band sides on Fountain Retrieval; he has
managed
to rebalance the front line so
that you can hear all four horns at the right relative
volumes - truly amazing!). At last we Brits
excell at something connected with Jazz !! I do have some
Parlophone and Victor 78's of Bix
and there is no doubt that you can hear much more than
on most microgroove re-issues (with
the possible exception of John R.T.'s best efforts)
Posted on Jan 27 2000, 05:23 AM
############################################################################
1970's
Bix show on PBS . Michael May on Oct 07 1999
Video Tape of PBS Special on Bix . Albert Haim on Oct 07 1999
thank
you message! . Michael May on Oct 07 1999
1970's Bix show on PBS
by Michael May
When I was 12 (1976,) the local PBS channel broadcasted
a program entitled "A Tribute to
Bix" or words to that effect. The musicians featured were
Jimmy McPartland, Marian
McPartland, Dick Cary (playing his alto horn,) and I think
Joe Venuti was on this, too. The
only musical selection I remember, other than the various
numbers featuring the ensemble, was
Marian McPartland playing "In A Mist."
Does this program exist on videotape? I have asked the
local affiliate, and they profess no
knowledge of this program. If it does exist, I would like
to purchase a copy.
Thanks!
Mike
Posted on Oct 07 1999, 07:09 AM
Video Tape of PBS Special
on Bix
by Albert Haim
Mike:
Indeed, there is a video tape available. The title is
"Jazz at the TOP! Remembering Bix
Beiderbecke". The content of the tape is described briefly
in the Bixography web site in the
page on "Video Tapes".
The video tape of the PBS special is available from The
Jazz Store. Go to
www.jazzstore.com and search the keyword Bix. You will
get 10 hits. Four of the hits
correspond to video tapes, one of which is the "Jazz at
the Top" tape. The other three are "At
the Jazz Band Ball", "Ain't None Played Like Him Yet"
and "Interpretation of a Legend". All
of these videos are described briefly in the Bixography
web site.
Posted on Oct 07 1999, 10:25 AM
thank you message!
by Michael May
Hello, Albert!
Thank you for the information. I'll check out the website today.
It will be neat to see this show again!
Mike
Posted on Oct 07 1999, 10:31 AM
############################################################################
I recall reading in the book, "Hear Me Talking To Ya,"
a musician comment about the Rhythm
Jugglers picture. This person spoke about, how, in so
many years, three of the musicians in
the picture had died young: none were named, but we
definitely
know that two were Bix and
Don Murray.
Vaguely, though, I remember reading that Tommy Gargano
had died young also. Has anyone
else seen this information?
Mike
Posted on Mar 21 2000, 04:59 AM
############################################################################
Lodwig-Beiderbecke
Solos in "Georgia on My Mind" . Jon Pytko on Apr 15 2000
No
peace
I find . Frank Youngwerth on Apr 16 2000
Bix,
not down and out in 1930 . Albert Haim on Apr 16 2000
Bix
the emulator? . Malcolm Walton on Apr 17 2000
Lodwig-Beiderbecke
Solos in "Georgia on My Mind"
by Jon Pytko
This question regards that excellent 1930 Hoagy
Carmichael recording of "Georgia on My Mind." Perhaps
the answer to it may be found in
Mr. Evans' book, but I have not had access to it yet.
Firstly, is the cornet/trumpet solo after the vocal by
Bix? It is quite beautiful and poignant, and
yet, to me, is so quiet and meek. The mute employed and
the slight vibrato (if I am not
mistaken), as well as the fact that it is so straight
just made me ask this question- it just does
not really seem like a Bix solo- assistance please, so
that if it were he, I could appreciate him
all the more for his versatility.
Secondly, in the last sixteen bars (I believe- I have
not listened to the record in quite a while),
Lodwig and Beiderbecke trade solos, all derby muted, two
very short ones bookending a
longer one in the middle. The tones, of course, are
different,
but it is difficult for me to tell
which is the trumpet, and which is the cornet- again,
assistance please.
Thank you.
Posted on Apr 15 2000, 10:01 AM
No peace I find
by Frank Youngwerth
I'm sure someone here can provide information on
obtaining
the Evans' 1998 book Bix. While
not for beginners, it's absolutely essential (i.e. well
worth the price) for any Bix scholar. The
book's entry on "Georgia" answers your question. The
somewhat
maudlin solo after the vocal
is Lodwig; the derby solo at the end is all Bix (over
ensemble led by Lodwig, who plays a
written lead-in to Bix's entrance). Not the meatiest of
Bix spots (on his last known session),
but all-in-all a gem of a record. I first heard it on
the wonderfully programmed Paper Moon
soundtrack LP.
Posted on Apr 16 2000, 12:35 AM
Bix, not down and out in 1930
by Albert Haim
First, the technical part. Evans and Evans describe the
recording of "Georgia on My Mind" as
follows: Soloists: C2 Lodwig (15), Venuti (9); Teagarden
(6); C3 & coda, Bix (8 & 2). Thus,
the solo following Hoagy's vocal is Lodwig. Bix comes
in at he end, after Teagarden, and his
tone is dominant and unmistakable.
Second, my comments. Although some claim, including some
of his fellow musicians, that Bix
was down and out in 1930 and that he had lost "it", I
totally disagree. Bix was an extremely
versatile musician. There is not "one" Bix, there are
several Bixes. He was full of surprises,
from the beginning in 1924 to the end in 1930-31. We have
the buoyant Bix getting the best
out of some mediocre musicians in "Copenhagen". We have
the profoundly lyrical Bix of "I'm
Coming Virginia". We have the blazing Bix leading everyone
in "At the Jazz Band Ball". The
Bix solo of "Clementine" is described by Dick Sudhalter
as "an almost startingly vocal solo,
emphatic, yet ineffably gentle and bittersweet". We have
the passionate Bix of "Sorry". We
have the inspired and brilliant Bix of "From Monday On".
Moving to 1930, we have the
poignant Bix of "I'll Be A Friend "With Pleasure"", the
brash Bix of "Barnacle Bill the Sailor",
the expressive Bix of "Georgia on My Mind". Every
recording
of Bix awakes in the listener
new and different emotions.
Sometimes Bix does not seem to be Bix because he is one
and all: gifted, resourceful, blue,
joyful, exuberant, troubled, content, unsatisfied.
Posted on Apr 16 2000, 05:40 PM
Bix the emulator?
by Malcolm Walton
Further to Albert's assessment of the many facets of
Bix's
performances, how about his ability
to emulate others ? I can only bring one instance to mind
- that is during Rocking Chair , by
Hoagy Carmichael's Orch in 1930, during a passage in which
Bubber Miley employs his own
"growl" attack,
Bix can be clearly heard growling behind him. I would
be interested to hear of other examples
of Bix using another trumpet player's idiosyncracies.
Posted on Apr 17 2000, 09:15 AM
############################################################################
Bix's World .
Richard
Iaconelli on May 26 2000
A
Possible Book . Albert Haim on May 26 2000
Our
Times . Mike Heckman on May 27 2000
Read
Robert Benchley . Mark Hale on May 31 2000
I second the motion, but.. . Mike Heckman on Jun 01 2000
Of Course, But.. . Mark Hale on Jun 01 2000
Magazines
. Brad Kay on Jun 01 2000
Bix's World
by Richard Iaconelli
In reading the many recent postings, one thing that I become aware
of
is the need to immerse oneself in the era in which Bix lived. It is
important
to know the social world, not just the musical world, that
Bix walked (some might say sleep-walked) through. It almost goes
without
saying, that the 1920's was a time of profound social change, with the
growth of urban culture, cars, radio, and changing values, etc. I can't
help but think that Bix was deeply affected by tumultuous 1920's
culture,
even if one argues, it caused him to become more withdrawn or
introspective.
Imagine the contrast at that
time, between Davenport--and New York city. This cultural gulf probably
also affected his family's attitude towards him.
Has anyone read any general history or social history of the 1920's
that really captures the flavor of the times (aside from what is
portrayed
in the standard works on Bix)? I have read Frederick Allen's ONLY
YESTERDAY,
for instance, but it's not completely satisfying.
Everyone, have a fine Memorial Day week-end!
Posted on May 26 2000, 7:08 AM
A Possible Book
by Albert Haim
William Howland Kenney, clarinetist and Professor of History and
American
Stories, has written a scholarly book entitled "Chicago Jazz, A
Cultural
History, 1904-1930", Oxford University Press, 1993. It is a
well-written
book that addresses some of the topics you mentioned in your posting.
I realize that you wanted a general treatment of cultural and societal
issues. However,Kenney's book, although centering on Chicago jazz,
places
an emphasis on the cultural history.
Albert Haim
Posted on May 26 2000, 4:48 PM
Our Times is a six volume work about the United States in the first
25 years of the 20th century written by Mark Sullivan, a newspaperman.
It will amuse you to know that all the arguments we've just heard about
when the new century begins were extensively discussed as January 1,
1900
neared. Volume 6 is about the post WWI period up to 1925 and Sullivan
was
too close to it to see it clearly. It is instructive in the earlier
volumes
to see how the attitudes of the 1920s were shaped by
the immediate past. The bucolic, parochial America, into which Bix
was born, was violently altered by the entry of the country into WWI.
We've
read about how this affected Bix who nearly got into a fight when a
schoolmate
taunted him by referring to him as Bismarck. The post war period was
marked
by Prohibition (the causes of which are many and confusing) and an
attempt
to retreat to "normalcy", an attempt doomed to erratic success because
of a considerable disillusionment with the
somewhat hysterical wartime propaganda blitz that blanketed America
and a resultant cynicism about any new official crusades, coupled with
an attitude expressed in the song "How Ya Gonna Keep 'Em Down on the
Farm
After They've seen Paree?", and a major breakdown in public "morality"
caused, in part, by the desire of a significant percentage of the
population
to circumvent the Volstead Act. Bix's places of employment were
frequently
gangster-owned speakeasies, places where
no law applied, and no one monitored personal behavior or inspected
the product being sold except the gangster owners. More than just jazz
music may have influenced the Beiderbecke clan to resent Leon's chosen
occupation. (I try to imagine my reaction if my son died his hair
purple,
put a big ring in his nose, played a guitar at 110 decibels and worked
at a notorious drug dealer's nightclub and freely sampled the owner's
stock
showbiz but the widespread police corruption and growth of the power of
the mob affected everyone. I think the feel of the era is captured in
John
O'Hara's Appointment in Samarra. Newspaper editorialists and preachers
blamed jazz music itself for the breakdown in society. It seems clearer
to us that society in the 1920s was undergoing an unprecedentedupheaval
for many reasons and that jazz was only the music on the soundtrack.
Posted on May 27 2000, 10:26 AM
Read Robert Benchley
by Mark Hale
Most people live through a period, rather than in it- for example,
most
people who lived during the 60s didn't march with King, fight in
Vietnam, see the Beatles or take LSD. Those things were all part of
their
world,but mainly as background noise- things you read about or watched
on TV,but not as important as your job or your family or how much
money you had in the bank. Bix lived through the 20s,but he lived in
a
very small part of it- the world of a dance band musician in Manhattan
and Chicago. He was probably touched by the social upheavals of the
20s the way we are touched by the Clinton/Lewinsky farce and
Columbine and gangsta rap- that is,just about as much as we choose
to
be. If you're interested in the world of Bix,you might want to read
some
Dorothy Parker,Robert Benchley,Ring Lardner (another Midwestern genius
who lived in Manhattan during the 20s) or Bix's fave P G Wodehouse.
Parker and Benchley in particular will give you an idea what it was
like
to be young and drunk in Manhattan during the "Jazz Age"- in
addition,they're as much fun to read as Bix is to listen to (I'll bet
you a
shiny new quarter that Bix read them now and then).
Posted on May 31 2000, 10:00 PM
I second the motion, but..
by Mike Heckman
Yes, by all means read Benchley, Lardner, Parker, Thurber, Donald
Ogden Stewart, Don Marquis, et al. Coincidentally, I just finished
rereading Lardner's Big Town yesterday. It's about a family from a
small
city in Michigan that goes to live in NY in 1920. There is a funny
movie
called So This Is New York based on the book. I own a number of
Benchley first editions and compilations of most of the rest. But,
these
whimsical portrayals of slices of life set in, but not necessarily
of, the
1920s have no real bearing on the grimmer reality of Bix's life. The
O'Hara story catches that, I think, with its hero drinking more, acting
badly as a result, drinking more, getting in more trouble, drinking
more
until his social standing is kaput, his wife leaves him and he fools
around in public with the girl friend of a very jealous gangster, and
suicide is the only course open that makes sense, even from the
reader's point of view. In contrast, Benchley's essays are on timeless
subjects such as the crushing boredom of Christmas Day afternoon after
dinner, a club treasurer's panicky report to the club, taking a long
train
ride with a child, etc. Besides, Benchley did not start drinking 'til
after
he went to Hollywood in the 30s. He and Thurber and, to an extent,
Lardner, celebrated the humorous mishaps of the middle class (Lardner
tended to emphasize baseball players whose problems are sui generis).
Their subjects' problems were not Bix's problems. They battled the
telephone company or overbearing wives. Bix battled himself.
So, yes, read Benchley for the enjoyment of it. I think Benchley
himself
would have been the last person to suggest his wrtings had "social
significance".
Posted on Jun 01 2000, 10:08 AM
Exactly- Bix battled himself. We can never know what was going on in
Bix's head,and reading Benchley and Thurber will get us no closer to
the
inner Bix. But it might get us closer to Bix's outer world- it might
help us
get a slight sense of what it was like to be part of the night life
of
Manhattan in 1928. For one thing,it was a time and place when there
was no stigma or disgrace attached to heavy drinking- in fact,H L
Mencken said that the 20s generation took pride in being the hardest
drinkers in American history. There was no AA,no "interventions",no
one
calling alcoholism a "disease"- and if anyone thinks this was
unusual,remember that no one thought cocaine was any big deal in the
early 70s either.
Posted on Jun 01 2000, 10:46 PM
I'll bet dimes to donuts that Bix spent a good deal of his idle time
perusing the weekly humor magazines - LIFE, Judge and College Humor,
to name a few. In LIFE, besides the usual one-liners and cartoons,
there
were theater reviews by Bencheley (just as spit-take funny as anything
else he ever wrote), movie reviews by George Jean Nathan, John Held,
Jr. covers and woodcuts, occasional pieces by all the Algonquin
Round-tablers, and after 1928, even record reviews. (I saw a nice
mention of OK 41001, "Best Gal"/"Sorry" in one column.) Here is a swell
bit of LIFE that would have had Bix in stitches, as it does me:
LESSONS IN NEW YORKESE No. 1
Poetry
"Well cannabil leemee eyes Tessie! Chagot unnaya awm?"
"Owello Mae. Sa book."
"Sa book fagunnessakes? Cha gettit?"
"Inna liberry."
"Whattizzit deerie sumpin snaappy?"
"Nowittaint snaappy. Sa booka potry."
"Cha mean potry? Howtamake jugsan bowls annat junk?"
"Voises yassap voises."
"Osa booka voises. Chassayso. Givvus alook attit Tessie."
"Dobe givvinyaseffa branefeeva now."
"Chaworry kid...Olissenna this---
'Innexna doodid Koobla Kohn
Astaley plejjadom degree:
Were Ralpha scared rivvaran---'"
"Ostoppit May fatha luvvapeet! Stearabil."
"Wellen heresa fois wunninna book--
'Summerizza cumminnin,
Loudsing kookoo...'"
"Youseddit! Isayits kookoo."
"Chawanna getta bookfa inna foisplace?
"Ididin getta booka goilinna liberry gimmeit."
"Wellya astferrit didincha?"
"Ididnawt! Ises tothagoil gimme agood booka potry anshe gimme this
herenow 'The Awxfid Booka English Voise.' Anbeleemee Imgointa takeit
backan tell her afew."
"Whawas yawantin abooka voisesia anniehow? Yin luvva sumpin?'
"Soitinlynawt! Fiyam Snobiddy's Bizniss neetha."
"Wellya musta wantida booka potry awya woodena gottit."
"Yareely wantaknow fowhatta gottitfa Miss Snozey?"
"Well, I know yamusta gottit fasome reezin."
"Izzat so? Wella gotta becawsa thawtit wood helpme tawrite awinnin
annsa inna limmerick contest!"
Henry William Hanemann LIFE, Jan. 14, 1926, p. 23
Posted on Jun 01 2000, 6:16 PM
*****************************************************
There'll
always be an ebay . Mark Hale on Jul 04 2000
what's
with html on this board? . Mark Hale on Jul 04 2000
html enabled . Albert Haim on Jul 05 2000
Add
Insult to Injury . Albert Haim on Jul 05 2000
There'll always be an ebay
by Mark Hale
<a
href=http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=362855557>click
here for Bix on the 'bay</a>
Posted on Jul 04 2000, 8:36 P
what's with html on
this
board?
by Mark Hale
That link worked when I previewed it- wha' happen? That's OK- it
wasn't
that funny (someone listed a UHCA reissue for $149- and noted that
it
was pressed for the United Hot Rod Club).
Posted on Jul 04 2000, 8:39 PM
Sorry! I did not have "html" enabled checked in my options. Now you
should be able to use html.
Albert
Posted on Jul 05 2000, 3:31 AM
Add Insult to Injury
by Albert Haim
Another error: Bix's name is misspelled as BIX BEINDERBECKE. By the
way, the auction ended with NO bids. Maybe the item will be relisted
at
a bargain price of $139.99!
Albert
Posted on Jul 05 2000, 3:40 AM
Is
the Unidentified Musician in the Photo Bix? . Albert Haim on Jun 06
2000
Probably
. Albert Haim on Jun 16 2000
Is the Unidentified Musician in
the
Photo Bix?
by Albert Haim
Frank Hagenbuch sent me on 6/5/00 an image of a photograph of the
Paul Whiteman orchestra (go to
http://www.geocities.com/alberthaim/whitemanmysterytrumpet.JPG to
view the image). Frank asks for help in identifying the second musician
from the left. I believe that the unknown musician is the same as the
guy in the middle of another photograph of the Paul Whiteman orchestra
uploaded some time ago in the images satellite web site (go to
http://www.geocities.com/alberthaim/whitemanphotosigned.jpg to view
the other image). Can anybody help? Frank really wonders if the
unidentified musician is Bix.
Posted on Jun 06 2000, 3:45 AM
I guess I'll answer my own question.
The two photos in question are very reminiscent of the cover of the
Paul
Whiteman concert tour that started on October 7, 1928 at Carnegie Hall.
If the photos were taken during or just before the tour for publicity
purposes, then very likely the unknown musician would indeed be Bix.
Albert Haim
Posted on Jun 16 2000, 2:01 PM
***********************************************8
The
legendary
Whiteman 'Special Record' to England...
by Norman Field
Am I right in assuming that this has finally, if regretfully, been
laid
to rest? Namely, that Whiteman had made a special recording in which
all,
or some, of his band members, recorded their verbal greetings to
send to a 'fan' of the band in England, who was in hospital, seriously
ill? And, obviously, if it existed, that Bix may have spoken on it?
Of course, it's too good to be true, but does anybody know how this one started in the first place?
Truly, romance is a hardy shrub...
Norman Field.
Posted on Jun 25 2000, 1:20 PM
************************************************
Reissues
of Gennett Wolverines, NORK. Michael May on Oct 7, 1999
Reissues on
CD of Wolverines and NORK recordings. Albert Haim on Oct 7,
1999
not all 78s
are 78s. Mike Heckman on Feb 13, 2000
record speeds and key signatures. Michael May on Feb 14, 2000
correct speed or correct pitch?. Hans Eekhoff on Feb 15, 2000
You should know better,. Michael May on Sep 27, 2000
Reissues of Gennett Wolverines, NORK by Michael May
The Milestone CDs which have the Gennett Wolverines recordings, and
another with the Gennett New Orleans Rhythm Kings recordings: these
are nice, but I was wondering if they would be remade soon.
I own and enjoy both CDs, but the sound quality has the treble
rolled
off. Recently, I've had the occasion to hear original discs, and these
do
contain a wider frequency range than the reissues. Does anyone know
if
another disc is available, or if Milestone plans to update these
reissues?
Lastly, I did some speed testing, and I'll cite my results with one
disc
here. I had the great opportunity to listen to and tape "Tin Roof
Blues,"
by the NORK on the Gennett disc. To make it play in the key of B-flat
(which is the key of virtually every later recording of this song,
in the
examples I could find,) the Gennett disc has to be played at 80 rpm.
For
this testing, I have been using an electronic tuning device (for band
instruments,) a KAB SL-BD 78 turntable (with pitch control, for
adjustable speed,) and the KAB strobe disc, for precise measurement.
Mike May
Posted on Oct 7, 1999, 7:25 AM
Reissues on CD of Wolverines and NORK recordings by Albert Haim
I do not know if Milestone plans on updating the CD's of the
Wolverines
and NORK.
There are other CD's with reissues of the Wolverine Orchestra
recordings. The ones that come to mind immediately are the volume 1
of
Bix Restored, the volume 1 of the Masters of Jazz series on Bix, and
a
recent Timeless.
For the NORK, I know of, aside from the Milestone, a German import,
MSI 60782, and a French import BTS 4050.
Posted on Oct 7, 1999, 11:17 AM
not all 78s are 78s by Mike Heckman
78RPM was the standard speed to play records prior to the
development
of the LP in the late 1940s. However, not all records were made to
play
at 78RPM. For some reason, some companies issued records with the
notation "79RPM". I think I may have also seen one marked "80RPM" but
I'm not sure. Playing these records on the old Victrola or Graphanola
was
not a problem as they contained a speed control lever. Under the lever
was a scale showing quite a range of possible speeds from possibly
70
to 85RPMs. I'm not aware of any records being made to play at either
of
these extremes. The lever was useful for young musicians, like Bix,
who
learned to play the songs they liked in different keys by speeding
up or
slowing down the turntable.
Does your Gennett disc show a speed?
Posted on Feb 13, 2000, 9:33 AM
Respond to this message
Goto Forum Home
record speeds and key signatures
by Michael May
Mike,
I have been experimenting for the past four years, trying to
determine
what speeds the records from the 1920s should actually be played. I
play both the trombone and cornet, and I enjoy playing along with the
records.
When I play a record from the 1920s at 78rpm, in some cases, the key
signature of the performance is "band-instrument friendly:" in concert
keys of B-flat, E-flat, F, C, or A-flat. If a record recorded at 80rpm
is
played back at 78rpm, and the original key signature is "F" (recorded
at
80, remember,) it becomes "E" at the slower speed-- a challenging and
"unfriendly" key signature on band instruments (ask any musician, if
you
don't believe me!)
I have several other performances of "Tin Roof Blues," most of which
occur on LP. Since the LP is standardized at 33, I used an electronic
tuning device to determine the key signature of these performances,
all
of which were in Concert B-flat. When I went to tape the Gennett disc,
to make it "play" to the key signature B-flat, I had to play the disc
at
80. Every other acoustic Gennett I've tried at this speed gives me
the
same results: band-friendly key signatures.
No ,the Gennett record does not say "80rpm." According to my
experiments, though, a great number of companies used 80 as their
speed. Note that, the time frame for my research ends at 1929.
Aditionally, Vince Giordano confirmed to me that the original
arrangement of "Dippermouth Blues," held by the Library of Congress,
is
written in the key of C: to make this Gennett disc "play" in this key,
the
disc must be played at 80rpm.
Mike May
Posted on Feb 14, 2000, 6:38 AM
correct speed or correct pitch? by Hans Eekhoff
Hello Mike,
You're absolutely right, the only way to establish the correct speed
is to
sit down with a trumpet (or if one can't play anything, use an
electronic
tuning device of the type that bass players often use)and indeed find
the band-friendly key. Watch out though, you sometimes get an
improbable key which you can adjust both ways, for instance if one
find
the record plays in concert E one has to choose between F or Eb, and
if
the original key it was written in is unknown the best thing to do
is just
listen and determine what feels most comfortable.
All our reissues in the Timeless CD series are pitched this way by
John
R.T. Davies who does the remastering.
Hans Eekhoff
Posted on Feb 15, 2000, 7:26 AM
You should know better, by Michael May
because Gennett discs do not have the speed listed on them.
Have you done any testing on this subject? What information do you
have to justify your comment that "78rpm was the standard speed,etc."?
What about Edisons? Edison specialists in the know (Ray Wile, for one)
can attest that 80 is the speed for Edison Diamond Discs.
My testing equipment includes a variable speed turntable, and an
electronic tuner. Why have I done this? Because there is so much
disinformation about the subject. Too long, I have read that record
speeds varied from day to day (not true,) that remasterers should play
it
at the speed that "sounds good:" this is hellish to those of us who
have
perfect pitch, and scientifically inaccurate. A collector sent me a
tape
once, with a disc that included a low-register clarinet solo--in this
particular re-recording, the clarinet was playing "lower" in pitch
than it
was supposed to be able to play.
Lastly, if you don't believe me, why is it that John RT Davies can
confirm
my findings? Why would Vince Giordano tell me that 1920s era
Columbias and Okehs are all recorded at 80 rpm?
Mike
Posted on Sep 27, 2000, 5:38 PM
*********************************************
The Goldkette Reunion Photo. Albert
Haim on Feb 27, 2000
my two cents
worth!. Michael May on Feb 28, 2000
Reunion Picture. Hans Eekhoff on Mar 1, 2000
Fred Farrar, Jr.. Michael May on Mar 1, 2000
The Goldkette Reunion Photo
by Albert Haim
Who is the "unknown" in the Goldkette reunion photograph? Hans
identified him as Lou Longo, but this was done as a "bait" to elicit
responses from readers. Mike (Feb. 23) says it is Irving Riskin.
Malcolm
(Feb. 24) favors Steve Brown.
What is your opinion? In trying to answer the question, consult
Sudhalter and Evans, p. 178. Useful "mug shots" of the members of the
Jean Goldkette orchestra are provided.
Posted on Feb 27, 2000, 5:11 AM
my two cents worth!
by Michael May
Based on pictures I've seen in the past, I think the unidentified
man
Irving Riskin.
Another photo of an earlier Goldkette reunion may be found in the
Storyville article on Spiegle Willcox.
Posted on Feb 28, 2000, 4:53 AM
Reunion Picture
by Hans Eekhoff
The photo in the Storyville article about Spiegle Willcox is from
the
same Goldkette reunion and taken at the same day.
Our unknown does indeed resemble Riskin but I'm not 100% convinced.
It's definitely not Steve Brown though.
Hans Eekhoff
Posted on Mar 1, 2000, 12:37 AM
Fred Farrar, Jr.
by Michael May
In the Storyville picture, a young man is identified as "Fred
Farrar,
Jr.".
Does anyone know of his current whereabouts? (I have tried finding
him
in switchboard--almost too many people named "Fred Farrar!")
Perhaps he could give us stronger info about both pictures.
Mike
Posted on Mar 1, 2000, 5:10 AM
***************************************
I Don't Know. Mike Heckman on Feb 20,
2000
Dr. Eddie and
Mr. King. Brad Kay on Mar 21, 2000
Eddie King. Frank Youngwerth on Mar 22, 2000
Did Bix flub?.
Mike Heckman on Apr 7, 2000
Yes, in the 12th full bar of his solo.... Frank Youngwerth on Apr 10,
2000
I Don't Know
by Mike Heckman
I can remember when RCA LPM 2323 showed up in the record store with
the first release of the long lost "I Didn't Know" recorded by the
Goldkette band Nov. 24, 1924. The liner notes with the album said it
was rejected because of a Bix mistake in his solo. I listened to that
track over and over and couldn't say there was really a mistake. We
also
hear that Eddie King, the Victor recording supervisor, rejected the
take,
not because of a mistake, but because it was too jazzy. OK, Eddie King
is a recurring villain in the Bix story and this seems to be in his
character.
Now, a couple of months ago, I bought Lost Chords, the book and
companion CDs. Mr. S. draws our attention to a Goldkette session 8
months earlier than "I Didn't Know". In March, 1924, Goldkette recorded
"It's the Blues", with Edward T. King recording supervisor. If you
haven't
heard it, go now to www.redhotjazz.com and click on "Goldkette" and
listen to it. In concept and execution "It's the Blues" is more radical
than "I Didn't Know". Yet, "It's the Blues" was released and "I Didn't
Know" sat in the vault for 35 years.
Even if King personally disliked Bix, King's departure from Victor
in
October, 1926 did not result in a significantly more sympathetic
treatment from the subsequent directors. Bix was now an acknowledged
star of the band but Goldkette had to hire Venuti for record dates
to
play in the spots Bix took in the live performances, or Challis wrote
trumpet section choruses based on Bix's solos. And, the repertoire
remained mostly dreary.
The point of this (in case you were wondering) is that it wasn't
just
Eddie King, but more corporate policy that was to blame for the
mediocre recorded Goldkette output and the lack of appreciation for
what Bix was doing.
Posted on Feb 20, 2000, 2:30 PM
Dr. Eddie and Mr. King
by Brad Kay
Here's something more to ponder about the career of the supposedly
jazz-hating Victor exectutive Eddie King. Not long after he is supposed
to have thwarted the hot instincts of Bix and the Goldkette band, he
directed and played on some of the most ambitious, unique and utterly
satisfying hot jazz records of the whole decade.
I am referring, of course, to the to the Victor sessions by Fats
Waller
on
pipe organ, with Thomas Morris' Hot Babies, from May and September
of
1927. Fats had made several solo organ sessions previously, and these
were so successful that someone at Victor had the inspiration to
combine Fats' pipe organ with a small jazz band. I don't know if this
was
Eddie King's idea, but it fell to him to supervise and play on the
sessions. He blows some sturdy, workmanlike cymbal, woodblocks and
tom-toms throughout these sides. This served the dual purpose of
keeping everyone in synch (a formidable task with pipe organ!) and
also
adding some percussive spice to the potentially dense and soupy mix.
This is one instance where Mr. King's reported finickiness and
attention
to detail paid off handsomely. Every one of these titles - "Savannah
Blues," "Fats Waller Stomp," "He's Gone Away," "Please Take Me Out
of
Jail," et cetera, is a pure jazz delight. They are totally unlike any
other
records before or since, and not incidentally, offer some of the
highest
of high fidelity recording of the era, with splendid balances and the
heightened acoustics of Victor's Camden church studio.
As producer, Eddie King deserves the praise and gratitude of all hot
record fans. As a percussionist, while he's no Sonny Greer or even
a
Chauncey Morehouse, he keeps a good honest beat and serves as the
rhythmic reference point in the midst of what could have been complete
chaos.
I find it hard to reconcile this Eddie King with the one who made
life
so
difficult at Victor for Bix and the Goldkette band.
Posted on Mar 21, 2000, 4:31 PM
Eddie King
by Frank Youngwerth
King probably clung to the conventional label view of the time
(discussed in Lost Chords) that white audiences expected dance
orchestras to keep it polite and respectable, while black customers
liked
their jazz hot and nasty. He gave the respective peoples what he
thought they wanted.
Now, how would King have felt about/handled Fats together with Ted
Lewis's band, or Bubber Miley sharing Leo Reisman sides with Lee
Wiley?
Posted on Mar 22, 2000, 10:21 PM
Did Bix flub?
by Mike Heckman
Maybe the original message had too much in it. Nobody has addressed
the question: was I Didn't Know suppressed because Bix made a
mistake in his solo?
Posted on Apr 7, 2000, 11:04 AM
Yes, in the 12th full bar of his solo...
by Frank Youngwerth
...or at about 1:20 on the Bix Restored set, CD1. My guess is that
Bix
started off playing a red hot chorus that King wouldn't allow,
insisting
instead that Bix stick close to the melody as written. Even at this
Bix
does a pretty good job, but King probably seized on the slightest
awkwardness (which is what happens in bar 12, rather than any
full-fledged mistake) as proof that Bix just didn't belong in the
company
of Victor recording artists. I doubt King would have been all that
disturbed by the more progressively arranged "It's the Blues" compared
to an inexperienced Bix blowing more like a black jazz man of the time
than most dance band trumpet soloists dared. Still, two years earlier
Victor had released Whiteman's best-selling "I'll Build a Stairway
to
Paradise" with trumpeter Tommy Gott offering up one of the hottest
solos committed to wax to date by anyone, on a side a catalog
description of the period claims "...out-jazzes the jazz, out-blues
the
blues." So then just how conservative a label was Victor in the early
20s?
Posted on Apr 10, 2000, 2:46 PM
***********************************
Broadway Bellhops. Malcolm Walton on
Feb 18, 2000
No Bix?. Albert
Haim on Feb 20, 2000
It swings; it's
Bix.. Mike Heckman on Feb 20, 2000
Broadway Bellhops
by Malcolm Walton
Does anyone share my long held view that Bix is not the soloist on
"There ain't no land like Dixieland"? There is a distinct difference
in
approach and execution to the solo on "Cradle in Caroline ", which
is
unmistakenly Bix. On my Parlophone LP "The Rare Bix" PMC1237, which
was issued in the early 1960's, the personnel given by Brian Rust
include
Bix and Red Nichols. I would agree with this and say that the "Ain't
no
land" soloist has all the Nichols hallmarks. It has always been said
that
they both took part in a recording session around this period and it
seems to me that the answer has been staring us in the face all this
time. What is not clear is why Rust subsequently changed his mind and
listed the other trumpet as Hybie Faberman in his American Dance Band
Discography. There is by the way a third track from this session
"Rainbow of Love", which I have never heard. Has anybody heard it ?
Posted on Feb 18, 2000, 1:33 AM
No Bix?
by Albert Haim
For the benefit of the readers who may not be familiar with
Malcolm's
reference to the possibility that Bix and Red were together in a
recording
session, I would like to quote two entries from Sudhalter and Evans'
"Bix: Man and Legend".
p. 408. "Stories have persisted throughout the years to the effect
that
Bix accompanied Red Nichols to a recording date and took part during
the time in March 1925, when the two were staying together at the
Pasadena Hotel in New York."
p. 420: "These titles are included [There Must Be Somebody Else, Sugar,
Where Is My Meyer; recorded by Sam Lanin and His Orchestra on October
20, 1927] because of a check made out by Sam Lanin to Bix Beiderbecke
and dated October 20, 1927. This has spurred speculation that Bix may
have taken part in the above date. The authors have heard "There Must
Be Somebody Else" and "Sugar'; Bix is not in evidence, and only two
trumpets/cornets can be heard, one of them probably Nichols . While
it
is possible that the check may have been in payment for the Broadway
Bell-Hops session of September 29 [the session where There Ain't No
Land Like Dixieland to Me and There's a Cradle in Caroline were
recorded], there remains the possibility that this Lanin date was the
one
to which Red Nichols referred when he spoke of taking part in a
recording session with Bix."
Turning to the question raised by Malcolm as to whether Bix plays the
solo in There Ain't No Land, I think it is definitely Bix. Because
the
Harmony Record Co. was using acoustic methodology as late as 1927
when most other record companies had moved into electric recording,
these Bell-Hops recordings have a bit of the sound of the early
California
Ramblers and perhaps Bix's special sound did not come through loud
and
clear (but see below). However, the unique creativity and special
inventiveness that, of all cornet/trumpet players in the world, only
Bix
possessed are present in the solo. Bix's solos are not improvisations,
they are compositions in which each note is chosen carefully and with
a
powerful imagination. I think it is Bix.
In the booklet included in Bix Beiderbecke Giant of Jazz three-record
set
(Time-Life Records), Dick Sudlhater writes: "There Ain't No Land Like
Dixieland to Me was the first and the best of the three sides cut at
that
session. It begins unremarkably enough - a no-frill commercial
arrangement of a rather dreadful song celebrating the mythical delights
of the Old South, even containing a topical reference to the
transatlantic
flight four months earlier of Mr. Lindbergh. But Lanin's arrangements
often left generous space for jazz solos , and Bix bursts in at the
end of
Irving Kaufman's vocal to bring the performance to light. The tone,
precise, mellow and warm, cuts through even the acoustical recording
still used at that time by the five-and-dime Harmony label. Rank
lurches
through the bridge like a man not quite in control of a Pogo stick;
Bix
then returns, calm and sweet, to restore order. Trumbauer follows with
a
solo that, good as it is, seems an anticlimax, and Bix comes back to
wrap up the number. As Eddie Condon said of Bix, 'He could make
lemonade out of any old lemon'."
Posted on Feb 20, 2000, 7:24 AM
It swings; it's Bix.
by Mike Heckman
In spite of the poor recording quality, the tone comes through; the
jaunty intro, the relaxed swing , the humor, particularly the lip slur
in
the 3rd measure of the solo chorus. I've tried to imagine that chorus
as
played by Red. I hear a staccato march right up on the beat. My money's
on Bix.
Posted on Feb 20, 2000, 7:26 AM
********************************************
Whiteman Love Nest. George Ferrick on
Feb
18, 2000
Love Nest. Hans
Eeklhoff on Feb 18, 2000
Whiteman Love Nest
by George Ferrick
I have a copy of the whiteman "Love Nest" Vic 24105 that has lead in
grooves. Is this a dub? The lable is a later victor with silver
lettering.
The inner area of the record has the usual VE in a circle. Dub or
master
pressing?
Posted on Feb 18, 2000, 1:23 AM
Love Nest
by Hans Eeklhoff
If you can see avery faint "2" in the run-off area (indicating the
take)
it
is probably not a dub, the run-in groove could be added later (usually
this is visible) but I think it is dubbed, although why Victor would
again
reissue this record at a time when nobody cared for it remains a
mystery, unless it was reissued in the late 30's (or even later)during
the
Bix revival.
The original issue has gold lettering, (see the label page).
Hans Eekhoff
Posted on Feb 18, 2000, 5:07
****************************************
From Monday On ?. george ferrick on Feb
5, 2000
Real or Wishful
Thinking?. Albert Haim on Feb 6, 2000
Far too late
in the day. Malcolm Walton on Feb 7, 2000
From Monday On ?
by george ferrick
Anything new about the lost "From Monday On" by the Frank Trumbauer
Orch, the lost Goldkettes such as "Stampede", "Paint it Red"?????????
I
beleive I heard Tom Pletcher say that someone found yet a third take
to
"I'll Be A Friend With Pleasure" How about it? Is any body still
looking
for these things? I'm new to this sight and I'm curious to know if
there
is an active search for these lost records or has hope been given up?
Posted on Feb 5, 2000, 1:17 AM
Real or Wishful Thinking?
by Albert Haim
George:
As I read your message, I come to the conclusion that you are quite
familiar with Bixiana lore. Therefore, I hope you do not take my answer
as condescending. It is directed to readers who may not be familiar
with
some of the details of Bix's recordings.
On January 20, 1928, Frankie Trumbauer and his Orchestra recorded two
sides in New York City (OKeh studios): From Monday On (# 400033-A)
and Mississippi Mud (#400034-A). From Monday On was rejected.
Mississippi Mud was released as OKeh 40979 and Parlophone A-6311,
among other issues. In the liners for the Columbia CD "Bix Beiderbecke,
Volume 2, "At the Jazz Band Ball", CK46175, Michael Brooks writes,
immediately after the liner for Mississippi Mud, the following
Producer's
Note: "The second tune cut at this date, also with a Crosby vocal,
From
Monday On, was never released and no master exists. A rumor persists
that some copies of Australian Parlophone 6311 had this title pressed
by
mistake, instead of Mississippi Mud. However, no tape or bootleg issues
have ever surfaced and so, until proven wrong, I have to file it with
sightings of the Sasquatch and the Wendigo."
Brian Rust in "Jazz Records, 1897-1942" states: