Bix Beiderbecke, A Jazz Legend, A Jazz Tragedy Quiz

Answer: March 10, 1903

Leon Bismark Beiderbecke was born March 10, 1903. A "Tribute to Bix Beiderbecke" takes place in Kenosha, Wisconsin on the weekend nearest March 10. August 4, 1901 is Louis Armstrong's birthday, October 21, 1917 is Dizzy Gillespie's birthday and August 6, 1931 is the day Bix passed away.

Answer: Davenport, Iowa

Every year in July the "Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival" is held in Davenport. The dates of the festival for 2003, the 100th anniversary of Bix's birth, are 24-27 July.

Answer: Piano

Born to play music, at age 8 Bix was outplaying his piano teacher. After listening to a Victrola and jazz records his brother brought home on his return from WWI, Bix borrowed a cornet from his neighbor and started imitating the songs he heard. Even though he played brilliantly, he never learned more than the basics of written music.

Answer: False

Sadly, due to the segregation in the music industry (and the rest of the United States), Bix and Armstrong never recorded a record together. Legend has it that Bix first heard Armstrong while sitting on the banks of the Mississippi River listening to the River Boat Jazz Bands. Later Bix and Armstrong played together into the early morning in Black Clubs on the south side of Chicago.

Answer: Singing the Blues

In my humble opinion, one of the best Jazz recordings ever made, it included Jimmy Dorsey on the clarinet, Bill Rank playing trombone, Chauncey Morehouse on drums and the incomparable Eddie Lang on Guitar. "Dead Man Blues" was recorded by Jelly Roll Morton, "Chinatown, My Chinatown" by Louis Armstrong and "West End Blues" was written by Joe Oliver, and made famous by Louis Armstrong and Earl Hines in their 1928 recording. All are outstanding Jazz melodies.

Many of Bix's recordings can be heard at www.bixbeiderbecke.com and www.redhotjazz.com

Answer: No

Bix's parents, in particular his father, strongly disapproved of his playing of Jazz music. After Bix suffered a nervous breakdown in 1929, while playing with "The Paul Whiteman Orchestra", he returned home to recover, only to find all of his records he had proudly sent to his parents in a hall closet, unopened.

Answer: Young Man With a Horn

A great movie starring Kirk Douglas, but realistic to Bix's life in regard only to the alcoholism and music. "Pete Kelly's Blues" is a fictional movie starring Jack Webb about a Jazz Band in the twenties, "The Five Pennies" starring Danny Kaye is the biography of another great Jazz cornetist, Red Nichols.

Answer: Piano

The four songs were "In A Mist", "In The Dark", "Candlelight", and "Flashes". Numerous Impressionist composers such as Debussy, Ravel, and Satie among others had a great influence on Bix's music and compositions. "Davenport Blues" written in December 1924, was Bix's first original composition to be recorded.
Additional source: www.riverwalk.com

Answer: True

Playing in numerous bands throughout his career, Bix started in the "Wolverine Jazz Band" then moved on to "Jean Goldkette's Band", but lost his job because of his inability to read music. In 1926 he joined "Frankie Trumbauer's Orchestra" and went of to became a soloist with "The Paul Whiteman's Orchestra", the greatest white Jazz Band of the time. Prior to his death he recorded some songs with Hoagy Carmichael and under the name "Bix Beiderbecke and his Orchestra", but the results of his years of hard drinking finally took their toll and by 1931, other than occasional college dates, he was never sober enough to play in a band again. Additional Source: www.redhotjazz.com

Answer: 28

Bix passed away in New York City at Queen's General Hospital on August 6, 1931 at 9:30 PM EST, and was buried in Davenport Iowa's Oakdale cemetery 5 days later. The cause of death was listed as lobar pneumonia and edema of the brain. His land lady had found him in a drunken stupor; when she asked him if he was OK, he pointed to a half full bottle of bootleg gin and replied that he had everything he needed.

She left, but, worried about his condition, she called an ambulance. A life long alcoholic, he had unsuccessfully tried treatment centers in the later years of his life.

After Bix died, Louis Armstrong said, "Lots of cats tried to play like Bix, ain't none of them played like him yet".