Customer Reviews

Bix Beiderbecke & Chicago Cornets

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In the mid-1920s, the Gennett studios in Richmond, Indiana, was the center of much of what was groundbreaking in recorded jazz. This is Bix as he sounded at the beginning--the closest rock analogy would be pre-Bowie Iggy Pop, when he was still with the Stooges. In addition to the earliest Gennett sides, it also includes some of the first sides he cut in New York. If you want Bix at his most essential, get the first volume of the Columbia set; if you want him at his most entertaining, get the second volume of the Columbia set. But this is where he began, and it's fun to listen to how the jazz fan became the jazz artist.

Bix in his earliest recordings is superb! Although lacking the melodic refinement of his later work, his tonal quality and driving force is obvious in these recordings. His piano solo on "Big Boy" just goes to show his versatility as a musician. The rest of the Wolverines aren't half bad either, despite their reputation with modern critics.

Bix once said that his Wolverines recordings were shallow and one-dimensional, but for their time they were the cutting edge. The influence of Paul Mares is impossible to miss when you hear Bix on these tunes -- follow this CD with some New Orleans Rhythm Kings and compare!

The last five tracks feature Muggsy Spanier and his Bucktown Five, and two are from the Wolverines after Bix left. Still good music, but after hearing the first half of the CD, you feel that something's just missing without Bix....