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Although
Bix Beiderbecke’s recording career lasted only six and a half years,
he is considered one of the greatest and most influential jazz
musicians of all time. His tone was rich and golden, and his
improvisations were, in themselves, complete musical compositions. He
created stories with a beginning, middle and end that could evoke a
diverse range of emotions. Although his life was cut short – he was
just 28 years old when he died in 1931 – he, along with Louis
Armstrong, set the standard for others to follow. His influence can
still be felt today. That is why Doug LaPasta, an amateur musician
and successful businessman with a fierce passion for the music of
Bix, gathered a group of top musicians in 2003 to celebrate the
centennial of Bix’s birth with an album of his music called THE
BIX CENTENNIAL ALL-STARS: CELEBRATING BIX!
LaPasta
did not want to merely re-create Bix’s original recordings. Rather,
he wanted to have new arrangements that would showcase the individual
talents of the artists and be stylistically compatible with the way
they naturally played. The only aspect of Bix’s original performances
they re-created were his solos, which were arranged in three-part
harmony for the cornets. All Music said, “Celebrating Bix!
is a jubilant, overflowing tribute that shows the listener just how
much life remains in classic jazz.”
Today,
DAN LEVINSON has teamed up with Turtle Bay Records to release
an expanded 20th anniversary edition of CELEBRATING
BIX! with additional songs that did not fit on the original,
single CD. To accommodate the additional tunes, the new release is
presented as a
double album on CD and vinyl.
The
idea for the updated release came from Scott Asen, the owner of
Turtle Bay Records. The label specializes in showcasing the best
contemporary jazz players playing the best tunes of yesteryear. Their
artists include musicians like internet sensation Tatiana Eva-Marie, nicknamed the Gypsy Jazz
Warbler by the New York Times, and Terry Waldo, who is considered one of
America's premier performers and presenters of ragtime and early
jazz.
Levinson
met Asen ten years ago when he performed with Terry Waldo’s Gotham
City Band for a private party at Asen’s home. Levinson is the 2017
winner of Hot House Magazine’s “NYC Jazz Fans Decision” award
for Best Clarinetist. In a 30-year career as both a leader and
sideman specializing in traditional jazz and swing music, he has
appeared alongside such prominent artists as Mel Tormé, Wynton
Marsalis, Dick Hyman, and Howard Alden, among many others.
Levinson
played clarinet, alto sax, and C-melody sax on CELEBRATING BIX!
He was also a co-producer and wrote several of the
arrangements. During a meeting with Asen in 2021 to discuss future
Turtle Bay projects, Asen asked Levinson if he had any albums that
were out-of-print and worthy of being reissued. Levinson immediately
thought of the Bix album. After hearing the album, Asen agreed that
it needed to be made available again. Unfortunately, Doug LaPasta
died in 2020, and Levinson took the helm of the project and guided it
to completion.
Among
the previously unreleased material is Levinson’s
transcription-arrangement of Frank Trumbauer’s 1927 tour de force,
“Trumbology,” which Levinson had rewritten for three C-melody saxes.
“China Boy” and “Just an Hour of Love” are also previously
unreleased. The band pulls out all the stops on “China Boy,” which
was arranged in the studio by the musicians. “Just an Hour of Love”
features vocalist BARBARA ROSENE and VINCE GIORDANO’s
bass sax.
Tunes
from the original project include “Riverboat Shuffle,” with cornetist
JON-ERIK KELLSO leading an opening ensemble that is faithful to
Hoagy Carmichael’s original title for the tune, “Free Wheeling.”
“Davenport Blues” is the lone example of Bix as composer of a
straight-out jazz tune. The verse is re-created by the three cornets,
with RANDY REINHART providing the sensitive solo work on the
chorus, backed by MARK SHANE’s sympathetic accompaniment. “The
Jazz Me Blues” features RANDY REINHART and Kellso trading off.
The 1927 recording of “Blue River” has been called a flawed
masterpiece, primarily because it left Bix so little room to
maneuver. “I Need Some Pettin’” was originally coupled with “Royal
Garden Blues” on an odd and very rare record by the Wolverines. “I’m
Coming Virginia” is a beautiful tune written by composer Donald
Heywood, with lyrics by Will Marion Cook. PETER ECKLUND’s
arrangement of “Lonely Melody” features Bix’s solos from two
different takes, which are subtle variations of each another.
On
“Clementine (From New Orleans),” pianist DICK HYMAN managed to
faithfully reproduce every note of Bix’s, showcasing Hyman’s own
boundless imagination. Bill Challis’ 1928 arrangement of “From Monday
On”
for Paul Whiteman, co-composed by the orchestra’s young,
up-and-coming vocalist, Bing Crosby, was conceived as a feature for
Bix. Levinson’s arrangement of “Singin’ the Blues” features the
seldom-heard verse. The evocative “In a Mist” is played by Levinson, PETE
MARTINEZ and SCOTT ROBINSON on three C-melody saxophones.
Levinson’s interpretation of “There’ll Come a Time (Wait and See)” is
a swinger that captures the original high spirits of the
Trumbauer-Bix version. Robinson plays the bridge on “Borneo” on a
clarinet sans mouthpiece to simulate—as referenced in the lyrics—
“Wild Man Sam toot-toot-tooting on his bamboo horn-eo.” Bix’s
perfectly concise solo is quoted verbatim by the cornet choir in
“Clarinet Marmalade.” “Singin’ the Blues” features HARVEY TIBBS’
trenchant trombone chorus. Bix transformed “’Way Down Yonder in New
Orleans” into a pensive ballad. Ecklund’s arrangement of “San”
features the voices of the MANHATTAN RHYTHM KINGS. The tribute
closes with a seldom-heard tune, “Deep Down South,” from Bix’s last
date as a leader.
Several
people associated with the original recording of CELEBRATING
BIX! are no longer with us. This new, expanded 20th
anniversary edition is a loving tribute not only to the jazz master
who died way too young, but also to the incredibly talented
producers, arrangers, and musicians who have left their indelible
mark on this project and the music world.
# # #
CELEBRATING
BIX! will
be released on September 1, 2023, on Turtle Bay Records and will be
available as a double album on CD and vinyl.
Online:
Danlevinson.com
Facebook.com/dan.levinson.7
turtlebayrecords.com
YouTube:
@turtlebayrecords9686
IG: @turtlebayrecords
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Topic: Turtle Bay Rec Reissues Homage to Bix Beiderbecke
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