FRANKIE TRUMBAUER AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1927-1928 | The Chronogical Classics – 1188 (2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

C-melody saxophonist Frankie Trumbauer is best remembered for the recordings he made in the late '20s with cornetist Bix Beiderbecke. Trumbauer's other lasting accomplishment was to inadvertently inspire Lester Young to develop an unusually subtle manner of handling the tenor saxophone. While most of this material may be found on various Beiderbecke-oriented compilations (the JSP box Bix & Tram is thriftily priced), there's nothing quite like having a Classics discography to organize one's cognition while following the trail of old records in precise chronological sequence. Informational details such as record labels, arranger credits, and recording dates are neatly presented for maximum clarity and comprehension. This first volume in the complete works of Frankie Trumbauer consists entirely of recordings made for the Okeh label between February 4, 1927, and January 20, 1928. The material ranges from archetypal masterpieces ("Singin' the Blues," "Ostrich Walk," "I'm Coming, Virginia," and "A Good Man Is Hard to Find") to marvelously stodgy milestones of timeworn pop music. "Sugar" -- not Maceo Pinkard's tune but a long-gone opus credited to Yellen & Ager -- is sung by a positively silly trio of comedians whereas "Just an Hour of Love" and "I'm Wonderin' Who" feature vaudeville-trained vocalist Irving Kaufman. Instrumentally speaking, there's never a dull moment. Adrian Rollini appears and disappears like a bass sax-toting will o' the wisp; Joe Venuti brandishes a fiddle and Eddie Lang plays both banjo and guitar, even appearing in a trio with Bix and Tram on "For No Reason at All in C" and Fats Waller's "Wringin' and Twistin'." Pee Wee Russell and Jimmy Dorsey each show up long enough to contribute their two bits, someone's sax whinnies like a horse at the end of "There'll Come a Time," and Bing Crosby merrily mouths the racist lyrics to "Mississippi Mud." Throughout all of this, Beiderbecke sounds like an angel playing hooky from heaven. arwulf arwulf  
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FRANKIE TRUMBAUER AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1928-1929 | The Chronogical Classics – 1216 (2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracks one through 19 of this second volume in the complete works of Frankie Trumbauer represent the last recordings that "Tram" made in the company of his friend Bix Beiderbecke. For generations each of these performances has been studied and savored primarily for the cornet passages (check that intro to "Borneo"!) and for Trumbauer's gentle handling of the C melody saxophone. During this period, most of Trumbauer's records were decorated with vocal passages of sometimes laughably puerile quality, as heard here on "Lila" and "Our Bungalow of Dreams." This anonymous vocalist, a staunch advocate of the "gee-whiz" style of singing, hid behind the pseudonym of Noel Taylor, used by the OKeh company to camouflage their sometimes questionable talent. Other singers include Scrappy Lambert, a cottony specimen by the name of Charles Gaylord, Smith Ballew, and Trumbauer himself. Be advised that "Bless You! Sister," "Dusky Stevedore," and "Take Your Tomorrow" are each thickly larded with Jim Crow racial stereotyping, as white men in audio-blackface carry on in minstrel show fashion. Ethically speaking, together with Lambert's assessment of "bamboo babies" on "Borneo," this is a low point in the Trumbauer story, even if "Take Your Tomorrow" does contain some measure of humorous theatrical timing. What endears lovers of early jazz to this spotty body of works is the presence of Bix Beiderbecke and guitarist Eddie Lang. Recorded on April 30, 1929, "I Like That," Bix and Tram's last recorded collaboration, is rosy and uplifting. Despite the absence of Bix on the remaining tracks, the positive vibrations continue and before you know it violinist Matty Malneck has been replaced by the inventive Joe Venuti. "What a Day!," "Alabamy Snow," and the zany "Shivery Stomp" are tasty instrumental foxtrots that bear repeated listening. arwulf arwulf  
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BIX BEIDERBECKE – 1924-1927 | The Chronogical Classics – 778 (1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Bix Beiderbecke's earliest recordings open this first volume of his complete works as presented by the Classics chronological reissue label. While some other compilations actually skip the marvelous Gennett recordings that 21-year-old Beiderbecke made with the Wolverine Orchestra between February 18 and October 7, 1924, this wonderful edition presents these precious artifacts as a prelude to his first recordings as a leader. The Wolverine Orchestra stood for primal Chicago-styled New Orleans polyphony. One may turn to these old records again and again for solace, comfort and inspiration. "Jazz Me Blues," lovingly described by historian Ralph Berton as "an X-rated title," is a fundamental cornerstone of traditional jazz. "Royal Garden Blues" is a miracle of collective cooperation, and "Lazy Daddy" is prized for trombonist George Brunies' throaty kazoo solo. Beiderbecke's last Gennett recordings were made in October 1924 with a band, billed as the Sioux City Six, that included trombonist Miff Mole and C Melody saxophonist Frankie Trumbauer; then in January 1925 as Beiderbecke led his own Rhythm Jugglers with slip-horn sheik Tommy Dorsey close by. Some folks would pinpoint this little group's rendering of Beiderbecke's "Davenport Blues" as a high point of his career and maybe even of 20th century human endeavor. On September 9, 1927 Bix Beiderbecke recorded for the Okeh label a Debussy-inspired set of harmonic variations for solo piano titled "In a Mist" (later issued as "Bixology"). During September and October 1927 Beiderbecke sat in with a band identified on the Harmony record label as the Broadway Bell-Hops, and assisted the Chicago Loopers in the creation of two sides issued by Pathe Actuelle. A collective personnel inventory for these two groups is exciting for those who know their early jazz history. Highlights include violinist Joe Venuti, tuba titan Joe Tarto, guitarist Carl Kress, pianists Arthur Schutt and Frank Signorelli, as well as creative percussionist Vic Berton. Some jazz purists might get rankled hearing vaudevillian vocals by Irving Kaufman or the loopy Deep River Quartet, but these historical performances are well worth experiencing, particularly the Quartet's charming rendition of Fats Waller's catchy "I'm More Than Satisfied." Beiderbecke's best collaborations with Frankie Trumbauer appear in the Classics Trumbauer chronology because they were originally issued under Trumbauer's name. Most of the rest of the Beiderbecke story is documented under his name on four Classics compilations, beginning with this excellent first installment. arwulf arwulf  
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BIX BEIDERBECKE – 1927-1930 | The Chronogical Classics – 788 (1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This is the second volume in the all-too-brief Classics Bix Beiderbecke chronology. It presents all 13 Okeh Records cut by Beiderbecke & His Gang between October 5, 1927 and September 21, 1928, followed by Beiderbecke's very last recordings, made between May 21 and September 15, 1930 for the Victor, Vocalion and Brunswick labels. He is heard leading his own band and sitting in with Hoagy Carmichael's orchestra as well as Irving Mills & His Hotsy Totsy Gang. Three years into his brief recording career, Beiderbecke was already beginning to feel confined by the artistic limitations of the entertainment industry. In his excellent and insightful novel-length tribute "Remembering Bix," Ralph Berton recalled his final encounter with Beiderbecke, which took place during the autumn of 1927 shortly before Bix began working for Paul Whiteman. Berton describes their conversation as they listened to the recently waxed Bix & His Gang sides. Although Berton rightfully perceived that some of these were among the hottest and best of Beiderbecke's recordings, Bix was not entirely happy with the results, and even threatened to destroy the master of "Goose Pimples" which was soon issued as Okeh 8544. During this performance he momentarily intruded upon the opening of Frank Signorelli's piano solo, became frustrated and tossed off what he later called a "phony Charleston lick," then responded to gesticulations made by an engineer urging him to finish up before they ran out of room on the disc by letting loose with a couple of very atypical high notes, sharp and fortissimo. Beiderbecke was horrified, incredulous and ultimately contemptuous when the session's producers went ahead and issued what is demonstrably a botched take. Yet in retrospect the excitement of hot jazz transforms even these obvious flaws into personable idiosyncrasies. All 13 sides are anchored with beefy bass saxophones, handled expertly by Adrian Rollini or ably by Min Leibrook. Like the turning of a page, the '30s began for Beiderbecke with a series of collaborations hinting at potential developments that either blossomed or withered away. With names like Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Bud Freeman, Gene Krupa, Hoagy Carmichael and violinist Joe Venuti (who can be heard bawdily intoning the words "Barnacle Bill the Shit-head" in a raspy voice), this home stretch of the Beiderbecke discography reads like a "most likely to succeed" roster. Yet three gifted participants would soon be taken out 'way ahead of schedule; guitarist Eddie Lang was soon to die from complications following a tonsillectomy, Ellington's ex-trumpeter Bubber Miley was already in the process of drinking himself into an early grave, and Bix Beiderbecke's days were numbered. On August 6, 1931 he succumbed to alcoholism and pneumonia at the age of 28. The music on this compilation is an essential portion of his legacy. arwulf arwulf
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BIX BEIDERBECKE WITH PAUL WHITEMAN – 1927-1928 | The Chronogical Classics – 1208 (2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Although this is technically the third volume in the Classics Bix Beiderbecke chronology, close examination reveals that volumes three and four retrace a timeline already traversed by the earlier installments, resulting in a reshuffled, non-linear progression that is atypical of the Classics Chronological Series yet seems oddly appropriate for an authentically surreal character like Beiderbecke. This volume follows a timeline from November 18, 1927 to April 22, 1928. Because the producers of this series ladled most of the "Bix & Tram" collaborations into the Frankie Trumbauer portion of their label's catalog, the entire Classics "Bixology" initially fit into two volumes (issued in 1996) with two additional volumes (issued in 2002) documenting Beiderbecke's tenure as a sideman with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra during the years 1927-1929. Shunned for years by jazz purists unwilling to stoop so low as to listen to Whiteman's string-infested ensemble, these are the great, marginalized and misunderstood works of Bix Beiderbecke. With arrangements by Bill Challis and quaint vocals by Hoagy Carmichael, Bing Crosby and the Rhythm Boys (among others), the listener is advised to enjoy the antiquated charm of late-'20s pop music while listening carefully for Beiderbecke's hot cornet passages in and among the more conventional (but also Beiderbecke-informed) trumpet breaks by Henry Busse. Beiderbecke's tallies vary; eight bars during "Mary," 16 bars muted during "Changes" and an entire chorus of 32 bars in "Dardanella." Naturally, there's never enough Bix to fully satisfy, but there never was to begin with. And he wasn't acting alone. Some of Beiderbecke's running buddies show up in the Whiteman flock; reedmen Frankie Trumbauer, Min Leibrook and Jimmy Dorsey, trombonist Bill Rank and bassist Steve Brown were responsible for helping Beiderbecke to conjure most of the jazz that wormed its way into these harmless, pleasantly dated performances. The singers are fun and the instrumentals are fascinating, especially the excerpt from Ferde Grofé's "Metropolis." Repeated listening allows truly devout Bixologists to identify his wonderful contributions and savor each solo, nuance for nuance and note by note. arwulf arwulf
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BIX BEIDERBECKE WITH PAUL WHITEMAN – 1928-1929 | The Chronogical Classics – 1235 (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This is the fourth volume in the Classics Bix Beiderbecke chronology, and the second volume documenting the recordings he made with society bandleader Paul Whiteman. It traces a timeline from April 23, 1928 to September 13, 1929. Because all of Beiderbecke's "legitimated" jazz recordings as a leader and with Frankie Trumbauer's orchestra were reissued by Classics years prior to the Beiderbecke/Whiteman volumes, this is a highly unusual example of a non-linear progression in the more or less tidily sequential Classics Chronological Series. (Stray tracks have been known to appear out of order in other artists' Classics chronologies, but a deviation of this magnitude is unprecedented). What you get here is a Beiderbecke retrospective that picks up where the old '60s Columbia compilation LP Whiteman Days left off. Beiderbecke didn't exist long enough to leave more than meager recorded evidence of his remarkable artistry, and there's no escaping the fact that some of his oeuvre involves a large pop orchestra sugared over with keening violins and peppered with pretentious pop vocals. Then again, the Whiteman/Beiderbecke recordings sound better than generations of jazz critics have ever cared to admit in public. This charmingly dated popular music is well worth experiencing because of the jazz musicians -- in this case Frankie Trumbauer and Bix Beiderbecke -- who made a living for a little while by signing on with this established bandleader. Then again, Whiteman was well known as an arrogant, egotistical, bigoted boor whose reputation among jazz musicians was permanently tarnished following his notorious brawl in the men's room at the Club Whiteman with percussionist Vic Berton and saxophonist Paul Cartwright, during which Whiteman coldly instructed one of his waiters to bust out Cartwright's teeth with a blackjack. Although this information makes Whiteman appear more repulsive than ever, those who are truly smitten by the cornet artistry of Leon Bix Beiderbecke are encouraged to listen to what he was capable of accomplishing even as a sideman in an artificially sweetened pop orchestra fronted by a bloated, tuxedoed anti-Semite. And now that the Whiteman/Beiderbecke records have been compiled and made available to the public, the only remaining portion of Bix's legacy still waiting to be reissued by the producers of the Classics Chronological Series are the recordings he made with the Jean Goldkette orchestra. arwulf arwulf
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BIX BEIDERBECKE - The Classic Years of Bix Beiderbecke (1995) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist:
1. Bix Beiderbecke And His Gang - Rhythm King 3:19
2. Frankie Trumbauer And His Orchestra - Riverboat Shuffle 3:08
3. Frankie Trumbauer And His Orchestra - There'll Come A Time 2:52
4. Bix Beiderbecke And His Gang - Jazz Me Blues 3:01
5. Bix Beiderbecke And His Gang At The Jazz Band Ball 2:50
6. Frankie Trumbauer And His Orchestra - Take Your Tomorrow 2:59
7. Frankie Trumbauer And His Orchestra - I'm Coming Virginia 3:10
8. Frankie Trumbauer And His Orchestra - I Like That 2:58
9. Bix Beiderbecke And His Gang - Wa-Da-Da 3:00
10. The Wolverine Orchestra - Copenhagen 2:28
11. Bix Beiderbecke And His Gang - Royal Garden Blues 3:00
12. Bix Beiderbecke And His Gang - Goose Pimples 3:14
13. Bix Beiderbecke And His Gang - Since My Best Girl Turned Me Down 3:03
14. Frankie Trumbauer And His Orchestra - Ostrich Walk 3:06
15. Bix Beiderbecke And His Gang - Sorry 2:52
16. Frankie Trumbauer And His Orchestra - Crying All Day 3:02
17. Frankie Trumbauer And His Orchestra - Way Down Yonder In New Orleans 2:50
18. Frankie Trumbauer And His Orchestra - Clarinet Marmalade 3:14

BIX BEIDERBECKE – Bix Beiderbecke And The Chicago Cornets (1974-1991) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Not only does this superior double-LP set contain all of cornetist Bix Beiderbecke's recordings with the Wolverines in 1924 (much of which is classic), but it features him with the Sioux City Six and his Rhythm Jugglers (highlighted by the original version of "Davenport Blues"), the two titles cut by the Wolverines after Beiderbecke departed (with Jimmy McPartland in his spot), and seven performances by the Bucktown Five in 1924 (the recording debut of cornetist Muggsy Spanier). Collectors of '20s jazz should be familiar with most of this music, especially the Wolverines sides. Bix Beiderbecke, although only 21 years old at the time, already demonstrated the lyricism, inventiveness, and beautiful tone that one associates with him. Scott Yanow

Tracklist :

1    The Wolverines–    Fidgety Feet    2:25
2    The Wolverines–    Jazz Me Blues    2:48
3    The Wolverines–    Oh Baby    2:17
4    The Wolverines–    Copenhagen    2:30
5    The Wolverines–    Riverboat Shuffle    2:32
6    The Wolverines–    Susie (2nd Take)    2:32
7    The Wolverines–    Susie (3rd Take)    2:37
8    The Wolverines–    I Need Some Pettin'    2:49
9    The Wolverines–    Royal Garden Blues    2:49
10    The Wolverines–    Tiger Rag    2:32
11    The Wolverines–    Sensation    2:37
12    The Wolverines–    Lazy Daddy (2nd Take)    2:40
13    The Wolverines–    Lazy Daddy (3rd Take)    2:47
14    The Wolverines–    Tia Juana    2:55
15    The Wolverines–    Big Boy    2:48
16    Sioux City Six–    Flock O' Blues    2:39
17    Sioux City Six–    I'm Glad    3:05
18    Bix And His Rhythm Jugglers–    Toddlin' Blues    2:40
19    Bix And His Rhythm Jugglers–    Davenport Blues    2:44
20    The Wolverines–    When My Sugar Walks Down The Street    2:50
21    The Wolverines–    Prince Of Wails    3:11
22    The Bucktown Five–    Steady Roll Blues    2:37
23    The Bucktown Five–    Mobile Blues    2:14
24    The Bucktown Five–    Really A Pain    2:41
25    The Bucktown Five–    Chicago Blues    2:30
26    The Bucktown Five–    Hot Mittens    2:49
27    The Bucktown Five–    Buddy's Habits    2:17
228    The Bucktown Five–    Someday Sweetheart    2:59
notas
This compact disc includes all selections from the 1974 double-album "twofer" reissue except an alternate take of "Buddy's Habits", which has been replaced by " Someday Sweetheart", not previously included.