It has long been said that every note that exists of the legendary short-lived cornetist
Bix Beiderbecke is well-worth owning and savoring. Happily, the
Sunbeam label (on its
BX subsidiary) has been reissuing every selection that
Beiderbecke appeared on, in a series of four three-CD sets. Where this reissue series differs from previous ones is that even the numbers where
Bix cannot be heard (but it is known that he is playing in the ensembles) are included. The first three-fer (which covers 1924 to September 1927) has all of
Beiderbecke's recordings with
the Wolverines,
the Sioux City Six, his
Rhythm Jugglers, and
Jean Goldkette's Orchestra. In addition,
Bix is heard on his first (and most significant) sessions with
Frankie Trumbauer's combos and performing his piano solo
"In a Mist." The set is rounded off by
Jess Stacy's early piano versions of
Beiderbecke's other impressionistic pieces (
"Flashes," "In the Dark," and
"Candlelights") from 1935 and 1939, since
Bix never did record them himself. While the
Goldkette selections are generally commercial (other than
"Clementine"), there are many classics with the other bands on this perfectly conceived set, including
"Jazz Me Blues," "Riverboat Shuffle," "Royal Garden Blues," "Big Boy," "Davenport Blues," "Clarinet Marmalade," "I'm Coming Virginia," "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans," and
Bix' most famous solo,
"Singin' the Blues." This set (and the other editions in the series) is essential for all serious collectors of 1920s
jazz. ~ Scott Yanow
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