Davenport celebrates Bix, its jazz pioneer

By Suzanne Hanney | Special to the Tribune
July 12, 2009

Leon Bismark "Bix" Beiderbecke was one of the first great white jazz musicians, a live-fast, die-young icon of the Roaring '20s. But in his hometown of Davenport, Iowa, on the Mississippi River, the mantra is "Bix Lives."
Helping to keep that flame burning for Davenport's most famous resident, the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival will bring in a slew of bands July 23-26, and in the process work to preserve traditional jazz as an American art form. Members of the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Society have staged the annual event since 1972.
"They love him and want his life, snuffed out so quickly, to go on in the music being played in his hometown," said Jim Arpy, a longtime society board member. "The great loss is for what could have been, should have been. He was in his prime at 28" when he died in 1931.

Jazz was shipped up the Mississippi, courtesy of African-American musicians in the South, and landed in Davenport early in the 20th Century. Its prime spot now during the fest rests along that river at LeClaire Park, the main Bix venue. The park will take you back, with its 1925 band shell and period backdrop. Some of the best-feeling jazz ever played will waft over the park on the river bank.
It's a scene from "The Music Man," with nods to "Show Boat" and Ravinia. Yes, festgoers can bring in food, but leave the grills at home.

The park isn't the only place to find the music, however. Bands also can be found at indoor venues throughout town to supplement the park concerts. Bix, a cornetist, played at two of them: the Col Ballroom, said to be acoustically perfect, and Danceland, which draws a lively crowd true to its name. The fest-capping Afterglow is at the Capitol Theatre, designed by Rapp & Rapp, who also designed the Chicago Theatre in Chicago, 160 miles away.
Lest anyone think the music could ever go stale, fest officials are always on the lookout for new blood. Making its Bix fest debut this year is the Mighty Aphrodite Band, all female and under 30. Co-leader Claire McKenna, its clarinet player and a vocalist, says the band members respect those who came before them. They enjoy playing hot jazz "because the music makes you feel good."

"Whether you are playing a hot jazz tune, a ballad or the blues, you get to invoke an overall feeling of joy out of the musicians on the bandstand and those listening in the audience," McKenna added.
The Bix Beiderbecke Youth Band, chosen by audition at local schools, is another means the organization uses to keep the music going. The genre wins kids over because it allows them to improvise and stand out within the 16-piece band. The band gives a new lift to "Muskrat Ramble," " St. Louis Blues" and other music of the 1920s, '30s and '40s -- more Chicago-style than New Orleans, with a faster tempo and more sophisticated improvisation.

In 1921, when Bix was a youth, his family sent him to Lake Forest Academy on Chicago's North Shore. Soon after, he sneaked out to hear King Oliver and Louis Armstrong at the Lincoln Gardens, 459 E. 31st St., in Chicago. Later, he jammed after hours with Armstrong at the Sunset Cafe, 315 E. 35th St., now a hardware store. Given the segregation of the day, the sessions say as much about the musicians' generosity as about Bix's drive to master the music -- and his colorblindness. According to critic Gary Giddins, Beiderbecke's originality made him one of the first white jazz musicians to win the admiration of his black peers, including Armstrong.
Bix had a reputation as a gentleman, said his grandniece Liz Beiderbecke-Hart, who has made family photos and letters available to the Bix society so the collection can stay in his hometown.
"Bix died of everything," Beiderbecke-Hart said: pneumonia officially, but also too many late nights jamming and drinking with people he didn't want to disappoint.

During the Bix fest, a 10 a.m. Saturday reverie will be held at Bix's grave in Oakdale Cemetery with Scott Black's Jazz Band, and 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. gospel liturgies will be held Sunday at the First Presbyterian Church (1702 Iowa St., Davenport, 563-326-1691), where his mother played the organ. The St. Louis Stompers will perform for the church services.
Other bands at the fest will be the Josh Duffee Orchestra; the Bob Crosby Bobcats; Dave Greer's Jazz Stompers; Wally's Warehouse Waifs; and Bill Allred's Classic Jazz Band. Also featured will be musicians Vince Giordano, Butch Miles and Cynthia Sayer.
Friday and Saturday concerts also will be staged at the Clarion Hotel (5202 Brady St., Davenport, 563-391-1230).
In addition, educational seminars at the hotel Friday will focus on the art of musical arrangement in the 1920s and '30s; on Bix's golden tone; and his pioneering race relations.

More on the music
The nine Bix fest bands play every venue. Single-concert, day or weekend passes allow you to pick and choose times. For information on tickets, venues and band schedules, visit bixsociety.org or call 563-324-7170.
For more information on the Quad Cities music scene, visit rivermusicexperience.org or call 563-326-1333. The River Music Experience, 131 W. 2nd St., Davenport, is a non-profit organization that promotes the area's music.
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