Beiderbecke, Bix (Leon Bismarck Beiderbecke) (bī`dərbĕk), 1903–31, American jazz cornetist, pianist, and composer, b. Davenport, Iowa. Mainly self-taught, he was influenced by recordings of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band and by the music of King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, and Jimmie Noone. His cornet playing, noted for its brilliant phrasing and its clarity of tone, soon won him a reputation. A sensitive, lonely man driven by artistic ambition, he was forced to play in the large commercial bands. Unhappy and restless, he changed jobs often, drank heavily, was frequently ill, and finally died of pneumonia. His piano compositions, including In a Mist, were influenced by Debussy.

Bibliography

See C. H. Wareing and G. Garlick, Bugles for Beiderbecke (1958); biographies by B. James (1961) and R. M. Sudhalter and P. R. Evans (1974).

Beiderbecke, (Leon) Bix

Bix Beiderbecke

(credit: Brown Brothers)

(born March 10, 1903, Davenport, Iowa, U.S.—died Aug. 6, 1931, Long Island, N.Y.) U.S. jazz cornetist and composer. Beiderbecke developed a style independent of the influence of Louis Armstrong and became the leading player of the Chicago style of jazz in the 1920s. He was noted for his gentle, clear tone and introspective approach. His interest in the harmonies of composers such as Claude Debussy was reflected in both his playing and his compositions. With saxophonist Frankie Trumbauer, Beiderbecke worked in the bands of Jean Goldkette and Paul Whiteman. His alcoholism and early death contributed to his status as one of the early romantic legends of jazz.

Beiderbecke, (Leon) Bix (1903–31) jazz musician; born in Davenport, Iowa. He was a cornetist, pianist, and composer whose meteoric career began in 1923 with the Wolverines and continued with Jean Goldkette, Frankie Trumbauer, Paul Whiteman, and Glen Gray. He was the first important white jazz artist. His early death from pneumonia, complicated by alcoholism, fueled his legend as the romanticized figure depicted in the novel Young Man With a Horn (1938).