Bix Beiderbecke's Modern Piano Suite [78 rpm]

Bix Beiderbecke's Modern Piano Suite [78 rpm]Bix Beiderbecke (1903 1931), though famous as a jazz cornetist, was also an exceptional pianist and composer. Friends and colleagues have recalled that Beiderbecke remained partial to the piano throughout his life. He reportedly played the instrument often both offstage and on. Sadly, precious few recordings survive to document Beiderbecke at the piano. He contributed a brief piano solo on the Wolverines' record of "Big Boy" in 1924 and later served

Bix Beiderbecke (1903-1931), though famous as a jazz cornetist, was also an exceptional pianist and composer. Friends and colleagues have recalled that Beiderbecke remained partial to the piano throughout his life. He reportedly played the instrument often -- both offstage and on. Sadly, precious few recordings survive to document Beiderbecke at the piano. He contributed a brief piano solo on the Wolverines' record of "Big Boy" in 1924 and later served as piano accompanist for two records spotlighting Eddie Lang and Frank Trumbauer. He made only one solo piano record: his own "In a Mist" for the OKeh label in late 1927. His lively, rhythmic, and completely entrancing performance has since become one of the most celebrated jazz piano recordings of the 1920s. Towards the end of his life, Beiderbecke published three additional piano solos: "Candlelights," "Flashes," and "In the Dark," but he never had a chance to record them. Collectively, the four pieces reveal Beiderbecke's keen interest in the harmonies of such Impressionist composers as Ravel and Debussy infused with syncopated jazz rhythms.

Beiderbecke's four piano solos have rarely been recorded as a complete set. Eighty years after their composition, this set marks the first time all four solos have been collected as a 78 rpm record set. Beautifully recorded on a Steinway Model C grand piano on a crisp fall evening in 2009, Bryan Wright's performances remain faithful to the published scores prepared by Bill Challis while conveying the wistful lyricism of Beiderbecke's haunting melodies as few other recordings have. In recent years, Wright has been a featured pianist at the JVC Jazz Festival in New York City and other jazz and ragtime festivals across the United States, including regular appearances at the Scott Joplin International Ragtime Festival.

Limited edition pressing of 500 copies.

Note: These are stereo, microgroove, 10-inch vinyl records meant to be played at 78 RPM. They are compatible with all modern turntables (post-1950s) fitted with a stereo cartridge and capable of spinning at 78 RPM. For best results, we strongly recommend a cartridge capable of tracking at 3-4 grams. Rugged cartridges designed for DJ use (like the Stanton 500, Shure M44-7, or Ortofon VNL) work better than delicate, high-end "audiophile" cartridges. Use an ordinary LP stylus; no special stylus is required. These records should NOT be played on vintage "wind-up" machines with steel needles.

Rivermont catalogue number: 590/591