Various - Bix Restored: Volume 5 (Origin Jazz Library)

This is the fifth installment in OJL’s monumental survey of the complete Bix Beiderbecke. Any discussion that would do justice to the first twelve discs in the set is obviously beyond the scope of a column such as this. However, the final volume stands on its own as a compendium of artists that demonstrate, obviously or otherwise, Beiderbecke’s far-ranging influence.

There are the obligatory homage’s, notably the beautiful Red Norvo transcription of “In a Mist” for xylophone (though it sounds like marimba) guitar, bass and bass clarinet, the latter played elegantly by Benny Goodman. Recorded at the end of 1933, it prefigures the sound that would come to be labeled Chamber jazz, its texture sumptuous yet transparent.

Then, there’s the whimsy of Vaudeville singer Marion Harris’ take on “Singing the Blues.” Originally recorded by Bix and Frankie Trumbauer in 1927, their solos are given fresh lyrics, presumably by Harris, concerning how a spurned lover would dispatch with her man and the “oceans of gin” it took to build up the necessary courage and conviction. Harris sing-speaks the solos with a disarming mixture of reverence and wit.

There are also those tributes that bespeak style at a deeper level—something in the phrasing or in the way notes are paired, grouped and phrased. “Sweet Sue, Just You,” with Lennie Hayton accompanying Bing Crosby, has Bix written all over the piano part, a winning mix of stride and impressionism. The same is true with Hoagy Carmichael’s piano solo on the first recording of “Stardust;” it’s redolent of Bix, whose influence HC never tired of acknowledging.

Of course, trumpeters abound here, contributions from Rex Stewart and Jimmy McPartland especially noteworthy, but for die-hard Bix collectors, two recently discovered alternate takes are included, on “Futuristic Rhythm” and “Raisin’ the Roof.” The former is infinitely better than its original issue, Bix in better form and providing a much more energetic solo.

This is a wonderful culmination to a lovingly prepared set, and the transfers are first-rate throughout, having been initiated by the legendary John R.T. Davies and continued by Michael Kieffer. This is definitely worth investigating by anybody interested in vintage jazz.

~ Marc Medwin