ARTICLES IN MAGAZINES 
AND NEWSPAPERS


Metronome Classic Wax
 Smithsonian The Mississippi Rag
Joslins Jazz Journal Davenport Democrat and Leader: A Short interview of Bix's Mother Daily Times: Radio Station Tribute to Bix The All-America Swing Band Selected by Paul Whiteman
Life Magazine Article About Swing Articles in celebration of Bix's 100th birthday  in the magazine Jazzit Copying Bix, an article in the Mississippi Rag Bix in the Dec 9, 1927 Issue of the Cleveland Press Jazz Information, The Weekly Magazine
The Wolverine Orchestra in Variety The Jean Goldkette Orchestra in Variety Articles About Bix in 1927-28  Issues of the Melody Maker Bix in the Amherst Student Red Nichols on Bix in Down Beat
Bix and Miff in the London Times British Columbia Pamphlet, Concerto in F A List or Articles About Bix by Joe Showler A Chapter About Pee Wee Russell by Charles Edward Smith
The Wolverines in the New York Times
An Interview of Red Nichols in Rhythm Magazine
An Interview of Fritz Putzier by Jim Arpy
A Review of "Man and Legend" and "Remembering Bix."
Bix in AmericanHeritage.com
Bix Beiderbecke Remembered by
Maureen Englin

Review of  George Avakian's Columbia three LP set
The Case of the Two "In A Mists, by Dick Hyman
Record Research, 1956
"A Folk Hero." by Stephen Longstreet.

Swing Music, March 1936. Article by Vic Moore.
That New Orleans Horn - Charles Edward Smith
Wolverine Days -  George Johnson
The "Happy Music" of  Chauncey
Morehouse
Doctor Jazz Magazine 1968

Play It For Me, Daddy - Saga Magazine, March 1956.
Stephen Longstreet

Jazz Impressions by Jim Moynahan
The Bix-Hardy Story, by Armand .
Jazz Journal, Dec 1950

Norman Payne
Bix's Tone
In My Merry Oldsmobile
The St. Louis Trumbauer Orchestra in Carbondale, IL
Morning Democrat, Davenport, IA
October 13, 1955

Reviews of Bix's Recordings in Swing Music Magazine,  April 1936
McPartland About Bix in Downbeat Magazine Jan 13, 1954
Bix And Benny IAJRC Journal, vol 42, No. 3, Sep 2009
Bix in Collectors Guide to Jazz  on Bootleg & Reissue 78 R.P.M. Records 1932 to 1952.
by Geoffrey Wheeler
Young Man With A Hoirn and Young Man With A Horn Again
Bix Beiderbecke: His Influences and  Playing Style While with the Wolverines
Bix: What Made Him Unique?
Chicago: The Twenties and Bix
Melody Maker Review of "Sweet Sue"
Don Murray, The Early Years, 1904-1923.
Bix in Storyville No 12, Aug-Sep 1967
"Tone Poem": Bix by Amy Lee.
Philip Larkin's Review of "Bix, Man and Legend" from The New Statesman,  25 Oct 1974.
Static Strut.
The First American Issue of Margie by Bix and His Gang
Bix at the Northwestern University Senior Ball, March 10, 1922
My Gal Sal
Bix, by Fred Turner, Smithsonian, July 1997, Vol  28, Issue 4.
A Conversation With Charles Margulis
Variety Review of Whiteman's Carnegie Hall Concert, Oct 7, 1928.
Bix in "Hear Me Talkin' To Ya."
Same Tune, Different Titles
DB: The Story of Bix Beiderbecke's Davenport Blues
An Interview of Spiegle Willcox
Bob [Gillette] Remembers Bix in  Wolverine Days.
Why Jass Is Dying?
Star-Dust Troubadour
An Interview of Steve Brown

    For the time being, I will  post in this section only major articles in magazines. As the site grows and becomes more complete, I hope to be able to include other, less comprehensive articles. There are a number of articles about Bix and related topics in current issues of the Past Times, Joslin's Jazz Journal, and undoubtedly in other jazz magazines. I will include some of these articles, and others, in the future.
 

All together, the articles provide evidence that by mid 1927, Bix was known in England and was highly praised -the best trumpet player in America.
Nick Dellow writes, "I am very impressed with the MM's cogent and reasonably balanced assessment of Bix's playing on these Parlophone sides. What is even more remarkable is the degree of factual information disseminated to the readers at such an early date. True that Beiderbecke's name is misspelled, but the Melody Maker's reporting and reviewing imbued British fans with an awareness of not just the names of the leading lights in the jazz/dance band field at the time, but an insight into the changing styles occurring in America and a comprehension of the relative importance of these developing genres. And you can quote me on that!"

I am indebted to Nick Dellow for kindly scanning theses wonderful -and revealing- pages from the Music Maker and for his persmission to upload the scans.

Bix in the Amherst Student. (uploaded March 1, 2004)
    The Monday, March 16, 1931 issue of the Amherst Student, the student newspaper from Amherst College, carried the following article in the front page.

***********************************************
SENIOR CLASS DANCE IS WELL ATTENDED BY STUDENTS AND GUESTS

Bix Beidebecke [sic] and Dorsey Bros. Furnish Excellent Music for Gala College Affair

    One of the most successful class dances at Amherst in recent years took place Saturday afternoon and evening, when the annual Senior Hop was held on College Hall. The historic building was decorated in green and white while the orchestra was placed on the stage in front of a background of silver, red, yellow and white streamers. The building was made even more comfortable by the many chairs and davenports which were a loan from the fraternities. The dance was attended by approximately 135 couples and 85 stags.
    The music was furnished by two bands, one led by Bix Beiderbecke who alternated with the Dorsey brothers orchestra under the supervision of Tom Dorsey. The smaller of the two, Beiderbecke's, is considered one of the best five piece outfits in the country. The dance commenced at four o'clock on the arrival of the Smith and Mount Holyoke girls and continued until 6 P.M. when supper was served at the Lord Jeffery Inn. Dancing was resumed at 7:30 P.M. and continued until middnight with a brief intermission at 10:30 P.M. when the Smith and Mount Holyoke girls departed. The exceptionally large number of out of town girls present kept the dance going until twelve.

*********************************************************************
    In their biography of Bix, "Bix: The Leon Beiderbecke Story," Philip and Linda Evans report,
"March 14, 1931 (Sat)- Dorsey Brothers Orchestra played Senior Hop in College Hall at Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts. Date booked by Art Michaud.
Personnel: Bix (c); Bunny Berigan, Bill Moore (t); Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller (tb); Jimmy Dorsey, three others (rds); Arthur Schutt(p); Carl Kress(g); Johnny Morris(d); unknown sb. College newspaper; "Bix's grop was considered one og the best five-piece outfit in the country." The five pieces would be Bix, Tommy, Jimmy, Arthur and Johnny."

    In a 1969 interview, Johnny Morrris told Philip Evans, "Bix was very moody and despondent .... not anxious to play, but out of the big band we formed a small jazz group and finally succeeded  in getting Bix to "jam" with us."

The Amherst Student article was made available through the Courtesy of Amherst College Archives & Special Collections at http://www.amherst.edu/library/archives   I am grateful to Peter Nelson for his help with the article.
 

Red Nichols on Bix in Down Beat
Here is a complete transcript of an article that appeared in the August 1937 issue of Down Beat.

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"Musicians Killed Bix Beiderbecke!"
"Bix Died Of A Broken Heart, Says Famous Leader of Five Pennies"
by Carl Cons
Between sets at the College Inn, Chicago, Ill.
Sober as a grim-pussed judge on election day, carrot-topped, world famous Red Nichols fortified himself behind a glass of beer. He didn't touch it. But six cigarette butts and two dance sets later he exploded.
"Gin and weed? Hell! They didn't kill him. MUSICIANS KILLED BIX BEIDERBECKE!
"Some of those same musicians living today know what I mean. Bix died of a broken heart. And it was broken by the professional jealousy of musicians who couldn't stand to be outplayed by him so easily.
"Bix was a wonderful and sensitive musician and wanted to be friends with every one. He could do more on one note than any group of 100 cornet players and you can put me at the last.
"After he died and jealous musicans had nothing to fear, they began to realize what a great artist he was.
"Yes, Bix was appreciated after he was dead. But when he needed a lift, they wouldn't give it. Many a night they got him drunk and if he slipped or didn't play up to his best, they would pan the hell out of him."
Red shrugged his shoulders resignedly. he has a sense of sportsmanship, and a keen admiration for the great Beiderbecke, "It's a dirty shame, isn't it," he went on, " that a mans's own kind can be so bitter toward him? The very guys that should have been the first to appreciate his talents were the ones who were more eager to discredit him."
Nichols, who plays in the Bix tradition and who has recorded some of the most polished classics of jazz with his famous Five Pennies, has been the unhapppy recipient of much severe and unintelligent criticism by the "great unwashed" or the "not-dry-behind-the-ears" tribe of critics that swarm over the country today mouthing authoritative nonsense about everything.
HARDENED BY CRITICISM
Their unknowing "bull-in-the china-shop" remarks have had their effect and though they come from outsiders, they have unwittingly handicapped another great musician. Red is hardened by a life full of criticism but it has made him, nevertheless, reticent and word-shy.
The man is one of the few remaining great musicians of the so-called "golden era" of swing, and it is a damn dirty shame if the same blind jealousy of fellow musicians and the inane remarks of trigger-mouth critics should parallel Bix's tragedy by making Red so sel-conscious and discouraged as to affect and spoil his own artistry and inspiration for playing."
********************

Two different issues are brought up in this article: First, Bix's fellow musicians who pushed or facilitated his drinking in excess and who, according to Nichols, did it from jealousy. The second, a retaliation on the part of Nichols to criticism by jazz writers. I understand the second issue. Nichols has been -unfairly in my opinion- one of the most maligned musicians in jazz. I am not convinced that the first one is accurate. I do believe that some of Bix's fellow musicians did him no favor by dropping by his hotel room at all hours of the day to drink and have a laugh (in part, perhaps, at Bix's expense), by keeping him drinking in speakeasies at all hours of day and night. However, I doubt that this was done out of petty jealousy. I believe -and I freely admit that this is speculative- that these "friends" were rather superficial individuals who viewed daily life as an unending stream of drinking and so-called "having fun." Some stupid people think that seeing an individual drunk beyond control is funny.

British Columbia Pamphlet, Concerto in F. Uploaded May 14, 2004
Nick Dellow kindly sent scans of every page of the pamphlet published by Brirish Columbia to accompany the 1928 Paul Whiteman recording of Concerto in F.

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Bix and Miff in the London Times. Uploaded April 22, 2004.

Under construction. Only links to articles are provided at this time.

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The Jean Goldkette Orchestra in Variety.
under construction

A Chapter  On Pee Wee Russell by Charles Edward Smith.

Charles Edward Smith wrote a chapter on Pee Wee in “The Jazz Makers” edited by Nat Shapiro and Nat Hentoff, 1958.

Here are some excerpts from the chapter.

“The period around 1920 and a bit later would take months to sort out-from the time he first heard records by the Dixieland Band to the time he heard them, and later, Bix, in person. Pee Wee had considerable respect for that band, as did Bix, and for both of them this meant respect for Shields. Between them they knew every note and nuance of those Dixieland Victors. “

”When he first recorded a solo on Tiger Rag, Bix based it upon Shield’s clarinet part!"

"Pee Wee describes the Arcadia as it was in 1926. “I remember they used to have a Sunday afternoon thing at the Arcadia Ballroom. Ordinarily, the band would complain about the extra work, but Bix would really look forward to it. He said he liked to see the kids dance. He liked to watch them do things like the Charleston. He said he liked it because the kids had a fine sense of rhythm. And in their way, the kids knew what Bix was doing. They knew he was doing something different because he made them want to dance.”

Very interesting. It confirms what I have been emphasizing for a while, namely, that Bix spent most of his professional life as a member of dance bands, hot perhaps, but dance bands nonetheless.

”Bix and Pee Wee used to visit a speakeasy in South Bend. It was pleasant place and had a piano that Bix liked to play. But it was too expensive or the amount of liquor they were putting away, especially when it came time to wrapping up bottles for the cottage they lived in out in the lake.  The bartender, being sympathetic to musicians, as bartenders often are, told them of a place where they could get good home-made stuff, jugs of corn buried in the cornfield to elude the revenuers. That sounded fine. The bartender drew a map, without which they’d certainly have gotten lost. Then they were off, in Dan Gabe’s [sic; it should be Gaebe] Studebaker … At last they came to a dirt road and, driving down it, saw a faded brown house, barns equally nondescript, and were met by two yapping dogs whose eager menace reminded them of the bartender’s warning: ‘When you get there’-the bartender had leaned confidentially across the mahogany-‘don’t go inside. Don’t go up to the house. Don’t even get out of the car. Just blow the horn and yell.’ They blew the horn and yelled. Whatthey saw at first gave little cause for alarm-three blowsy and barefooted old maids. Then a fourth party-they soon learned it was a brother-emerged from the barn, holding a double-barrelled shotgun. Pee Wee shook his head, thinking about it. ‘It was a cannon!’

‘When he came up close we told him the bartender’s name.’

‘Who else you know there?’

They told him.

‘Whatd’yuh want?’

‘We understand you’ve got some good whisky here.’ Adding, as though an explanation, ‘We’re musicians.’

‘Where are your horns.?’

They explained hat the instruments were out at the lake. Then Bix added helpfully, ‘I can play piano.’

‘That so?’ Bix got a calculating look; then they were asked inside… They were shown into a papered parlour with a pull-down kerosene lamp, a potbelly stove and, conspicuous to Bix and Pee Wee, the old-fashioned parlour organ that was to test their veracity. Bix took it in stride, playing something sweet and simple. This wasn’t a time for cats and alligators. The barefoot bootleggers simpered and began to look like three dear old ladies from Dubuque. The defender of home, hearth and hooch lowered his gun and gave them a taste of good corn whisky. “


The Wolverine Orchestra in the New York Times.
(uploaded 12/21/2005)
   
The appearance of the Wolverine Orchestra in the Cinderella Ballroom in 1924 was not reported in the New York Times. However, the NYT gave detailed radio programs at the time. I found a few mentions of the Wolverines in the radio listings. Here they are

Oct 14, 1924



 Scroll down to WOR to see the listing for the Wolverines.



Oct 20, 1924. Here the band is designated as the Cinderella Wolverines.



According to the United States Department of Commerce, there were 301 licensed radio telephone broadcasting stations in the United States on  June 1, 1922. One of these was WOR, Newark, New Jersey, owned by  L. Bamberger and Company (a department store).  The radio station began transmitting on February 22, 1922 at 360 meters (833.3kHz) from the sixth floor of  the Bamberger building at 131 Market Street, Newark, NJ. This what the transmitter tower looked like in 1924 (from http://hawkins.pair.com/wor.html).

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Initially, all stations transmitted at the same wavelength of 360 meters. However, because of congestion (especially in the New York area), at the end of 1922 the wavelength of 405 meters (740 kHz) was also used, and WOR switched to that wavelength. Thus, the programs for the Wolverines were listed as WOR, Newark - 405 in the New York Times. (
In 1928, Bamberger's department store installed a Manhattan studio at 1440 Broadway for what was then WOR, Newark . On January 23, 1941 WOR, transmitting at 710 kHz since 1927, moved permanently to New York City).

The Wolverines had to travel from Manhattan to Newark for the WOR transmissions. Hence, they broadcasted in the evening, 6:15 to 7:15 p.m., so they had time to go back to Manhattan for their appearance at the Cinderella ballroom.

An Interview of Red Nichols. (uploaded 01/04/2005)

The October 1937 issue of Rhythm, a British jazz magazine, includes an interview of Red Nichols. The title of the article is "Pennies to Pounds."  Here are scans of the four pages. Click on each link.

page 1.

page 2.

page 3.

page 4.

I am grateul for Steve Hester's generosity: he sent the scans and gave me permission to upload them here.

An Interview of Fritz Putzier by Jim Arpy.. (uploaded 02/28/2006)

According to Evans and Evans ("Bix" The Leon Bix Beiderbeke Story"),  "Fritz Richard Putzier had attended school in Fort Dodge for one semester, then his family moved to Davenport. When it looked as if he might be drafted, he left school for two years and worked at the Rock Island (Illinois) Arsenal in the purchasing department. During this time he played first cornet in the Rock Issssssland Arseanl band, thus giving him quite a lip. He re-entered Davenport High School around February 1919." At this time he became acquainted with Bix.
According to the SSDI a F. R. Putzier was born on May 6, 1901 and died in San Diego, CA on May 24, 1990. According to the 1920 US Census, Fritz Putzier lived  at 2124 W. Second Street with his maternal granfather and grandmother  Fred (82) and Bertha (75) Langmann (both born in Germany),  and their daughter and granddaugter  Emma (49) and Bertha (14)  Elliott (both born in Iowa).

Here is a scan of a 1974 interview of Fritz Putzier by Jim Arpy kindly sent to me by Rich Johnson.
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A Review of  "Man and Legend" and "Remembering Bix." (Uploaded 12/21/2006)

The Fall 1974 issue (volume XXIV) of the magazine "Second Line" carries a review by Gilbert M. Erskine of  two  books about Bix: "Bix. Man and Legend" by Richard M. Sudhalter and Philip R. Evans with Discography by William Dean-Myatt, and "Remembering Bix" by Ralph Berton. Here are scans of the review.




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http://bixbeiderbecke.com/HearMeTalkin/JimmyMPartlandOnBix.pdf

http://bixbeiderbecke.com/HearMeTalkin/PeeWeeRussellOnBix.pdf


Same Tune, Different Names (uploaded March 25, 2011)
From the International Association of Jazz Record Collectors, Vol. 44, No. 1, March 2011.





DB: The Story of Bix Beiderbecke's Davenport Blues. (uploaded March 25, 2011)
From the International Association of Jazz Record Collectors, Vol. 44, No. 1, March 2011.


















An Interview of Spiegle Willcox (uploaded April 28, 2011)

From Jazz Journal International, Vol. 33, No. 4, April 1980. Links to article.


page 1
page 2

I am grateful to Nick Dellow for his generosity in providing scans of the article.

Bob [Gillette] Remembers Bix in  Wolverine Days. (uploaded November 16, 2011)

From the Aug 4, 1961 issue of the Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Links to the article.
Text
Photos.


I am grateful to Chris Barry for his generosity in providing scans of the article.

Why Jass Is Dying (uploaded April 1, 2012)

From the April 1945 issue of Record Changer. Links to the article.

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I am grateful to Ate van Delden for his generosity in providing scans of the article.


Star-Dust Troubadour
(uploaded November 26, 2012)

An article by  Pete Martin in the Saturday Evening Post, November 8, 1947.

http://bixbeiderbecke.com/StarDustTroubadourHoagy.pdf


An Interview of Steve Brown
(uploaded on Oct 8, 2014)

An article from the Mississippi Rag, 1974.
page 1
page 2
page 3
page 4
page 5

I am grateful to Nick Dellow for his generosity in providing photos of all pages of the article of the article.

Through His Music, Bix Is Alive

Return to the top Return to home pageReturn to Detailed Table of Contents

BRIEF TABLE OF CONTENTS

A Brief Biography  Articles in Magazines The Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Society
Bix's Musical Genius Video Tapes
 Items of Special Interest
Biographies Audio Tapes Information of Related Interest
Chapters in Books Museums A Stamp for Bix in 2003
Scholarly Dissertations Miscellaneous Links to Related Sites
Obituaries Readers' Queries and Remarks Celebration of Bix's Musical Legacy

Recordings
The Original 78's
Analysis of Some Recordings: Is It Bix or Not ?
Complete Compilations of Bix's Recordings
Tributes to Bix
Miscellaneous Recordings Related to Bix
In A Mist