Search - Bix Beiderbecke :: With Jean Goldkette's Orchestra 1924-1927

Hints of Greatness

Robert Morris | San Francisco | 01/09/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"There are many tantalizing legends surrounding jazz and Jean Goldkette's orchestra is one of them. Numerous sources, including Rex Stewart and Artie Shaw, have sworn them to be the first truly great white big band orchestra. Twice in 1927 this group went head-to-head against Fletcher Henderson's great orchestra, one that included Rex Stewart and Coleman Hawkins, in New York in a "battle of the bands": Goldkette won the first and battled to a draw in the second. Great soloists, including Bix Beiderbeck, Frankie Trambauer, and Joe Venuti, combined with a driving rhythm made this Detroit-based outfit the band you would drive long distances to see. They were good enough to warrant significant time in Ken Burns' Jazz series.



Trouble was, when white bands of the 1920s went into the recording studio, they were often forced to tone down the sound and play material that would appeal to a wider white audience. The same constraints were not, ironically, placed on Black bands -- they were expected to record what made them famous, because they were not being marketed to anyone but their fan base.



Consequently, this collection of Victor recording sessions contains a lot of material that the band did not play on stage, material that was not matched well with the style of the band. The result is a lot of forgettable renditions of forgettable 20s popular tunes. As the liner notes indicate, one must be content here with a few moments of brilliance by soloists like Beiderbeck, interleaved with predictable, swingless melodies. Still, this collection contains a single gem, perhaps the best glimpse on record at the band's heart and soul: "Clementine". This perfectly rendered swing piece, recorded just prior to the band's demise, starts with Beiderbeck flawlessly weaving in and out of the opening bars, followed by playful sax solos, and two strong solos by Beiderbeck accompanied beautifully by brass, and Joe Venuti. Any jazz connoisseur should cherish this track; to appreciate the rest in this set, your musical tastes should be more specialized to the sort of hybrid of jazz and 20s dance music that Paul Whiteman would make famous."

Great Restoration----Truly Historic!

R. Dixon | Arkansas USA | 10/12/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Jean Goldkette Orchestra presented in these recordings was unique among bands of it's time. It consisted of numerous white jazz stylists of the era. The band is now remembered because of legendary coronetist Bix Beiderbecke, but these sides include a who's who of jazz artists (Lost Chords, in the words of the late Richard Sudhalter) of the 20's. For example, every bassist worth his salt should know of the work of Steve Brown (listen to I'm Gonna Meet My Sweetie Now and My Pretty Girl and let this cat send you---remember everybody else was burping along on a brass bass at this time), or how about Don Murray on clarinet. In the late 1920's everybody who knew clarinet went to listen to Don. Then there is Frankie Trumbauer on C Melody Sax ---Lester Young openly said he had admired Tram's work on sax. Bill Rank is heard on trombone---he continued to play authentic 20's jazz right up until his death in the late 1970's. Joe Venuti, who literally invented jazz improvisation on the violin and Eddie Lange, who invented jazz guitar soloing are both heard in short stunning bursts throughout these sides. I could go on and on. Now if you're looking for big band jazz as we know it today you will be disappointed. First of all, jazz was still being "invented." Second, these musicians were very tightly reined in by A and R men in the recording studio. However, they managed to let out little flashes of their greatness, taking what are often forgetable songs to a place where you just want to hum part of the song. In context, this was a great band, but you have to listen through the limitations of the time period. Those are technical (recording was pretty primitive---a bass drum beat could still knock the recording stylus off the master disc and ruin the session), and artistic (the record company wanted sedate, conservative dance music that would appeal to a wide audience). But don't think this is an average band. When people have tried to recreate these performances in "hi fi" they've always fallen short. Why? Because these men were virtuoso stylists of the period. These are historic recordings, that are very well restored, and definitely not to be missed by any true student of early jazz."