“Riverboats, Bix, & Davenport's History with Shaping American Music" at the Davenport Public Library Fairmount Branch -- April 7.
Thursday, April 7, 6:30 p.m.
Davenport Public Library Fairmount Branch, 3000 North Fairmount Street, Davenport IA
One of America's most gifted jazz musicians and the local city that shaped him will be the subjects of an April 7 presentation at the Davenport Public Library Fairmount Branch when Nathaniel Kraft presents Riverboats, Bix, & Davenport's History with Shaping American Music, a deep dive into the life and career of noted cornet player, pianist, composer, and summer-race namesake Bix Beiderbecke.
When thinking about historical jazz locations, Davenport is not a place that typically comes to mind. Despite this, one of the most influential jazz musicians of the early-20th century, Bix Beiderbecke, grew up in the city and forged a brilliant, albeit short-lived, career. A question frequently asked is how a small river city such as Davenport could raise such a significant figure in American history, unless by coincidence. But perhaps Davenport was the perfect place for a young musician to thrive all along? In his April 7 Davenport Public Library presentation Riverboats, Bix, & Davenport's History with Shaping American Music, Bix Museum Director Nathaniel Kraft dives into the history of Davenport, Bix's childhood, and what connection the Mississippi River could have in the meteoric rise of America's "Young Man with a Horn."
A native of Davenport, Beiderbecke taught himself to play the cornet largely by ear, leading him to adopt a non-standard fingering technique that informed his unique style. He first recorded with Midwestern jazz ensemble The Wolverines in 1924, after which he played briefly for the Detroit-based Jean Goldkette Orchestra before joining Frankie "Tram" Trumbauer for an extended engagement at the Arcadia Ballroom in St. Louis, also under the auspices of Goldkette's organization. Beiderbecke and Trumbauer joined Goldkette's main band at the Graystone Ballroom in Detroit in 1926 and the band toured widely, famously playing a set opposite Fletcher Henderson at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City in October of 1926. Prior to his 1931 passing at age 28, Beiderbecke was one of the most influential jazz soloists of his era, a cornet player noted for an inventive lyrical approach and purity of tone, with such clarity of sound that one contemporary famously described it like "shooting bullets at a bell."
Riverboats, Bix, & Davenport's History with Shaping American Music will be presented at the Davenport Public Library Fairmount Branch on April 7 at 6:30 p.m., participation is free, and the program is offered both in-person and virtually. For more information, call (563)326-7832 and visit DavenportLibrary.com.
