The unheard and unseen Bix Beiderbecke - Thou Swell UNISSUED

[michaeltwohl]

Thats Izzy Friedman on the clarinet. Grew up with this record as "Cousin Izzy's" record. Had no idea what a Bix was!

[harryoakley]

@michaeltwohl Could you be more specific? Do you mean to say that you know the origin of this record? That would be highly important - please give more details; thanks!

[InBy9OutBy5]

Love the bass sax. Is that Rollini ?

[harryoakley]

@InBy9OutBy5 It's Min Leibrook on bass sax.

[ClearOutSamskaras]

Who is the clarinet player? He's great!

[tdub1941]

Fantabulous! Love it.

RagJazzMonkey Tom

[MrSuperbatone]

Addendum to below: The piano pickup played by Bargy actually is TWO bars, not four, but it's easy to see how Bix might have thought of it as "four." As for take "A", the band, and Bix especially, walks through it, just working over the routine without any big effort to impress. They saved the fireworks for later, which we hear on the issued take "C."

[harryoakley]

@MrSuperbatone Thank you for your comments - they are perfectly correct and make absolute sense of what happens and what the words are. Hopefully we can finally lay further speculation about what is being said to rest.

[harryoakley]

@MrSuperbatone - Much of the blame for the wrong things that some people seem to hear lies in the fact that they play these uploads over the tiny speakers of a computer only and therefore miss what's going on and hear such things as "pay attention to" etc.

[MrSuperbatone]

"Take it (from) the last four!" Translation into English: Bix tells Roy Bargy, the pianist, to play the four-bar pickup / transition to the upcoming verse, which is Bargy's big solo on this record. Bargy then plays the requested four bars, with Bix chiming in vocally during the last bar to point out the syncopation (maybe that's why Bix wanted Bargy to play it). Then Bargy (or someone) giggles because this all is kind of fun, even in the middle of a hard rehearsal.

[drummerlead]

AAahhh!!! I see! Thanks!  I think, too, that is Bix at the beginning saying something to someone in the band.

[drummerlead]

Who might be saying "That's all there is!" at the end? Is that Bix or maybe Frankie Trumbauer?

[harryoakley]

@drummerlead That was added by me at the end of all my YouTube videos. It's Oliver Hardy.

[gusvespa]

@drummerlead -- it's oliver hardy.

[AsianLegion88]

Nice recording! Thanks for uploading it! PS: I might move into the building where Bix used to live ;)

[crowamonghens]

@AsianLegion88 in sunnyside, queens?

[bobbyd7085]

I wish they played this stuff at my job. I work in a grocery store and i am stuck listening to a pile of crud day after day after day.

[harryoakley]

@bobbyd7085 Millions of people share your fate - but because of your taste in music you deserve better. Many thanks!

[ClearOutSamskaras]

@bobbyd7085 "Hit me baby one more time..." LOL :)

[stlgtrace]

Fascinating! Thank you so much for your work and research! I especially enjoyed the snippets of the musicians bantering! BTW, are there any examples anywhere of Bix's speaking voice or singing? What kind of a voice did he have?

[harryoakley]

@stlgtrace READ THE TEXT! READ THE TEXT! THIS HAS BIX'S VOICE!!!!!!!

[stlgtrace]

@harryoakley Has anybody possitively identified this as Bix's voice? It sure could be!

[ThePeaceableKingdom]

Thanks for posting this and sharing something we would otherwise never hear..

[ion507]

This sounds very nice and Bix is hot

[stephanienyc1]

Great tune! I'm happy that record survived being transported in a trunk - if that story is true.

[GennettRecords]

That looks very much like Bix's handwriting under Robert Steven's pencil note. What do you think?

[harryoakley]

@GennettRecords If you read the NOTES AND ADDENDUM (above) you'll know what I think.

[pinkieldred]

Great sound restoration...! At the out take 2:13 -through the end, you get a good idea of just how the full ensemble really swung. Amazing what can be done with old scratched up recordings. For the first time your in the studio with them,standing right there listening to them. Great contribution ...thanks harryoakley

[SgtAndrewC]

Do I also hear "top line" at the very end?

[harryoakley]

@SgtAndrewC - I don't know what you hear; but I don't hear that!

[pandolin1]

Ernie Bennett and Reid Welch both give hearty "thanks!" to you for this superb sharing of a wonderfully transferred, unique recording. Thanks!

[2reeler]

Taint so, Harry, Taint so! Spoke to the Lord and the Lord said No! Seriously, You are missing the glaring fact in the shellac, If Bix is telling the band to "take it" meaning to play the tune from the "last four", then we should hear the band obey him and play this part, at the so called "last four". Is that what we hear? No. The band starts the song off at the intro and plays thru to the end. The band clearly does not play "from the last four" as Bix would be commanding, in your speculation

[harryoakley]

@2reeler Never mind what the band does - Bix says what I wrote above in the text. I own the original and played on decent sound equipment it is all very clear.

[luvmyrecords]

@2reeler And if may, the "take" and the little rehearsal bit are separate...why would the engineer record the band rehearsing, obeying Bix's request to "take it from the last four"? 

[luvmyrecords]

@2reeler My 2 cents if I may? We don't really know which last four. It may be that he's talking to the pianist, who does, in fact, play through a figure. Ok, so it we don't hear 4 bars, but starting at "the last four" may bring him to the figure that was in question, with Bix singing the phrasing for/with him. Another "glaring fact in the shellac" is that the take and this rehearsal bit are separate. The band may well have rehearsed from whatever "last four" Bix meant, it just wasn't recorded.

[joomuck]

The recording is super: well done.

Ted

[LesNeiges]

Love it!!!



[jamesiswonderful]

good job with the 'restoration' so to say. thanks for doing this your keeping my great great uncles music going.

[harryoakley]

And that's what it's all about. Thanks great grand-nephew!

[bobparis]

So even the Origin Jazz Library Complete Bix transfer was made from the 1978 tape???

[harryoakley]

Indeed it was. The original was kept in a drawer by the previous owner for over 35 years.

[PutItAway101]

Very good sound, given the circumstances

[IdontneedanIpod]

Sounds Bloody good for a scratched old  78. No crackling?

[harryoakley]

We have ways of removing the "crackling".

[superbu1]

As someone who does closed captioning for a living, I have a lot of experience deciphering "difficult" audio. I agree he's saying, "Pay attention to the last four."

I don't think I'm hearing "damn" at the very beginning. I think it might just be "yeah." But it's definitely followed by another man saying, "I got it."

[harryoakley]

Although I do not know what "closed captioning" means - I myself make my living from sound restoration and I also own this original 78. I can assure you that if you would be able to play this on decent sound equipment the words "damn" and "take it (from) the last four" are very clear and beyond doubt.

[djoutrage18]

this is on the mosaic complete bix and tram set, you have the original disc? good lawd did you remorgage your house? lol what a find!!!

[jhb134]

Thanks, Harry. It's sure that ANY recording that includes Bix, has some true value and beyond. One, need only to listen to what he could do, in trumpet/brass ensembles, to see his thrust and leadership, originality and deftness ... whether he even had a solo, or not.

[parlophonman]

Its really very nice of you to share this rarety with all of us !

Thank you so much for it !

Greetings from Holland !

[luvmyrecords]

PS - the neighbors loved it!

[luvmyrecords]

I just came across this again, and connected my laptop to my stereo, outfitted with some big ol' 1980's speakers. Shook my apt.! Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, as the first person to post that it might be "pay attention", I say without a doubt in my mind (or alcohol) that it's "Take it.." I believed you, Mr. Oakley, when you first told me of the edit...I just wanted to bug the neighbors and thought I'd support you while I was at it.

[harryoakley]

Many thanks luvmyrecords, I am very glad that you have recognised this - it has been rather an ordeal to try to convince (largely without success) those who claim that it is "pay attention".

But yes, if you amplifie and listen to this with decent equipment, rather than the useless little speakers of a computer, it is very clear that Bix says "Take it (from) the last four". I rest my case and will not argue it again!

[2reeler]

Thanks for the correction of my opinion. Listening again, i do not hear any words at all that sound like " TAKE IT" .Sorry.. Great tune for conjecture.Thats the fun of it, right? I still think his last word is "quarter", as in quarter note. I may be wrong, but not about everything., I still say your records are fantastic. :D

[harryoakley]

Although I did a very decent restoration of this side (if I say so myself), playing the original disc (as I have done again- it is in my collection) reveals beyond any doubt that it's "Take it (from) the last four" and not your suggested alternative text. Trying to hear your alternative words (as I have also done) does not work at all - they clearly do not fit.

[2reeler]

OMG! This is what is so amazing about youtube! Finding gems like this! Here is a JAZZ DREAM in "virtual" shellac! Harry, you have out done yourself with this ! I crown you the new "King of Jazz " on youtube! I had no idea this existed. Almost orgasmic to a Bix fan!~specially us fed on potatohead Whitemans! Bravo

[BroadcastSarah]

This gives me the shivers everytime. Shivers of excitement.

[petermilley]

"Pay Attention to to the last Four"

[harryoakley]

I can gon on reacting to this until I am blue in the face. But you seem to forget that I cut out the heavily distorted word "from", because when I leave it in it makes the whole sentence inaudible. If what you say is true, then Bix said "Pay attention from the last four", which is nonsensical and he did not. When I play the original with the correct stylus and good amplifying equipment, the line comes out definitely as "Take it (from) the last four".

[DanRislor]

Peter is right - "Pay Attention To The Last Four". Well done!

[harryoakley]

Not well done at all - Peter is wrong.

[msjazzmeblues]

Could "the last four" Bix refers to be the last bridge notes that Bargy plays before he launches into his long solo? He definitely ends this transition with three staccato notes--the "bop bop bop" that Bix was accentuating along with the piano (which he himself may have also been playing to demonstrate what he meant)? The snatch of music we hear with the "bop bop bop" voice passage IS that transition from the ensemble to piano solo.

You musicians out there, help me out here!

[2reeler]

@msjazzmeblues Musicain here! Yes, my band director would always help a player iron out a spot he wasnt playing right in his part by singing the correct way. Then have the musician play and match it in unison. Bix is singing the correct syncopated beat he wants Bargy to copy as Bargy plays it in sync with Bix and catches on. You are right. Bix says "Pay attention to the last quarter."(note)

[harryoakley]

Bix says "Take it (from) the last four" and nothing else. I do not understand why a few people seem to hear "pay attention to". Perhaps it would be wise for these people to connect better speakers to their computer (or buy another computer).

[guitarslim56]

@2reeler, You got's it!

[2reeler]

@guitarslim56 Thanks. Reviewing this again I feel more strongly that the last word is not "quarter" but the word is in fact "Chorus". The "us"part of this word is lost in the scratch of the record but the first "chor" part is audible. Since Bix is helping the pianist work through a difficult spot in the last chorus, it stands to reason that he is saying "Pay attention to the last chorus" as he leads off the song and the band begins to play. Amazing 78 isnt it? Thanks Harry.

[punchsboy]

Who is saying "damn, I got it"? Sounds like Wingy Manone to me.

[harryoakley]

"Damn" and "I got it" are not spoken by the same person. The last sentence is probably by pianist Roy Bargy.

Wingy Manone was not present (and has never been associated with this session).

[ChristopherDB83]

Sam, right after the piano at 1:00? Or he's just mentioning the last bit?

[sammckinstry]

The more I listen to this, the more I think Bix is saying 'pay attention to the last four'. I am not sure why he would be saying 'take it from the last four' if the band was about to play the tune from the start. Wonderful restoration and a touchingly happy picture of Bix, dog, girl and bike!

[ChristopherDB83]

I agree, sounds like "pay attention"

[harryoakley]

I repeat - because the word "from" has been cut out, the rest sounds somewhat like what you suggest. However, if you would hear everything it is very clearly "take it (from) the last four". The band may have been rehearsing just a fragment of the tune - hence Bix' s words could very well be logical.

[sammckinstry]

Thanks Harry, I'm eternally grateful for what you've given us here, Bix's voice, which brings him much nearer than ever before. I'll try and listen to it differently now. I wonder why no-one on all the Bix websites told us about this recording before. Christopher, that's the answer.

[punchsboy]

@harryoakley I hear the "k" sound so it is "take it....." This is great. Thanks for putting this up.

[sammckinstry]

Well, I visited Bix's house and haunts in Davenport a couple of years ago. Now I've seen him on 'My Ohio Home', and heard his voice on disk! It can't be anyone else! He was the bandleader after all, and while you don't know what to expect with a voice, this fits! The sensitivity, the upbeatness at doing what he loved most, and a bit like Condon, too. I even liked Leibrook's bass sax. Harry Oakley, I've never come across you before, sir, but you've made one Scotsman in Glasgow VERY happy!

[518West14th]

Love this......Bix brought such energy to his music. His signature is unmistakable.

[luvmyrecords]

If you'll forgive one more post - the clarinet is not as well in tune here on the ascending figure at the top of the chorus as it is in the issued take. Maybe that had some bearing on this being choice 2 as well? Who knows? All I know is that I can't thank you enough for posting this - to have another chance to hear how creative these guys were from take to take. Bix's voice (Bix rehearsing!), everything: magnificent!

[harryoakley]

I'm sure you're right; but also the balance on this take is not as good as on the issued one, although I have a feeling that you can hear Bix better on this one!

Also notice the absence of that wonderful hot passage that they did on the issued take.

[TuberOnTheLoose]

To my untrained ear, even on the issued take the clarinet doesn't sound quite right both times it does that ascending riff in the first half of the song. I don't think it's a tuning issue, as it sounds great everywhere else. That aside, love this tune! Definitely in my Bix top 5.

[luvmyrecords]

Your "untrained ear" is nonetheless a fine one; they might have just gone with the other take for technical reasons, as Mr. Oakley suggested earlier, and, as he points out, it could also be because there is additional "hot' material on the issued take.

[luvmyrecords]

I meant to say that the "bop-bop-bop" (approx,sound) is done in unison with the last notes of the piano, to reinforce or teach the correct figure. I'm a full time musician, this is common practice.

[luvmyrecords]

PS - thanks to the terrific audio, through headphones, it sounds to my ears like "Pay attention to the last four". Right after the piano but before the giggle, you hear Bix (if it is Bix) "sing" a rhythm, "bop bop bop".

[harryoakley]

Many thanks for your kind reactions and praise of my audio restoration! About Bix's(?) words; I see what you mean - but I cut out the highly distorted word "from", because it was so heavuly damaged that it made the rest difficult to hear. But it is definitely "from" - and it is definitely "Take it (from) the last four".

[luvmyrecords]

Please know that your work has made at least one person very happy! Thank you for your reply and the clarification.

[ChristopherDB83]

Ahh that's why. Thanks!

[sammckinstry]

Christopher, I think Bix is telling the band to look out for the little arranged coda at the end, which would be of his creation, and which is just over four bars long.

[luvmyrecords]

Thank you for posting. I remember when this was up on ebay, and how sad I felt because, even if I had the money (not!!), I could never handle the responsibility of having this. So, I didn't think I'd ever get to hear it (I didn't know it had been issued on LP). The sound is indeed stunning.

I wonder why Bix would write the date European style? Anyway, thanks for the thrills and chills!

[TuberOnTheLoose]

@luvmyrecords Your comment about the date caught my eye. Although in the side notes the date is listed European style (as is the date in the first line of the notes) , if you look at the record label in the video the date is written "4-16-28," which would be one of the standard American styles.

[luvmyrecords]

This is why one should not drink and log in to YouTube...and I was so freaked at hearing this record, restored so beautifully. Thanks again, Harry!

[KawhackitaRag]

This has a WONDERFUL Roy Bargy solo from 1:01 to 1:32. It's incredibly classy, tasteful and godly piano playing, the kind that makes me go into fits when I hear it!

THANKS!!!

(plus - the coda of this magnificent recording is incredibly beautiful and mind-bogglingly modern!)

[ronpolla]

As Wonderful as "Wonderful" can be!!

Thank you!!

[78timothy]

Leibrook's solo is fine. This take is obviously overmodulated and not balanced well, the reason for it to be rejected. Crakerjack playing! 5**** to you for sharing this rare piece of musical history.

[RatPfink66]

Is that bass sax solo the reason it wasn't issued? He's fighting the horn and (mostly) losing.

(Player is Min Leibrook, an excellent tubist with Whiteman and before that, the Wolverines.)

[harryoakley]

This take was most likely "2nd choice" because the balance isn't quite as good as on the issued take. Especially the bass saxophone is somewhat overmodulated. But it's true - bass saxophone wasn't Min Leibrook's best instrument. Interestingly, this take doesn't have the loud "outburst" which the band plays near the end of the issued version.

[Corrie121]

Thank you for sharing this most interesting post.

Your notes make interesting reading.

[fourfourtime]

Good stuff Mr. Oakley. Keep it up!! 5 stars. Jim

[harryoakley]

A a notoriously unpleasant "Bix scholar" (at least that's what he calls himself) on a Bix website has pointed out in his usual rude manner that we were mistaken("unsubstantiated and false") and that 1934 Grand Avenue was always the Beiderbecke house. We have therefore altered it - but this man seems to forget that we had this "false and unsubstantiated" information from him in the first place!

[albertalikesbix]

what a good job, thanks for the music, and for cleaning up the voices. the best I've heard yet. a great contribution to Bix fans. Also, I've never seen the dog picture before.........where's it from???

[vrobbie53]

Thank you, this is great!

[whizbang47]

Delighted to hear this one! Thank you!

[yvesfrancois]

re: music, keep it up i always enjoy what you post!!

re your pseudonym: i like the name, a kind of dance subject (as in stanley) ... helen oakley and lunceford's old mananger harold oxley rolled into one good nom de plume sort to speak ...

[yvesfrancois]

wow, to see the disc is amazing, the music bix did is so valuable that i only wish there were wire recorders in the 20's and fanatics like us to follow him!!! 5 stars, how about 5000!! i know both soulnick and mook (hi there from yves) would agree!! no bix, no swing era, no modern jazz. this made my day, merci harry

[bill3murr]

awesome.....you did good! thanks so much.

[Soulnik]

Fantastic! ♫♫♫♫♫

[MookRyan]

Fabulous! This is really interesting - thanks so much!!!!

[altoalto1]

Nice work Harry! Thanks for sharing it with the world. It's a unique document.