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Bix Beiderbecke: In a Mist

Rating: 85/100 (learn more)

The timing of “In a Mist” is off. Bix played the first take and it was too short; the second take ran long. It was not until Take 4 – when Tram, ever the housemother, helpfully tapped him on the shoulder – that he wrapped up in the allotted time. Unlike Goldilocks, however, he never got it just right. It still seems rushed. Bix had been working on these chords forever, combining the herky-jerky syncopations of jazz with flourishes reminiscent of Monet’s Giverny. Still, as progressive as “In a Mist” was, it comes off nowadays as a bit clunky. Bix’s true aspirations may not have been Satchmo-hood but a post at the New York Philharmonic; if so, he had a ways to go.

Reviewer: Brendan Wolfe

Tags: 1920s jazz · in a mist · solo piano