In the 1920s, syncopation was the iPhone and social media of its day. Invented by New Orleans musicians and popularized in gangland Chicago, the infectious sound of off-beat rhythms enhanced by wailing trumpets and cornets became a cultural phenomenon. Whether you were rich or poor, black or white; it made no difference. The appeal of syncopated music transcended class and race.
It could be heard on 78 records and in ballrooms and bars. The music's earthy, care-free personality permeated fashion, ushering in loud suits and more risque dresses. It also altered architectural design, store signs and even common language. When historians refer to the "Jazz Age," they're really talking about the wild embrace of syncopation in the years after World War I and before the Great Depression.
Among those whose sound is closely identified with syncopation and this era is cornetist Bix Beiderbecke. March 10 will mark the 115th anniversary of his birth. What made Beiderbecke special was the clarity of his horn's cooler tone and its conversational melodic articulation. A chronic alcoholic at a time when sustained consumption of raw, illegal liquor could lay waste to internal organs, Beiderbecke died in August 1931 at 43-30 46th Street in Sunnyside, Queens, N.Y. (above, today). He was 29.
Here's a short bio...
Here's singer-songwriter Hoagy Carmichael on Beiderbecke...
And here's more than 90 minutes of Beiderbecke. Just listen and let Bix enter your soul. You'll know it's in there when your feet start moving...
