Comparative Analysis of Leon Bix Beiderbecke and Louis Armstrong

The popularity of jazz over the years has been majorly influenced by key figures that changed the landscape of musical progression. Leon Bix Beiderbecke and Louis Armstrong were influential cornetists that both created separate styles of playing that would impact generations of musicians to come. Although both Beiderbecke and Armstrong had a significant role to play in the history of jazz they both came from entirely different backgrounds that lead to their respective styles of music and popularity as musicians.

Both artists had very different upbringings that defined their lives. Bix Beiderbecke was born into a middle-class German family in Davenport, Iowa in 1903. Beiderbecke at a young age already showed incredible musical prowess because of his innate ability to play the piano. An important influence in his earlier musical education was the exposure his mother gave him of French composers Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy which would show up in his musical work later in his life. Much like how he learned to play the piano Beiderbecke decided to play the cornet after hearing Armstrong on a riverboat. Beiderbecke would then go on to learn how to play using recordings of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. Beiderbecke through his early years found that music was a temptress that he couldn’t resist. This would cause trouble down the line for him as he found himself forgoing school in favor of giving in to the music. His parents not quite as infatuated with his love for music declared that Bix should be sent to a preparatory school in Chicago; something that was deemed an appropriate way to stop his habits. The irony of this action was that they moved Beiderbecke to Chicago a hotbed for jazz that would not stem his love for the music but intensify it. Bix was soon after expelled from the academy as he snuck off one too many times to go listen to the music of heavyweights like Armstrong and Joe ‘King’ Oliver. Destined to happen sooner or later Bix soon found himself free to pursue music and the first band he ever joined was an eight-piece band called The Wolverine Orchestra. Soon after in his life, Bix would find relative fame as he became a popular cornetist in two orchestras. The first is the orchestra of Jean Goldkette. The second orchestra that really made Beiderbecke famous was that of Paul Whiteman; in this orchestra, Bix Beiderbecke would tour around the nation and his unique sound on the cornet was something that many strived to achieve. Beiderbeckes’ life was short-lived as problems with drinking would soon see him pass away due to alcohol-related pneumonia. Although his life was short-lived his legacy was not and Beiderbecke would influence many generations of musicians to come.

Louis Armstrong’s upbringing was a contrast to that of Beiderbecke. Armstrong grew up in one of the poorest regions of New Orleans in a boys' home. It was in the home that Armstrong would make his first true foray into the world of music which would change his life drastically. Armstrong under the tutelage of Peter Davis, the music teacher at the home would be encouraged to join the boys' home band something that would help blossom his musical skills. Armstrong was a diamond in the rough one that caught the eye of cornetist Joe ‘King’ Oliver. Oliver was a legendary New Orleans cornetist in his own right and he took Armstrong under his wing realizing that he had the potential for much greater things. Armstrong soon became an integral part of King Oliver's band and would join Oliver on a journey to the mecca of Jazz that was Chicago. In Chicago, Armstrong started to come into his own as he played with King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band even recording the song Dippermouth Blues which was a tribute to his iconic smile. Armstrong then decided to head into a new direction by creating his own band Louis Armstrong’s Hot Five and Hot Seven. Armstrong would continue to lead bands and play late into the 1960s. He passed away in his sleep in 1971 due to an unfortunate heart attack. Armstrong’s death although tragic showed how big impact music made in his life; he picked the horn up as a child and held it close well into his sixties. His legacy will continue to live on as a tribute to his love for music. It was said about Armstrong that “If the least successful of the masterpieces he created in the late 1920s...were the only available example of Amstrong’s art it would still be regarded as a ...monumental jazz milestone”.

Both musicians had a tremendous impact on the Jazz scene with their respective styles that would influence many subsequent generations to come. Armstrong had what many would describe as a hot jazz approach and Beiderbecke had a cool jazz approach. Many factors would help define their music to help it stand out amongst the rest. Armstrong on the cornet had a preference for the middle to high registers and he had a big brassy tone on the cornet. This type of control on the cornet is what gave Armstrong’s cornet playing its characteristic full-bodied sound. In addition, Armstrong's rhythm was much evolved from the constraints of the early ragtime piano beat by incorporating swinging eighth-note patterns and syncopated rhythmic patterns which gave the music its unique swinging quality. Another thing that separated Armstrong from other musicians was his unique singing style which early on due to an incident while recording the song Heebie Jeebies resulted in him pioneering the art of scat. A band member of Armstrongs likened the event to be “like wildfire,” starting a craze for scat singing”. What began as a source of controversy was soon the root of admiration and categorized as his finest works. Perhaps one of the most cementing of Armstrong's contributions was his approach to improvisation that would change the landscape of jazz music. Armstrong departed from the traditional constraints of New Orleans group improvisations by popularizing solo improvisation. The solo improvisation was something that showed that a thoughtful solo could be just as stirring as the group counterparts. Armstrong was one of the best early soloists and that was clear from his beautiful pacing, double-time solo breaks, high note endings, and spontaneity that many artists would hope to emulate. It soon became clear that the future of jazz lay with the solo improvisation that Armstrong had pioneered. What helped establish Louis Armstrong’s legacy was a combination of his excellent musical faculty along with his willingness to experiment beyond the traditional molds of jazz. Armstrong laid down new rules that showed that music didn’t have to be defined with traditional rhythmic patterns, group improvisations, and simple vocal accompaniments.

Leon “Bix” Beiderbecke brought a different toolkit to jazz and when compared to Armstrong it was clear that Beiderbecke didn’t possess the same formal training and technique. Beiderbecke’s lack of formal training on the cornet was actually what helped to define his music he showed a preference for the lower register ranges, unorthodox technique, and softer more subtle tones. This type of stylistic use of the cornet is what gave Beiderbecke his cool, bluesy sound on the cornet. Where Armstrong was technically advanced Beidebecke showed a great attitude towards advanced levels of harmonic thinking which were developed from his understanding of impressionistic techniques employed by impressionist composers Ravel and Debussy. While harmonically advanced; rhythmically Beiderbecke was still tied to the traditional ragtime 2 beat pattern. Playing with Paul Whitmans’ orchestra helped to give Leon Bix Beiderbecke his chance to shine and showcase his unique approach to music that was very much a contrast to Armstrong. A player even said his sound was akin to “pearls falling on velvet”. Beiderbecke and Armstrong were two sides of a coin. They both represent a passion for jazz and while many were content to follow in the footsteps of Armstrong as a trailblazer Beiderbecke developed his own style that many were drawn to because it was quite unlike the field of musicians at the time.

Beiderbecke and Armstrong lived in a time period in which racial tensions and civil rights activism were taking hold. In the United States Armstrong was not just a musician to the African-American community he was known as “America’s gravel-voiced, lovable grandpa of jazz”. He was a status symbol among the Afro-American community, one that on top of his prominent jazz career made him a staple to the nation. For white audiences, he was an amazing jazz artist and for the black population, he was a representation of power and poise. However, this idealistic view of Armstrong was not one all subscribed to. Kopkind a journalist from New Orleans once remarked in a newspaper that “Among Negroes across the country he occupies a special position as success symbol, cultural hero, and a racial cop-out”. This was because although many found Armstrong to be a symbol of the black population others called him out for not doing enough to represent the population. It was also why during the civil rights movement he was seen as “uncle tom,” playing for primarily white audiences around the world”. Armstrong in his career faced his own fair share of racial discrimination even at the hands of police. Armstrong once even found himself at the site of a bomb blast that was detonated during one of his tours. After the blast, Armstrong stated in response, “ I’ve been playing the horns for 44 years and never had any trouble before”. Armstrong always chose his battles carefully and when some accused him of supporting whites he responded that “I don’t socialize with the top dogs of society after a dance or concert,”... “These same society people may go around the corner and lynch a Negro.”. Armstrong loved his music and although he wasn’t the pioneer of racial tensions that many wanted he was still a figure that seemed to somehow unite both sides without overcommitting to either. Armstrong’s popularity as a musician was because he seemed to straddle a thin line in which he was seen as a status symbol to both sides.

Bix Beiderbecke was never the global phenomenon that Louis Armstrong was and that was in part because he didn’t have an entire community hoping for his success. Beiderbecke only had a short brilliant career that paled in comparison to Armstrong’s long tenure as a musical juggernaut. Armstrong’s longer playing career would see him playing at many sold-out concerts around the world. By the end of his life, Armstrong was well known around the world because he played around the world something that Beiderbecke never had the chance to do.

In the end, Louis Armstrong and Leon “Bix” Beiderbecke were almost completely different individuals in how they played their music. Both with their unique stylistic tendencies would go on to inspire many other musicians. While both were popular in the jazz scene and had their followings Armstrong had a much greater global presence than Beiderbecke. This would explain why Armstrong was so well known while Bix is a mystery to many. Both of these great artists showed a bright future for jazz that would inspire many more generations to constantly be striving for the next innovation in jazz.