Jazz, Lindy and Flappers at Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Concert in Sunnyside on Aug. 3
Bix Beiderbecke was one of the greatest jazz musicians of the roaring 20s, inspiring such legends as Louis Armstrong and Hoagy Carmichael. His self-taught, unorthodox coronet style produced a distinctive, tone and timbre described as “bullets hitting a bell.” However, Bix was also a heavy drinker and — thanks in part to cheap, illegally made…

Bix Beiderbecke was one of the greatest jazz musicians of the roaring 20s, inspiring such legends as Louis Armstrong and Hoagy Carmichael. His self-taught, unorthodox coronet style produced a distinctive, tone and timbre described as “bullets hitting a bell.” However, Bix was also a heavy drinker and — thanks in part to cheap, illegally made Prohibition-era booze — he died at age 28 in his apartment at 43-30 46th Street in Sunnyside (see plaque below after the jump). This Saturday, Bix’s melodious and often improvisational music will come alive during the Bix Beiderbecke Sunnyside Memorial Concert. This all-afternoon event will include performances by the Sunnyside Drum Corps and the Big Apple Lindy Hoppers as well as a 1920s costume contest and even clips from the Queens World Film Festival. A pickup band that gets together every year for the event, The Sunnyside Wolverines (above), will lead various musical attractions.
Details: Bix Beiderbecke Sunnyside Memorial Concert, Sunnyside Arch, 46th Street and Queens Boulevard, August 3, 12:30 PM to 7 PM, free.
Top photo: Paul Maringelli of the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Committee; bottom photo: Rob MacKay
And you better believe I’ll be there Saturday!
Bix played a CORNET, not a CORONET. 😉
Bix was a talented talented musician, and a pioneer in early jazz. The annual memorial concert in Sunnyside, Queens, NY is alway a day of fun and great music. Free for everyone, the way Bix would have wanted it.