Music Pick: Sidney Bachet
Music Pick: Sidney Bechet
Soprano Sax great Sidney Bechet (1897-1962), is considered by many jazz buffs as the greatest instrumentalist of all time, eclipsing such greats as Louis Armstrong (trumpet), Benny Goodman (clarinet) and Charlie Parker (alto sax). They all had serious rivals who in some cases eclipsed their art, but nobody even challenged Bechet on soprano sax much less surpassed him. He has discouraged jazz reedman from concentrating exclusively on the instrument for ninety years now. That is dominance!
Sadly, unlike Armstrong and a legion of other early jazz greats, Bechet couldn't even make a living in the US through music, being reduced to running a tailor shop in Harlem in the early 1940's. He spent much of the 20's and 30's in Europe doing fairly well until his violent behavior (assaulted one woman and accidentally shot another in a duel with another musician) got him jailed for a year and deported back to the US twice).
...
In 1950, he quit Uncle Sam for good, went to live in France and became a jazz God there, finally achieving the success he craved and deserved in racially unfriendly America. He died on his 62nd birthday in 1959, and remains today a largely forgotten musical genius in he Land of the Free. The featured video features many pictures from his life and one of his best soprano sax discs, "Summertime" from 1939, followed by 1941's "Egyptian Fantasy" on his original, but mostly secondary instrument, clarinet.
http://www.youtube.com/
Soprano Sax great Sidney Bechet (1897-1962), is considered by many jazz buffs as the greatest instrumentalist of all time, eclipsing such greats as Louis Armstrong (trumpet), Benny Goodman (clarinet) and Charlie Parker (alto sax). They all had serious rivals who in some cases eclipsed their art, but nobody even challenged Bechet on soprano sax much less surpassed him. He has discouraged jazz reedman from concentrating exclusively on the instrument for ninety years now. That is dominance!
Sadly, unlike Armstrong and a legion of other early jazz greats, Bechet couldn't even make a living in the US through music, being reduced to running a tailor shop in Harlem in the early 1940's. He spent much of the 20's and 30's in Europe doing fairly well until his violent behavior (assaulted one woman and accidentally shot another in a duel with another musician) got him jailed for a year and deported back to the US twice).
...
In 1950, he quit Uncle Sam for good, went to live in France and became a jazz God there, finally achieving the success he craved and deserved in racially unfriendly America. He died on his 62nd birthday in 1959, and remains today a largely forgotten musical genius in he Land of the Free. The featured video features many pictures from his life and one of his best soprano sax discs, "Summertime" from 1939, followed by 1941's "Egyptian Fantasy" on his original, but mostly secondary instrument, clarinet.
http://www.youtube.com/
posted by Walt Zlotow at 4:11 AM
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