Post Description

Dick Hyman, one of the most accomplished and versatile musicians alive, is especially known as an authority on early jazz. After a lifetime of playing and studying the music of Bix Beiderbecke, Hyman announced he'd like to record for RR a solo program of music associated with Bix, including all five original pieces Bix wrote for piano. (Most likely, these are a recorded first.) Hyman arranged other numbers Bix performed with various groups, and plays and improvises upon these in his distinctive, brilliant style. The title track is an infectious Hyman original reminiscent of the period. An attractive bonus is a piano four-hands performance with Hyman's friend and stride authority, Mike Lipskin.

Long an admirer of cornetist/composer Bix Beiderbecke, Dick Hyman pays tribute to the gifted but short-lived jazz legend by interpreting the songs Bix recorded in a series of piano solos, mixing transcriptions of Beiderbecke's solos (and occasionally, others' as well) with his own improvisations. One exception is Hyman's original composition "Thinking About Bix," a warm, easygoing piece that captures the spirit of the era. The pianist's buoyant setting of "Singin' the Blues" and playful rendition of "Ostrich Walk" prove captivating, while his jaunty interpretation of "'Tain't So, Honey, 'Tain't So" is lots of fun. But the obvious high points of this CD, recorded not long before Hyman's 81st birthday, are Beiderbecke's rarely performed works for solo piano. The shimmering impressionist air of "Candlelights," the subtlety of "In the Dark," the Gershwin-flavored "In a Mist," the constantly shifting "Flashes," and the loping treatment of "Davenport Blues" all glisten in Hyman's gifted hands. Stride pianist Mike Lipskin (a protégé of stride pianist Willie "The Lion" Smith) joins Hyman in a lively duo rendition of "You Took Advantage of Me."