Bix_Sunnyside_2012

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.

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Top photo: Paul Maringelli of the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Committee; bottom photo: Rob MacKay


What's Your Take? Leave a Comment

  1. 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.