June 4-6, 2004,
A Fabulous Weekend in Davenport, Iowa,
The Hometown of Bix Beiderbecke:
The Premiere of the Newly Restored Film
“The Jean Goldkette Orchestra On Tour”
By Albert Haim
Introduction.
In the early Fall of 1926, the Jean Goldkette Victor Recording
Orchestra made a tour of the Eastern United States (Massachusetts
and New York). On October 6. 1926, the orchestra opened at the
Roseland Ballroom for a ten-day engagement. The Goldkette
orchestra played opposite the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra. The
night of October 13 was advertised as “The Battle of the Century.
Welcome Return of Your Favorite, Fletcher Henderson and His
Orchestra and the Sensation of Sensations, Jean Goldkette and His
Famous ‘Fourteen’.”
Charlie Horvath was the business manager of the Goldkette
Orchestra. During the visit to Boston and New York, Horvath took
silent moving pictures of the band. Snippets of the film have
appeared in two videos. “Chicago and All That Jazz,” a transcription
of the 1961 “Dupont Show of the Week,” and in Brigitte Berman’s
documentary “Bix: Ain’t None of Them Play Like Him Yet.” Paul
Mertz, one of the pianists for the Goldkette band had a copy of the
film. It was shown –as a special treat- in April 1975 at the “The Music
of Bix Beiderbecke” concert at Carnegie Hall.
Since early 1967, the Louisiana State Museum Jazz Collection
in New Orleans has been in possession of a copy of the film. It is
described in the museum website as “one 3-½" reel of silent, black &
white film of this group taken on tour in New England, and donated to
the Jazz Museum in the 1960s. As far as can be seen, it has shots of
the band standing around before boarding the bus, several band
members engaging in horseplay for the camera, and the band doing
a publicity stunt, playing jazz for the animals at the Bronx Zoo. It is
often dark, grainy, and hard to see, but unique and totally unknown
footage of a legendary ensemble.”
For nearly 40 years, the film laid dormant in the museum
collection. Early in 2004, Hans Eekhoff, Bixophile extraordinaire and
record collector and restorer, decided that it was high time that the film
be restored. Hans got in touch with Steve Teeter, curator of the jazz
collection. Hans made a generous donation to the Louisiana State
Museum with the stipulation the film be restored.
Hans further organized and generously financed a weekend of
activities. The world premiere of the restored film took place on June 6,
2004 in the home of Bix Beiderbecke, 1934 Grand Avenue, Davenport,
Iowa. The premiere was preceded by two days of preparation and
celebration of the musical genius of Bix Beiderbecke.
The Evening of June 4, 2004, Davenport Iowa.
In preparation for the premiere on Sunday, some of the officials of
the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Society –president Ray Voss and his
spouse Muriel, and musical director Rich Johnson- plus Hans and Peter
Diepeveen, another Dutch Bixophile, and my wife and I had a
working/pleasure dinner at a magnificent Italian restaurant in Davenport,
Iowa. Last minute preparations and arrangements were discussed while
some excellent Italian food and wine were served, courtesy of Hans.
After the dinner, Hans, Peter, my wife and I returned to the
Beiderbecke Inn, a magnificent bed and breakfast establishment in
Davenport where we were staying. The Beiderbecke Inn is the restored
home of Bix’s grandparents, Carl and Louisa Beiderbecke. Our hosts at
the Inn were the delightful owners, Pat and Dennis LaRoque.
We were joined at the Inn by the fourth guests, Brad Kay and
Pamla Eisenberg. Brad is a Bixophile, musician, and record collector.
Pamla is his friend and a jazz singer and librarian. We stayed until the
wee hours of the morning talking about Bix, mostly.
Morning and Afternoon, June 5, 2004.
A group of ten people including several Bixography forum
participants -Brad, audio engineer Michael Kieffer, Hans, Rich- plus
clarinettist and music teacher Julie Craighead, a member of the board
of the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Society , cornettist Tom Pletcher
and Peter and Pamla met in the Beiderbecke Inn, and went out
visiting the Bix sites. Rich, the world's expert on Bix in Davenport, led
the group.
Danceland. We spent some time at Danceland, a ballroom at the
corner of 4th and Scott Streets in Davenport. The ballroom had
opened in the late 1920s. The building and the ballroom are in
excellent condition. According to Evans and Evans, Bix played in
Danceland with the Hicks band on December 18 and 21, 1929. The
Daily Times of December 21, 1929 advertised, "The Hicks band at
Danceland. Don't Miss Hearing Bix." Between January 4 and January
19, 1930 Bix appeared several times with the Hicks band at
Danceland. The January 5, 1930 Sunday Daily Times carried the
following ad, "Featuring Bix Beiderbecke - Hottest Trumpet Player in
the Country with Hicks at Danceland." It is noteworthy that the Paul
Whiteman orchestra appeared at Danceland on Jan 17, 1931.
According to Andy Secrest, Paul asked Bix to sit with the band and
Bix did. This was the last appearance of Bix at Danceland.
Col Ballroom. We spent quite a bit of time in the Col Ballroom
located at 1012 W. 4th Street. The ballroom opened on November 4,
1914. Again, the building and ballroom are in excellent state of
preservation. Bix went to the Col as a spectator. In mid-March 1921,
following shimmy queen Bee Palmer's appearance in the Columbia
Theatre (which later burned to the ground) and her secret marriage to
Al Siegel on March 3, 1921, cornettist Emmett Hardy and clarinettist
Leon Roppolo joined the Carlisle band and played in the Col. They
stayed there until late May. Bix and Esten Spurrier went to the Col as
often as they could. On April 24, 25, 1923, the Benson Orchestra of
Chicago with Trumbauer appeared at the Col. According to Esten
Spurrier, a close childhood friend of Bix’s, he and Bix went up to the
stage and met Tram. If this account is exact, then we can define
within a day the exact time that Bix and Tram met! There is no
documentation that tells us that Bix ever played in the Col.
Trashcan Annie. On August 5, 1921 Bix had the first gig under his
own name, the "Bix Beiderbecke Five", for a dance at the Haynes
Dancing School. It was located on the second floor of the Hyberian
Hall, a building located on Brady Street. It currently it houses
Trahscan Annie, a intage clothingstore. An ad appeared in the August
5 issue of the "Davenport Democrat and Leader" paper for Bix
Biederbeck [sic} orchestra. The building today houses "Trash Can
Annie's Antique Clothing."
Oakdale Cemetery. I never get tired of visiting the Beiderbecke
family plot. I get a bitter-sweet feeling seeing Bix's grave. The
grounds of the cemetery are magnificent, a rolling landscape with
trees.
After the pilgrimage, Hans and Rich went to Bix’s house to
make arrangements for the big event on Sunday.
Evening, June 5, 2004.
Hans organized a jam session in the Inn beginning at 7 pm. He
also provided -with the incomparable help of Pam and Dennis, our
wonderful hosts- food and drinks! Hans is a very generous individual
and I, for one, thank him for all he did prior to and during this fabulous
weekend.
The following musicians participated in the jam session.
Brad Kaye, piano.
Hans Eekhof , trumpet.
Tom Pletcher, cornet.
Josh Dufee and Peter Diepeveen, drums.
Rich Johnson, guitar.
Matt Craighead, reeds.
Pamla Eisenberg, vocals
I, and -I am sure- all musicians and spectators enjoyed the evening
(which went into the wee hours of the morning) enormously. These
guys can play, I tell you. Brad is a highly talented pianist with an
encyclopedic knowledge of 1920s music. Hans plays a very good
trumpet. He does not try to get a Bixian sound. He plays according to
his own style, which may be somewhat reminiscent of that of Wild Bill
Davison. Tom, of course, is the cornettist who sounds the closest to
Bix and was in great form. Josh is an excellent drummer. I found that
modern drummers have a hard time reproducing the rhythmic
patterns of the 1920s. Josh understands the 1920s beat and
reproduces it faithfully. Peter was the relief drummer and he is quite
good. Rich provided a steady pulse on his guitar and soloed
occasionally. He is really very good. Matt is an excellent baritone
saxophone and clarinet player. Pam enriched the music every once in
a while with a well-sung vocal. I was at awe to see how a few guys
who never played with each other could produce such nice music. As
I said, a fabulous evening with excellent music, great food and wine,
a terrific atmosphere, and first-class company. It's as good as it gets!!
Evening of June 6, 2004 at 1934 Grand Avenue,
Davenport, Iowa.
The premiere of the restored 1926 film of the Goldkette
orchestra took place on June 6, 2004 in Bix's house at 1934 Grand
Avenue.
As explained in the program, we started the festivities at 6 pm
with a reception -delicious hors d’oeuvres and cocktails.
Approximately 45 people were in Bix’s house at that time, including
visitors from far away places: Peter Diepeveen and Mr. and Mrs. Ton
Rakers (Ton was the bass saxophonist on track 8 of the "Thank You
Bix" CD) from Holland, Brad Kay, Pamla Eisenberg and Michael
Kieffer from California, Tom Pletcher from Florida, Jim Cullum from
Texas, Joe Giordano from New Jersey. Two of Bix's relatives were
present, grand niece Liz Beiderbecke Hart and grand nephew Chris
Beiderbecke. At 7 pm, people were seated and Ray Voss, president
of the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Society, welcomed the audience
and introduced Hans Eekhoff who acted as MC for the rest of the
evening. Hans first mentioned June 6, D-Day and spoke some very
touching words about the crucial role played by the US troops in
helping liberate Europe. He then told us about the passing of his
mentor, the legendary John. R. T. Davies, jazz musician, collector,
and record restorer. Then, Hans introduced the four sound films
described in the program. The audience was highly appreciative. I
particularly liked the short of Red Nichols’ band with Eddie Condon
on vocal.
At 8 pm we had a nice buffet dinner and at 8:45 the audience
was seated again for the highly anticipated premiere. Hans
introduced Steve Teeter, Curator of the Louisiana State Museum
Jazz Collection and custodian of the Goldkette film.
Steve’s lecture was superb and he treated the audience to a
historical and technical account of the Goldkette film. The film was
shot by Charlie Horvath, manager of the Goldkette band, in October
1926 during the visit of the band to New York City to play at
Roseland. The details of the donation of the film to the jazz museum
were described by Steve as follows.
“In October of 1966, Doc Souchon visited California and attended
some meetings of the New Orleans Jazz Club of California. There he
made the acquaintance of Enos "Doc" Cenardo, a drummer who had
played and recorded with many fine musicians, including Glenn
Miller, Kid Ory, Doc Evans, and George Brunies. In the late 20s he
was with the Orange Blossom Band in the Graystone Ballroom, and
made friends with Bix and Steve Brown, who were playing opposite in
the Goldkette Orchestra.
Cenardo asked a lot of questions about the New Orleans Jazz Club
and the Jazz Museum, which Souchon answered without realizing he
was being interrogated. His answers were satisfactory, as at the end
Cenardo announced he was sending them a package. In due course
the Bix film arrived, which absolutely floored Souchon and the NOJC
folks. Following the film came a detailed letter from Cenardo, giving
its history and provenance, dated January 6, 1967, which I will quote:
The film was taken in June of 1927 [n.b., this is incorrect; it was
October 1926], when the band left Detroit for a New England tour and
then wound up in New York at the Roseland Ballroom, where the
band broke up. The film was taken by Charley [sic] Horvath who at
the time of the tour was manager of the band--he formerly played
drums in the band and was replaced by Chauncey Morehouse.
Knowing that I was a collector of films, Charley gave me the film in
1950, and in 1954 Charley passed away from a heart attack. In 1961
I received a letter from a Helen Kiok, who stated that NBC was
planning on a TV show to be called "Chicago and All That Jazz" and
that she had been informed that I had some films on personalities
connected with jazz of the twenties. ... They paid me $1,000.00 for
the use of the film. Since the showing in late 1961, I have received
letters from all over the United States, Paris, and England, requesting
copies of the film, and to this date I'm still receiving letters. All of
these requests have been denied with the explanation that if I gave
out copies, my copy would no longer be a collectors [sic] item. Not
being satisfied with this explanation, they keep begging for copies.
Having heard so much about you and the museum, and upon the
advice of my very good friend, the late Steve Brown, I reached the
decision that you should have the film for the museum. I can now
proudly state to future writers, that the film is in the NOJC museum.”
For the technical aspects of the film, Steve deduced that it was shot
with a hand-held ca 1925 Cine-Kodak Camera Model B worth about
$150 at the time. The really startling finding that Steve announced in
his lecture is that the film in the Jazz Museum is not the original film.
The film in the museum has the marking “Dupont Safety KL” on the
edge. From known specifications, Steve told us that the cellulose
acetate film dated form 1956!!! Evidently, the copy that Doc Cenardo
gave to the museum was not the original Horvath film!! Steve’s
conjecture is that by 1956, the original film may have been in
relatively poor condition and Cenardo decided to make a copy. Steve
gave some additional details about the process of restoration, carried
out by the Film Technology Company, Inc. of Hollywood, CA. The
audience showed its appreciation of Steve’s presentation by
prolonged applause.
Hans then introduced me. I listed the two videos where short scenes
from the film were included. 1. Garry Moore’s 1961 Dupont Show of
the Week “Chicago and All That Jazz.” 2. Brigitte Berman’s
documentary “Bix” Ain’t None of Them Play Like Him Yet.”. I also
mentioned the existence of a series of stills from the film reproduced
in Sudhalter and Evans’ “Bix: Man and Legend,” and in Evans and
Evans’ “Bix: The Leon Bix Beiderbecke Story.” Finally, I told the
audience that copies of the film -slighltly shorter than the restored film
and with a different sequence of scenes- had been shown in the Bix
concert of 1975 in Carnegie.
Then, around 9 pm, Hans introduced the film and had it shown. The
film was shown three times, twice in its original, silent form, and then
once more accompanied by a soundtrack prepared by Hans by
splicing together Goldkette recordings of October 1926. The audience
seemed to have enjoyed particularly the showing with the music.
Indeed, Hans’ clever splicing of the recordings added another
dimension to the film. Speaking for myself, I want to state that it was
fantastic to see Bix in action, running through the streets of Boston,
playing in front of the bear cage in the zoo, looking and smiling at the
camera, playing with the band. It reminded me –sadly- of the lost
opportunity to see and hear Bix play his cornet in the film “The King of
Jazz.”
The evening ended with a jam session that continued until the early
hours of next day. The musicians participating in the jam session
were Jim Cullum, Peter Diepeveen, Josh Duffee, Hans Eekhoff, Brad
Kay, Tom Pletcher, Matt Craighead, and a young string bass player
with Duffee’s orchestra.
It was a fantastic day, great company, great food, an unusual
opportunity of seeing moving footage of Bix, and great music. A day
to remember for the rest of my life.
Acknowledgements.
All the people who attended the premiere in Davenport as well
as all Bixophiles around the world owe a great debt of gratitude to
Hans Eekhoff for his initiative in getting the film restored and to Steve
Teeter for getting the job done. We also must thank Hans for his
organizational skills -with the help of the local officials of the Bix
Beiderbecke Memorial Society -Ray, Muriel, Rich, Julie- and for his
generosity in assuming all expenses associated with the showing of
the film as well as of the jam session on June 5. Last, but not least,
we must thank the Avati Brothers, the owners of the Bix house, and
Marilene, their US representative, for making available Bix's house
for the premiere showing of this very important film.