Bix in the Amherst Student

The Monday, March 16, 1931 issue of the Amherst Student, the student newspaper from Amherst College, carried the following article on the front page.

SENIOR CLASS DANCE IS WELL ATTENDED BY STUDENTS AND GUESTS

Bix Beidebecke [sic] and Dorsey Bros. Furnish Excellent Music for Gala College Affair

One of the most successful class dances at Amherst in recent years took place Saturday afternoon and evening when the annual Senior Hop was held in College Hall.

The historic building was decorated in green and white while the orchestra was placed on the stage in front of a background of silver, red, yellow, and white streamers.

The building was made even more comfortable by the many chairs and davenports which were a loan from the fraternities. The dance was attended by approximately 135 couples and 85 stags.

The music was furnished by two bands, one led by Bix Beiderbecke who alternated with the Dorsey brothers orchestra under the supervision of Tom Dorsey.

The smaller of the two, Beiderbecke’s, is considered one of the best five-piece outfits in the country.

The dance commenced at four o’clock on the arrival of the Smith and Mount Holyoke girls and continued until 6 P.M. when supper was served at the Lord Jeffery Inn.

Dancing was resumed at 7:30 P.M. and continued until midnight with a brief intermission at 10:30 P.M. when the Smith and Mount Holyoke girls departed.

The exceptionally large number of out-of-town girls present kept the dance going until twelve.

In their biography of Bix, “Bix: The Leon Beiderbecke Story,” Philip and Linda Evans report:

March 14, 1931 (Sat)- Dorsey Brothers Orchestra played Senior Hop in College Hall at Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts. The date was booked by Art Michaud. Personnel:

• Bix (c);
• Bunny Berigan,
• Bill Moore (t);
• Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller (tb);
• Jimmy Dorsey, three others (rds);
• Arthur Schutt(p);
• Carl Kress(g);
• Johnny Morris(d);
• unknown sb.

College newspaper:

Bix’s group was considered one of the best five-piece outfit in the country.

The five pieces would be Bix, Tommy, Jimmy, Arthur, and Johnny.

 

In a 1969 interview, Johnny Morris told Philip Evans:

Bix was very moody and despondent …. not anxious to play, but out of the big band we formed a small jazz group and finally succeeded  in getting Bix to “jam” with us.

 

The Amherst Student article was made available through the Courtesy of Amherst College Archives & Special Collections at http://www.amherst.edu/library/archives.

I am grateful to Peter Nelson for his help with the article.