BIX: A Radio Program From Miami University – Part 2
Jim Grover’s Creative Thesis
In May 1971, James Robert Grover submitted “A Creative Aural History Thesis” to the Department of Speech of Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. The title of the thesis is “A Series of Nineteen One-Half-Hour Original Tape-Recorded Radio Programs on the Life and Music of Leon Bix Beiderbecke.”
The programs were produced by Jim Grover at Miami University Radio, which operates the public broadcasting radio station WMUB. The production of Bix was financed, in part, by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting under the umbrella of their Sounds of Radio competition. William Utter, manager of WMUB and Professor of Communications at the time, had written the grant proposal and was successful in securing the necessary funds. Jim’s academic adviser was Stephen C. Hathaway, who was, at the time, the director of Miami University Telecommunications Service.
Jim’s thesis was no ordinary scholarly document on an esoteric subject, nor was it a written document. Basically, what James Grover produced was a series of audio tapes. It is noteworthy that the use of an audio format, at the time, represented a highly creative and novel approach in academic scholarship. The tapes go through Bix’s life by a combination of narration, interviews with musicians and friends who knew Bix personally, commentaries by knowledgeable people, and Bix’s own recordings. I quote from the abstract of the thesis:
The tape-recorded series of programs presents an aural history of this great American Jazz innovator.” “The interview material provides an insight to the creative and human aspects of Bix Beiderbecke.
Although numerous authors, while tracing the evolution of jazz, have attempted to document Bix, none have used the intimate medium of radio to illustrate the entire Beiderbecke career. The nineteen tape-recorded programs of the series provide an in-depth study of the life and music of the legendary Bix.
This is a low-key description of a magnificent document. The people who are interviewed clearly loved Bix and provide informative, insightful, and, sometimes, humorous comments. The analyses of Bix’s recordings are detailed, perceptive, and instructive. The narration is concise and well-woven. It is important to point out that the tapes were produced before the Sudhalter-Evans biography and the Berman video documentary were available, two excellent sources of detailed information. But I must point out also that Phil Evans (the author of biographies about Bix, Tram and Red Nichols) with his encyclopedic knowledge and documentation about Bix, John Steiner (legendary jazz records collector who in the 1940’s bought the remainings of the Paramount record company) with his knowledge and collection of mint Bix recordings, and Joseph Campbell (a local Bix aficionado who also had a superb collection of mint recordings) acted as advisors for the series.
Other important people associated with the project were Bill Utter who acted as executive producer and also was an excellent narrator for the series; Frank Powers (clarinet player and, at the time, president of the Southwest Ohio Classic Jazz Society) who analyzed the recordings; and Mary K. Fulton who wrote some of the script and the narration connecting the interviews. There is no way to do justice to this fantastic work by reading a transcript. One has to listen to the tapes using the “intimate medium of radio” as Jim Grover put it so well. he nineteen tapes were broadcast in successive weeks by WMUB in 1972.
Jim Grover’s BIX series of tapes came alive again starting on March 10, 2001, the 98th anniversary of Bix’s birth: it was broadcast by radio station WMKV. Still, the series “Bix” was broadcast at least once between the original 1972 broadcast over WMUB and that 2001 broadcast over WMKV. Richard “Dixie Dick” Kammeier wrote to me on March 1, 2003 and kindly provided he following information.
Dick had a traditional jazz program -Dixieland Brunch- on Tampa’s community radio station, WMNF. Joe Campbell, who acted as an advisor for Jim Grover’s series “Bix” and had a copy of the “Bix” programs (Joe was Bill Utter’s brother in law), moved to St. Petersburg. Joe got acquainted with “Dixie Dick” through his radio program. In 1981, Dick asked and received permission to rebroadcast Jim Grover’s 19 half-hour radio programs in his “Dixieland Brunch” program over WMNF.
The tapes of the programs were provided by Joe and were broadcast once a week in the morning from 10:00 to 10:30 a.m. for nineteen weeks. Thus, the entire “Bix” show was heard in the Tampa Bay area of Florida on “Dixieland Brunch” over WMNF during that time period.
Dick tells me:
“I would always slip in a few Bix recordings during the rest of the shows I presented.”
At the time the rebroadcast was announced, Alan Bayowski, general manager of WMKV, who conceived the idea of the rebroadcast, wrote:
The series will begin airing on WMKV 89.3 FM Cincinnati on Saturday, March 10th at 7 p.m. EST with a rebroadcast on Wednesday, March 14th at 10 p.m.
We will air the series in one-hour blocks. The first program on the 10th of March will feature the intro recorded by Bart, Frank and Bill plus the first in the Bix series. The next Bix Show will feature #2 and #3 from the original series and be aired on March 17th and the 21st.
We’ll then continue with two shows (one hour) each week, Saturday for the premiere and the rebroadcast the following Wednesday. With this schedule the final program of one hour will air the 12th and 16th of May.
Bart, Frank, and Bill are Dave Bartholomew, Frank Power, and William Utter, respectively.
- Frank: he was a clarinet player, Bix specialist, and jazz scholar and was the major commentator for the program.
- Bill: We already saw his name earlier – was manager of WMUB and Professor of Communications at the time; he had written the grant proposal for securing the necessary funds to finance the making of the program. Bill was the executive producer for the series and was the narrator as well. Bill provided a clean set of tapes.
- Bart: Alan tells me that Bart is:
A WMKV volunteer who produces a wonderful weekly program on music from the 20s called ‘Friction’ and is a Bix aficionado; he has taken copies of the series that Bill Utter has and has lovingly rerecorded/dubbed the programs onto Digital Audio Tape. They will then be transferred to CD. Bart reinserted “cleaner” recordings of Bix’s music to deal with some audio bleeding that was on the original tapes we were working with.
Bart, Frank, and Bill have prepared an introduction. Bill writes:
They invited me to come down in the next week to do a 30: program with Frank Powers and others about the making of the series. I will take along some outtakes given to me by Jim Grover. They will use this to lead off the broadcast of the series on the station and internet.
Jim Grover presented a copy of the 19 audio tapes of his M.S. Thesis to the Davenport Public Library on August 6, 1971, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Bix’s death. This was the same day that Bill Donohoe and the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Band of New Jersey made their historic trip to Davenport to play Davenport Blues at Bix’s grave site in Oakdale Cemetary. The presentation of the tapes took place in the Davenport Public Library. The event was photographed. A photograph of the event was published in the August 7, 1971, issue of Times-Democrat, Davenport-Bettendorf, Iowa. A scan of the photo [Apologies for the poor quality. This is a scan of a copy from a microfilm.] is shown on the right-hand side. Jim Grover, right, represented the Miami University radio station, and Robert Kellenberg, president of the Board of Trustees, represented the Davenport Public Library. As reported by Jim Arpy in the story he wrote for the paper, Jim Grover said:
When the jazzmen of the 30s needed a hero, they chose Bix. Bix, the high school dropout, the self-taught musician, had been part of two of the most successful bands of the 20s.
I am now proud and honored to present -available on demand on the Bixography website- the 19 programs aired by WMKV, as well as the introduction to the series specially prepared for the rebroadcast. I want to express my profound gratitude to Bill Utter, who provided me with copies of the 10 CDs of the rebroadcast. A warm thanks also goes to Alan, who, with Bill, decided that I was to be one of the first recipients of the CDs lovingly and beautifully produced by Bart. The contributions of Bart and Frank also must be recognized with our appreciation. It is sad that Frank did not live to witness this third broadcast of Jim’s thesis. Last but not least, we – Bixophiles and Jazz aficionados from around the world- owe a great debt of gratitude to Jim Grover, who put together an invaluable historic document. This page is dedicated to him with admiration and respect.
Introduction
Special Introductory program for the 2001 WMKV rebroadcast of the series BIX. David “Bart” Bartholomew hosts a special introductory program with the original narrator, Bill Utter, and the commentator from the original series, Frank Powers.
Program 1
His interest in music as a child: early jazz exposure. The Original Dixieland Jazz Band and the first meeting with Louis Armstrong and possibly Emmett Hardy. Bix’s involvement in music in his high school days. Recollections of Bix’s brother Charles Beiderbecke, Louis Armstrong, Hoagy Carmichael, Eddie Condon, and Gene Krupa.
Program 2
BIX in Chicago 1921-1922: Bix as a student at Lake Forest Academy. Chicago excursions introduced the King Oliver Creole Jazz Band and the New Orleans Rhythm Kings. Bix chose music.
Program 3
BIX and the Start of the Wolverines-Autumn of 1923: Eddie Condon tells of his first impressions of the “kid with the cap”. Dud Mecum explains how the Wolverines got to the Stockton Club. The first recordings: “Fidgety Feet” and “Jazz Me Blues”.
Program 4
BIX and the Growth of the Wolverines: More recordings: “Oh Baby,”; Hoagy Carmichael reminisces about the Spring of 1924 and his composition “Riverboat Shuffle.” “I Need Some Pettin’,” “Tiger Rag,” and “Tia Juana”.
Program 5
The Last of BIX and the Wolverines and the Beginning of the BIX/Trumbauer Team-“Big Boy,” the last recording with the Wolverines. McPartland takes over – it was the end of an era. The first recording of Bix and Trumbauer, “I’m Glad,” with the Sioux City Six.
Program 6
Jean Goldkette Orchestra, BIX and His Rhythm Jugglers: Bix loved the classics, as discussed by Paul Mertz. Victor rejected a Bix solo. “Davenport Blues” was his first composition. The call to St. Louis.
Program 7
BIX in St. Louis and Return to Detroit: Goldkette: The Arcadia Ball Room and a young lady named Ruth. The Goldkette recordings of “Sunday,” “I’m Gonna Meet My Sweetie Now,” and “My Pretty Girl.” Bill Rank recalls Don Murray and Jimmy Dorsey as the “clowns” in the band.
Program 8
BIX and Trumbauer–1927: “Clarinet Marmalade,” “Singin’ the Blues'” the Bill Challis arrangement of “Ostrich Walk,” and Hoagy Carmichael on “Riverboat Shuffle.”
Program 9
BIX and Trumbauer–1927, the Last of the Goldkette Orchestra: “I’m Coming Virginia,” “Way Down Yonder in New Orleans,” “For No Reason at All in C,” “Three Blind Mice,” and “Clementine”. Hoagy Carmichael compares Bix’s choruses to the weaving of lace. Paul Mertz on memories of Bix.
Program 10
BIX and the New Yorkers, BIX and his Gang: Frankie Trumbauer remembers the collapse of Goldkette’s Orchestra. Hoagy recalls Bix’s “pyrotechnics.” Recordings include “There Ain’t No Land Like Dixieland,” “Royal Garden Blues,” “Jazz Me Blues,” and “Goose Pimples.” Bill Rank recalls his favorite recording with Bix – “At the Jazz Band Ball”.
Program 11
The Whiteman Period– Part I: “Sorry” and “Since My Gal Turned Me Down” recorded by Bix and His Gang. Frank Trumbauer’s recording of “A Good Man is Hard to Find.” “Changes,” one of Bix’s first recordings with Paul Whiteman. Comments by Bing Crosby.
Program 12
The Whiteman Period– Part II: “Lonely Melody,” “There’ll Come a Time” (Trumbauer), “Mississippi Mud” (Trumbauer), “Dardanella,” and the classic Whiteman recording “From Monday On”. Also memories of Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby, and Gene Krupa.
Program 13
The Whiteman Period– Part III: More from Bing Crosby and Bill Challis. The Whiteman recordings of “Sugar,” “You Took Advantage of Me,” and “Tain’t So Honey, Tain’t So.” Bix’s Gang recording of “Somebody Stole My Gal”.
Program 14
The Whiteman Period– Part IV: Louis Armstrong, Bill Challis, and Bill Rank on association with Bix. Recordings include “That’s My Weakness Now,” “Ol’ Man River,” “Wa Da Da,” “Sweet Sue,” and “Love Affairs”.
Program 15
The Whiteman Period– Part V: Bill Rank … Bix missed a train on a tour in 1928. Bill Challis … Bix became ill and left the band. Paul Whiteman … Bix was a gentleman. Trumbauer recordings: “Love Nest,” “Baby Won’t You Please Come Home,” and “I Like That.” China Boy” by the Whiteman Orchestra.
Program 16
BIX: 1929-1930: Hoagy Carmichael remembers his recording date with Bix that produced “Barnacle Bill” and “Rockin’ Chair”. Bix Beiderbecke and His Orchestra: “I’ll Be A Friend With Pleasure,” and “Deep Down South”. Pee Wee Russell on Bix.
Program 17
BIX: 1930–1931: “Georgia on My Mind.” Bix’s recording of his own composition “In A Mist” as recalled by Frank Trumbauer. Bill Rank and Bill Challis … the business of writing music. Jimmy and Marian McPartland love Bix’s music.
Program 18
BIX: The Composer: “In A Mist,” “Candlelights,” “Flashes,” “In the Dark,” and “Davenport Blues.” Discussion by Bill Challis and Ralph Sutton.
Program 19
BIX: The Final Chorus: Louis Armstrong, Charles Beiderbecke, Bill Challis, Eddie Condon, Preston Jackson, Jimmy McPartland, Dr. Elwood Senderling.