Bix Vigil – 2005
This year’s vigil took place on August 6, exactly on Bix’s 74th anniversary of his death. The event was organized by Paul Maringelli and the Bix Beiderbecke Sunnyside Memorial Committee. Undoubtedly, Paul is a gifted organizer: the event flowed smoothly and effectively. Approximately 100 people were present. The courtyard of the All Saints Episcopal Church, with its majestic trees and nice landscape, provides an effective venue for this memorial gathering, especially since it is located next door to the building where Bix briefly lived in the summer of 1931.
As usual, the first item on the program was a concert by the Sunnyside Drum Corps. It is nice to see a group of youngsters carefully playing together and dedicating some of their free time to learning and practicing the instruments. The Corps got a warm round of applause.
The second item in the program was a lecture by Albert Haim (me). I told three stories. The first story was a brief report about the 2005 Bix Festival in Davenport. I mentioned the theme of the Festival -Bix Around the World- and illustrated that by mentioning the nine biographies written about him, two from the UK, two from Italy, one from Germany from France, and three from the US. I described that Randy Sandke was a guest and played Bix’s Vincent Bach Stradivarius cornet, kept at the Putnam Museum. The second story was last year’s induction of Bix in the Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame at Jazz at Lincoln Center. The audience was highly impressed by the fact that Bix was one of only fourteen inductees.
The third story was about 1600 Broadway. I gave a brief history of the building and told that Bix played in that building – the Cinderella Ballroom in 1924 and the New Yorker Club in 1927. I also related the fact that the premiere of Brigitte Berman’s documentary about Bix took place in that building on the 50th anniversary of Bix’s death, August 6, 1981. I also mentioned the plaque on the building and the fact that the building has been demolished. The third part of the program was music by a live band put together by Frank Pedulla. Frank certainly has a good appreciation of the musical legacy of Bix and Tram. He gave a discussion of the instruments in the band (cornet, trombone, alto saxophone, clarinet, tuba, banjo, and drums). Each member of the band illustrated his or her instrument by playing a short piece: an effective and educational presentation. The band played several standard Dixieland tunes (Basin Street Blues, Panama, Dark Town Strutters Ball, When the Saints Go Marching In) and two Bix tunes, Fidgety Feet and Sensation. A couple of ladies danced to the music, one of them was an elderly lady: she moved with grace, kept a perfect rhythm, and had enormous fun. The audience responded warmly to her. Congratulations to the members of the band, to Frank for putting it together, and to Paul for choosing Frank as the leader.
The last part of the program was the traditional candlelight vigil. A group of participants walked the short distance from the church to 43-30 Bliss (46th) Street, lighted candles, and entered the building. We gathered in front of apartment 1G and stayed there for several minutes with candles lit, each thinking his/her own thoughts. I thought about Bix, his glorious music, his sad ending, his partially fulfilled promise, and replayed “I’ll Be A Friend With Pleasure” in my mind (being inside the building, it was not appropriate to play music).
Another excellent tribute to Bix, a good way of keeping his legacy alive. Thanks to Paul, the Bix Beiderbecke Sunnyside Memorial Committee, and all the sponsors of the Vigil.