Bix: Ain’t None of Them Play Like Him Yet

Documentary of the life and music of Leon “Bix” Beiderbecke, considered to be the greatest jazz cornet player. Dead at 28 and still a legend. He and Louis Armstrong pioneered the playing of jazz solos. When it was made in 1981 there was no known video of Bix playing. But the documentary surmounted that limitation with the skillful use of music recordings, period stills and movies, Hopper paintings, and extensive interviews with musicians that played with him (e.g., Louis Armstrong, Artie Shaw, Hoagy Carmichael, and many others). Since that time a few seconds of video of Bix playing with Paul Whiteman were discovered, and they are appended at the very end after the closing credits (at least in a version theatrically screened in 2021). Very informative; besides his cornet playing, the doc doesn’t stint when it comes to his piano playing, his composing and his alcoholism.