|
|||||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||
Back in the United States Bechet made his recording debut in 1923 with Clarence Williams and during the next two years he appeared on several of Williams' records backing up blues singers. Then in 1924 on a classic session with the Clarence Williams Blue Five, he was paired up with Louis Armstrong, whom he had known as a child in New Orleans.
From; Thus the two towering figures of early jazz met for the first time on record, in what John Chilton in his scholarly biography of Bechet, 'Sidney Bechet, Wizard of Jazz', describes a the 'Duel of the Giants'.
Their first pairing was on the Clarence Williams composition "Texas Moaner Blues". Bechet opens on clarinet, weaving sinuous lines behind Louis' confident lead. After a workmanlike solo from trombonist Charlie Irvis, Louis comes in with a magnificent solo, after which Bechet, now on soprano sax, takes a solo which rises to the challenge laid down by the young cornetist.
The outpouring of genius from Bechet and Armstrong continue on the next two sides, "Mandy Make Up Your Mind" and "I'm A Little Blackbird", on which the band is joined by Clarence Williams' wife, Eva Taylor as vocalist. "Mandy Make Up Your Mind" is notable for the only example on a jazz record of a sarrusophone solo. A twin reeded instrument sounding like a cross between a bassoon and a bass saxophone, the sarrusophone was often used in the pre-electric recording era as a replacement for a double bass, which did not have the carrying power to record satisfactorily. Thus it would not be unusual for a sarrusophone to be lying around a recording studio, and one can imagine Bechet seeing one of these oddities in a corner and giving it a blow!
Although Bechet plays wonderfully throughout on both soprano sax and sarrusophone, the star of "Mandy Make Up Your Mind" is Louis his lead in the final chorus is overwhelming in its power and intensity, which comes over clearly despite his being placed some distance from the recording horn.
"Cake Walkin' Babies From Home" is another timeless classic jazz recording where the upbeat tempo and firm rhythm provide the perfect backdrop to some of the most memorable playing by Bechet and Armstrong on record. Louis' simple, but wonderfully swinging lead is followed by a vocal from Mrs. Williams, after which his lead is punctuated by a series of stunning soprano sax breaks from Bechet. The final rideout chorus is completely dominated by Louis, moving away from the melody and rising to a crescendo of torrid breaks.
Bechet managed to keep playing during the Thirties, but he also ran an unsuccessful tailor's shop with Tommy Ladnier and made some memorable recordings with the trumpeter under the name of the New Orleans Feetwarmers. In 1938 he had a hit record of Summertime. In the Forties Bechet worked regularly in New York with Eddie Condon and tried to start a band with Bunk Johnson. Bechet was a popular figure of the Dixieland revival of the late Forties often recording with Mezz Mezzrow.
Bechet returned to France in 1952 and was warmly recieved there. While in France he recorded hit records, that rivaled the sales of pop stars. Bechet was one of the great soloists of early Jazz. He lived a very rich life, always managing to "make the scene" where it was "happening", whether it be in New Orleans, Chicago, New York, Berlin, or Paris.
From;
Sidney Bechet was a child prodigy in New Orleans. He was such a good clarinet player that he was featured by some of the top bands in the city, when he was still a young child. Bechet's style of playing clarinet and soprano sax dominanted many of the bands that he was in. He played lead parts that were usually reserved for trumpets and was a master of improvisation. In 1917 he moved to Chicago, and in 1919 he started playing with with Marion Cook's Syncopated Orchestra which toured Europe. While overseas he bought a soprano sax and from then on it was his main instrument.
Bechet played in an early version of Duke Ellington's Washingtonians, but unfortunately never recorded with them. From 1925 to 1929 Bechet lived and played in Europe, playing in England, France, Germany, and Russia. While living in Paris, Bechet got into a dispute with another musican and a gun fight broke out. Three people were wounded and Sidney spent a year in a French jail as a result of the fracas. He was deported upon release from prison and went to Berlin. He could not stay in France and he would not get a visa for England so he stayed in Berlin till 1931 then joined the Noble Sissle Orchestra and returned to America.
the liner notes of
'The Young Sidney Bechet 1923 - 1925' on Timeless Records
by Mark Berresford
Sidney Bechet, The Wizard of Jazz by John Chilton, MacMillan Press, 1987
and
Treat It Gentle: An Autobiography by Sidney Bechet, London, Cassell & Co., 1960