Davenport Blues
Posted in Jazz on Jan 11th, 2009 1 Comment »
A tune composed by Bix Beiderbecke and recorded by him, with his Rhythm Jugglers, in 1926 as a jaunty, medium tempo number originally in 3 sections. The first section, a verse, is a preliminary to the second, a 16 bar variation followed by a reprise of the verse theme. The third section is the chorus, and the most distinctive – a bitter sweet melody starting with two four note rising arpeggios, then descending to “blue” Aflat and a trill, followed by a repeat, a variation and a reprise. Bix’s recording, despite his tender cornet, seems to our ears stiff and inflexible - and archaic. Since then there have been many recordings of his tune.
At a memorial concert for Louis Armstrong at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, on 28 November 1971, Davenport Blues was played as a duet by Alex Welsh on cornet and Fred Hunt on piano. It is played slow. They omit the first two sections and focus on the third section, the chorus, the most memorable melody. I don’t want to repeat here what I have said elsewhere on this performance, other than to reinforce the opinion I expressed there that this version, by Welsh and Hunt, is the finest ever recorded.
