Many YouTube videos of jazz performances are exuberant hot music, nearly violent in their emotional effect.
This tribute to Bix Beiderbecke’s early life, created by Mook Ryan, is something different. It beautifully melds photographs of Bix’s early life with his composition FLASHES played by Chris Hopkins and Bernd Lhotzky. And Mook’s video does what great art, deeply understood, should do. Hearing the music and seeing the panorama, we celebrate Bix and mourn him. Beautiful, triumphant, evocative, and sad.
7 responses so far ↓
FLASHES of BIX / “FLASHES” for BIX // November 10, 2009 at 7:35 PM
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Agustín Pérez // November 11, 2009 at 6:52 PM
Lhotzky & Hopkins performance of “Flashes” comes from their duo album, “Tandem” (Echoes of Swing Productions) that I can heartly recommend.
Regards,
Agustín
Agustín Pérez // November 11, 2009 at 6:59 PM
My previous comment is totally misleading: what I meant is that “Tandem” is a duo album, but it includes a couple of solo tracks: “Warm Valley” by Hopkins, and “FLASHES” by Bern Lhotzky.
Agustín Pérez // November 11, 2009 at 7:04 PM
This is… there’s only one piano at this Youtube video: Lhotzky’s.
(geez, it took me three comments to explain what I was trying to state)
A
Michael Burgevin // November 11, 2009 at 10:30 PM
Dear Michael- You’re right- this is sad- so sad, Triumphant / Noble. Haunting. Leon Bix- eyes so intense… such a kind face. The picture with his mom(?)- my goodness. / Mook Ryan deserves a standing ovation. What an eye! Wonderful piano, too. Dill loved these pieces Flashes, Candlelights, In A Mist. So lovely I’ve watched this many times. Thank you. m
jazzlives // November 11, 2009 at 10:46 PM
Dear MB,
If you go to YouTube and look up “Mook Ryan,” you’ll find she’s done ten of these — TEN! — and one is more beautiful and haunting than the next. She has a a painter’s eye, adapting the single scenes to the movement of a film. We are very lucky to have such a brilliant creator in our midst! MS