Bix vs. Louis

Bix Beiderbecke was one of the most popular Jazz musicians of the 1920’s. He was born Leon Bix Beiderbecke on March 10, 1903 in Davenport, Iowa. His father was a coal and lumber merchant and his mother a church organist. Although he did take lessons for a short time, his teacher grew frustrated with him and his improvisations and refusal to read the music. He learned to play by ear. He was the first great white Jazz cornetist. He was inspired by records of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band and by hearing bands on the Mississippi riverboats. His love for music caused him to be sent away to military school in 1921 because his father thought that music was not a real job that would earn him respect and money. The school was close to Chicago which at the time was the center of jazz music. He was kicked out of military school because he often missed curfew due to him being out listening to bands. He joined his first Jazz band the Wolverines in 1923. Over the years he played with many different Jazz and dance bands. He died from Pneumonia complicated by his alcoholism in 1931.
In both pieces, Louis Armstrong and Bix Beiderbecke and their instruments are what stand out in the songs. The tempo of the pieces are different with “I’m Coming to Virginia” being the slower tempo of the two.
Louis Armstrong normally has a real bright sound. In “The Potato Head Blues” the best way to describe his timbre here is something more "street". It’s not as refined. You can tell Louis hasn't had any formal training and is just raw talent. The bright colors that became his trademark come through vibrantly, but this is a blues chart, after all. Also, Louis starts all his solos with the same few notes and he has a vibrato all his own.
In “I’m Coming to Virginia” Bix Biederbecke has a timbre that is more classical, to an extent; precise phrasing, exact pitch, etc. Louis' solo is more in your face, full of excitement, but Bix is laid back, dare I say subdued. Chord