clxvii. BECHET, Sidney (1897-1959)
On October 19, 1919 the famed Swiss conductor, Ernest Ansermet -- who was in London with his orchestra, L'Orchestra de la Suisse Romande to accompany the Ballets Russe -- wrote an article in The Revue Romande, after hearing Bechet play with The Southern Syncopated Orchestra:
"There is in The Southern Syncopated Orchestra an extraordinary clarinet virtuoso, who is, so it seems, the first of his race to have composed perfectly formed blues on the clarinet. I've heard two of them, which he had elaborated at great length, then played to his companions so that they could make up an accompaniment. Extremely difficult, they are equally admirable for their richness of invention, force of accent, and daring in novelty and the unexpected. Already they gave the idea of a style and their form ws gripping, abrupt, harsh, with a brusque and pitiless ending like that of Bach's second Brandenburg Concerto. I wish to set down the name of this artist of genius, as for myself, I shall never forget it, it is Sidney Bechet. What a moving thing it is to meet this very black, fat boy with white teeth and that narrow forehead, who is very glad one likes what he does, but who can say nothing of his art, save that he follows his 'own way', and then one thinks that this 'own way' is perhaps the highway, the whole world will swing along tomorrow."
Bechet discovered the soprano saxophone in 1920, and was perhaps the first jazz musician to explore the instrument.
He taught himself to play many different instruments, but his fame rested on his wide-vibrato playing of the clarinet and the soprano sax.
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This 1945 date featured the singing of "Hot Lips" Page, with Bechet and Mezzrow playing behind him -- then Bechet breaks out with a wailing solo, followed by Page, on trumpet.
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