Challis Leon (2 results)

Dated signed limited numbered edition, octavo softcover (VG+); all our specials have minimal description to keep listing them viable. They are at least reading copies, complete and in reasonable condition, but usually secondhand; frequently they are superior examples. Ordering more than one book will reduce your overall postage cost.

Signed by both Bix and Bill Challis, Whiteman orchestra MD and one of Beiderbecke's greatest supporters in his very last, desperate years. Bix's signature, due to his short life and ragged lifestyle, is a rare thing. "In A Mist", a Debussyesque sketch, transcribed for Bix by Challis, is probably his most famous piece, suggestive of a brilliance ahead of his time, of places jazz could, and would eventually, go. "Despite the brevity of the mature phase of his career, Beiderbecke is an immortal of jazz, a man whose life has assumed almost mythic proportions. Celebrated musicians who had the good fortune to hear him in his prime have characterized him as 'the master,' a 'once-in-a-million artist.' Equally enthusiastic jazz critics and historians have seen in him 'the first real modernist in jazz,' 'a musical genius,' 'the great romantic legend of American jazz,' and 'the first great white jazz musician.' Possessed of a stunningly pure, burnished tone, Beiderbecke brought to jazz a virtually unparalleled lyricism and poignancy. Harmonically, he operated at a level of sophistication that eluded the majority of his cohorts" (ANB). Folio, 4-page score. Framed and glazed, measuring 423 x 343 mm. Letter of authentication from handwriting analyst Giles Weigandt (dated 2006). A little toned, some minor wear at the edges, but overall very good.