In A Mist by Bix Beiderbecke Jazz Ensemble - Digital Sheet Music

SKU: A0.1846917

Peter Stöve “What If Benny Goodman...” series, volume 11! (A take-off on events that could have happened with the Benny Goodman Orchestra’s book of arrangements if things in jazz history had taken another turn).

What if, in 1934, Benny Goodman had asked Joe Lippman to arrange “In A Mist,” a composition by Bix Beiderbecke, for the orchestra Benny had assembled for the broadcasts of the program “Let’s Dance”? Lippman was the pianist in that orchestra.

Benny and Bix had played together for the first time in 1923. In the years that followed, their paths crossed regularly in recording studios. That came to an end when Benny began leading his own band. But Benny was familiar with Beiderbecke’s compositions for solo piano: in a radio program broadcast in 1938, Benny had pianist Jess Stacy perform “In a Mist” as a solo.
The arrangement for the Goodman orchestra never materialized; Lippman later made one for trumpeter Bunny Berigan, who recorded it in 1938, along with two other Beiderbecke songs.

“In A Mist” is presented here as a piece that could have been a cornerstone of the Goodman band’s repertoire for “Let’s Dance.” It is an orchestration of the transcription that arranger Bill Challis made in 1928 of the piano version played by Bix, with extensions to accommodate jazz solo’s. So, the atmosphere of this arrangement emphasizes clearly the “jazz” side of the composition, and much less the dreamy, impressionistic side. Also the intended tempo is faster. Bix’s piano version has a tempo of around 170 bpm, this arrangement is set at 192 bpm (of course it can be played slower).

Composed for the 1935 Benny Goodman Orchestra lineup: solo clarinet/2 alto saxophones/2 tenor saxophones/3 trumpets/2 trombones/rhythm section. Trumpet 1 to D3. The clarinet soloist must be a first-class ‘BG-wannabe’: fluent soloist, comfortable in the upper register. Additional solo spots for tenor sax 1 and trumpet 2. Now here’s a challenging piece! Have fun. The music example is a sample from my Sibelius file.