Sidney Bechet
| Sidney Bechet | |
|---|---|
Sidney Bechet in 1922
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| Background information | |
| Born |
May 14, 1897 New Orleans, Louisiana, United States |
| Died | May 14, 1959 (aged 62) Garches, France |
| Genres |
Jazz Dixieland |
| Occupation(s) |
Clarinetist Saxophonist Composer |
| Instruments |
Clarinet Soprano saxophone Cornet Drums Tenor Saxophone Piano Bass |
| Years active | 1908–1957 |
| Associated acts |
Louis Armstrong Tommy Ladnier |
Sidney Bechet (May 14, 1897 – May 14, 1959) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer.
He was one of the first important soloists in jazz (beating cornetist and trumpeter Louis Armstrong to the recording studio by several months and later playing duets with Armstrong), and was perhaps the first notable jazz saxophonist. Forceful delivery, well-constructed improvisations, and a distinctive, wide vibrato characterized Bechet's playing.
Bechet's erratic temperament hampered his career, however, and not until the late 1940s did he earn wide acclaim.
Bechet was born in New Orleans in 1897 to a middle-class Creole of color family. Sidney's older brother Leonard Victor Bechet (1877–1952) was a full-time dentist and a part-time trombonist and bandleader. Sidney Bechet quickly learned to play several musical instruments kept around the house, mostly by teaching himself; he soon decided to specialize in clarinet. At the age of six, Sidney started playing along with his brother's band at a family birthday party, debuting his talents to acclaim. Later in his youth, Bechet studied with such renowned Creole clarinetists as Lorenzo Tio, "Big Eye" Louis Nelson Delisle, and George Baquet.
Soon after, Bechet began to play in many New Orleans ensembles, using the improvisational techniques of the time (obbligatos, with scales and arpeggios, and varying the melody). These ensembles included parade work with Freddie Keppard's celebrated Brass Band, the Olympia Orchestra, and John Robichaux's "genteel" dance orchestra. In 1911-12, Bechet performed with Bunk Johnson in the Eagle Band of New Orleans, and in 1913-14, with King Oliver in the Olympia Band.
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