Views from the Collection
Bix’s youth Cornet and vest
Bix’s School Vest (Liz Beiderbecke-Hart collection)
-Bix wore this school vest for a school performance.
Shepherd’s Crook Cornet (Eugene Gast collection)
-This cornet was owned by young Bix Beiderbecke, and was given by Bix’s brother, Burnie, to Gene Gast when he was a kid. It was a French import and sold by J. W. Pepper.
Bix’s piano
Bix’s Wurlitzer Piano (Loaned by Albert Haim)
-This is the only piano Bix personally owned. He purchased it in July 1931 for his Sunnyside, NY apartment. The piano was tracked down by Albert Haim to a family who was teaching their daughters how to play the piano without any knowledge of Bix’s ownership of the piano.
Eddie condon’s mandolin and banjo head
Eddie Condon’s Banjo Head (Loaned by Maggie Condon)
-This is all that is left from Eddie Condon’s first tenor banjo he played, dating to about 1919. Eddie Condon was a professional touring musician by the age of 16.
Custom Mandolin (Hank O’Neal collection)
-This custom made mandolin engraved with Eddie Condon’s signature was gifted to Condon by 4-time Academy Award winning Lyricist (“Moon River”, “Skylark”, “Laura”), Johnny Mercer. The back of the mandolin was fitted with a padlocked compartment to hide a liquor bottle, which can be seen if you visit the museum.
Bobby Gillette’s Banjo
Bacon and Day Banjo (Donated by Wythe Walker)
-Beautifully ornate banjo owned by Wolverine Bobby Gillette early in his career. The banjo has a stunning pearlescent underside
Don Murray’s Saxophone
C.G. Conn Tenor Saxophone (Collection of Tom M. Harris, nephew of Don Murray)
-This 1923 gold-plated C.G. Conn Tenor Saxophone and early 1920’s Otto Link mouthpiece was owned and used by Bix’s friend, Don Murray. A popular model for professional musicians of the period, this saxophone is covered in intricate engravings.
Frankie Trumbauer’s Saxophone
Holton Elkhorn Saxophone (Loan from Ken and Lynn Trumbauer Johnson)
-This C-Melody Saxophone is accompanied by a mouthpiece and reed set all owned and used by Frankie Trumbauer along with a framed 1930’s photo of Trumbauer holding this very Saxophone.
Pee-wee Russell’s Clarinets
Two Clarinets with Case (Kenny and Else Davern collection)
-These were Pee Wee Russell’s last two clarinets he owned. Upon Russell’s death, he gave these to his protégé Kenny Davern in 1969.
Pee-Wee Russell’s Art
Faces in the Crowd (Bix Beiderbecke Museum & Archive)
-Pee-Wee Russell spent the last decade of his life as a painter, creating around 90 works of art before his death in 1969 at the age of 62. The artwork, painted in 1967, depicts Pee-Wee and his wife Mary, the bottom two figures, looking out into the crowd of people. The painting was given to his protégé Kenny Davern and later donated to the museum by Kenny’s wife, Elsa Davern.
Bill Rank’s Trombone and mutes
CG Conn Trombone (Loan from Bill’s son, William B. Rank and wife Judith, and grandchildren Greg, Steve, and Kurt)
-This 1957 Trombone with accompanying Mutes was owned and played by Trombonist Bill Rank, whom Bix considered to be the best Trombonist he had ever heard.
Adrian Rollini’s Sax keypad and Red Nichols’ Cornet
Saxophone Keypad (Kenny and Else Davern Collection)
-At the age of 16, Kenny Davern was given this autographed keypad by Adrian Rollini at Adrian’s Tap Room in the Hotel New York in 1953.
Beuscher Cornet (Bix Beiderbecke Museum & Archive)
-This 1926 cornet belonged to Red Nichols and is engraved with the lettering “E.L. ‘Red’ Nichols”.
Jimmy McPartland’s Cornet Bell
Bell of Bach Cornet (Hank O’Neal Collection)
-This is what is left of the Bach Cornet Bix bought for Jimmy McPartland in 1928. It was the same Bach that Bix owned.
Bix Beiderbecke’s Tuxedo
Tuxedo Jacket (on loan from Chris Beiderbecke)
-This is the tuxedo jacket Bix used while performing during the Whiteman years.
Frankie Trumbauer and Bix’s Trunks
Trumbauer Travel Trunk (acquired through funds provided by Don and Vicki Palmer Pruter) Bix Travel Trunk (on loan from Chris Beiderbecke)
-These trunks were used by Frankie Trumbauer and Bix Beiderbecke to store their instruments and all of their belongings while on tour with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra. If you look closely, you can still see both of their names and Whiteman Orch. printed on each trunk.
Bix’s Doorknob, backplate, and peephole
Door Hardware (Bix Beiderbecke Museum & Archive)
-Fixtures for the door to Bix’s Sunnyside, New York apartment.