From The 2026 Davenport Bix Fest

The 55th annual Bix Beiderbecke Jazz Festival got off to a rousing start on Wednesday, July 29 at Jim’s Knoxville Tap in nearby Milan, IL with a packed house enjoying a 7-piece band comprised of Davenport’s own Josh Duffee on drums, reed men Michael McQuaid from England and now New Yorker Colin Hancock (who also played cornet), Chicagoans Andy Schumm on trumpet,  Dave Bock on helicon, and Paul Asaro on piano, T.J. Muller from St. Louis on banjo, and New Yorker Mike Davis on trombone (Mike is usually seen on trumpet but is no stranger to the ‘bone). Since this event has been moved from Sunday evening to Wednesday I have made it a regular part of my trip to the Bix. It’s always a fun event with a top-notch band. Unfortunately, the owner, who had not been in good health, passed away a few days later. I hope the establishment will continue; Bix was reputed to have played at this roadhouse over 100 years ago.

On Thursday morning I paid my first visit to the relocated Bix Museum, now at 112 W. 2nd St. in downtown Davenport. I got a sneak preview last year when it was in the process of moving but could only get a brief glimpse of the new space. A few additions have been made since my last visit: Don Murray’s and Frank Trumbauer’s alto saxes, Bill Rank’s trombone mutes, and Jean Goldkette’s baton are the most notable. The new space is arranged better than the old one, but due to the possible limited number of authentic items related to Bix, I would not expect any major additions. But you never know when something of value might wind up here. Bix’s piano is here, having been found, obtained and loaned by Bix authority Dr. Albert Haim. Donors of other artifacts include Randy Sandke, Chris Tyle, Liz Beiderbecke-Hart (Bix’s grand-niece), and Scott Robinson. What the museum badly needs is better outside signage, but that’s a matter of negotiation with the landlord.

This was followed by a two-hour silent movie showing with piano accompaniment by Jeff Barnhart and Josh on drums. Three shorts were shown in a relatively new venue downtown called The Last Picture House. It’s a combination theater and coffee house with what appeared to be about 150 seats. To accompany the films, Josh brought parts of drum kits that would not overpower the piano but which would produce the desired sounds, like bells ringing or nails being hammered. He and Jeff are hoping to do more collaborative work with silent movies.

From there I headed to the Putnam Museum for the annual one-hour concert where Bix’s horn, which resides at the museum, is played. The Chicago Cellar Boys provided the music, and the honor of playing the horn fell to Andy Schumm. It had a recalcitrant valve so it was not used for the entire concert. Unfortunately, these concerts in recent years have been held in the museum lobby instead of the theater which has much better acoustics.

On my way from the Putnam to the Rhythm City Casino, where all the music occurs, I always pass by the Beiderbecke home at 1934 Grand Avenue. The roof is in very bad shape, which could indicate water damage inside, and the exterior needs paint. I only saw the house from the front; who knows what the rest is like. I sincerely hope that the house can be saved.

A change has been made at the casino regarding seating. Unlike past years when there were rows of chairs ranged across the wide room, now there were 10-person round tables closest to the stage, with fewer rows behind them. Those nearest the stage were reserved for VIP ticket holders (I was one of them). These people were always guaranteed a good seat, and also had access to the hospitality room.

Upon arrival I bought a souvenir program that listed the weekend schedule, musician bios and sponsors’ names. While attractively done, the set times for individual bands did not match the master schedule just inside the cover. Sloppy editing, perhaps?

Sets ran 45 minutes with 15-minute breaks. A few special themed sets were listed, commemorating such topics as centennials of Jelly Roll Morton’s Red Hot Peppers, Bix with the Goldkette orchestra, the Halfway House Orchestra, and “when Bix met Louis.” During the latter, a highlight was a duet with Jeff Barnhart and Andy Schumm on “Love Nest.”

Here are the bands and their personnel. Note that several musicians played in more than one band, and there were occasional subs.

The Chicago Cellar Boys: Andy Schumm, leader, many instruments; John Otto, clarinet, alto sax; Natalie Scharf, clarinet, tenor sax; Paul Asaro, piano; Dan Anderson, tuba, bass; Alder Schiedt, banjo, guitar, Dave Bock, helicon.

Mike Davis’ New Wonders: Mike Davis, leader, trumpet; Sam Chess, trombone; Natalie Scharf, clarinet, tenor sax; Michael McQuaid, bass sax; Josh Duffee, drums; Andrew Oliver, piano.

Oliver-Smith Incomparables: Andrew Oliver, co-leader, piano; Hal Smith, co-leader, drums; Jacob Alspach, banjo; Andy Schumm, clarinet; Colin Hancock, cornet; T.J. Muller, trombone; Dan Anderson, tuba, bass.

Jeff Barnhart’s Fats Waller Legacy Band: Jeff Barnhart, leader, piano; Steve Pikal, bass; Dave Bennett, clarinet; Dave Kosmyna, trumpet; Hal Smith, drums; Valerie Kirchhoff (Miss Jubilee), vocals.

Graystone Monarchs: Josh Duffee,leader, drums; T.J. Muller, banjo; Andy Schumm, Michael McQuaid, Matt Tolentino, reeds; Sam Chess, trombone; Mike Davis, trumpet; Dave Bock, helicon, bass; Andrew Oliver, piano.

Bix Youth Band: Steve Little, leader; five saxes, four trumpets, one each trombone, bass, guitar, piano, two drums, one vocal.

Also, pianists David Boeddinghaus and Andy Schumm presented 15-minute sets on Saturday afternoon. Andy played three of Bix’s piano works, and David played a version of “In a Mist” that Andy did not and which Bix did not include on his own recording.

Thursday evening’s opening sets very quickly established that this would be a great festival, even though not every band appeared. During the Monarchs’ set, Josh related stories of his effort to raise the profile of the Goldkette band during his recent trip to Detroit, where the band was based, and his contacts with drummer Stan King’s daughters. While that time could have been devoted to music, it was important for us to learn about these efforts and their contribution to the bank of knowledge about these long-gone figures.

The annual Bix Lives award was given to the local Catfish Jazz Society. This was the first time the award was given to an organization rather than an individual.

Due to rain, the regular Saturday morning gravesite concert was cancelled. The weather during the weekend was pleasant on Thursday but rainy the other two days. At least we were spared Davenport’s frequent heat.

There were many outstanding ensemble and solo performances throughout the weekend. To cite a few would be an injustice to those not mentioned.

I’m sorry I made you read this far to learn that this was a top-notch festival in all respects, one of the best I’ve ever attended anywhere. I’ve been to about fifteen Bixes since 2001, and this was clearly the best. Each year when I think it’s reached its zenith, it achieves new heights. Next year’s dates are August 4-8. I can’t wait!

But wait, there’s more! Near the end of Saturday evening an important announcement was made. In order to save Bix’s house, mentioned above, it has just been bought by a group of festival musicians! They include Colin Hancock, Josh Duffee, Andrew Oliver, Mike Davis, T.J. Muller, and Andy Schumm and his wife Jenny Vidal. They’ve set up a corporation to accomplish this and donations are being solicited. Their plan is to preserve the house before any further deterioration that threatens its existence occurs.

Send your contributions to Bix House Band LLC to 7320 SE Insley St., Portland, OR 97206. This is Andrew Oliver’s address; he is the treasurer of the group. They have a website: www.bixhouse.com.

But wait, there’s still more! The festival is moving next year to the Blackhawk Hotel downtown. Having been there to a battle of the bands between Josh Duffee’s Orchestra and Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks in 2011 (which can be seen on YouTube), I recall some problems with the ballroom there. It was small and the  air-conditioning wasn’t up to the task. Maybe that’s since been improved. Still, I like the idea of being downtown in a more aesthetically attractive facility. I don’t want to jump to conclusions, and I’m sure we’ll get more details as time goes by.

And finally, this was the first Bix I’ve attended where I did not hear “Davenport Blues.” However, it was played on the Celebration Belle river cruise by T.J. Müller’s Jazz-o-Maniacs which I did not attend this year.

I’ll close with an observation I received from my friend (and TST reader) Glenn Wolfe after we both had returned home. He wrote: “As a whole it seemed to have a distinct, overarching storyline. Instead of bands kind of parachuting in, playing their music, and heading out, each set offered a chapter that, seemingly by design, built upon and complemented those before and those to follow. It felt like there was an ‘author’ or at least an editor at work orchestrating the event. Perhaps a contributing factor is the chemistry of like-minded players, like Andy Schumm for example, taking different roles in one or more bands.” Glenn put into words what I myself sensed but did not think to articulate.

I will add, though, that the theme of “centennials” added greatly to what the bands played. I think this theme has a few more years in its life, perhaps until 2031 when we observe the centennial of Bix’s death, after which the direct connection to Bix disappears.