He as blessed with the gift of a musical ear which helped him greatly throughout his career because he was not able to read music very well. Growing up BIG found his passion, which was to become a musicals, It seemed that he would not let anything stop him from achieving his goal. HIS family disapproved of his Interest and sent him to Lake Forest Academy In which they hoped It would control and change him to become discipline and successful. BIG headstrong In following through with his goal led him to start skipping class to go hear the musicians play In Chicago. Non after ix was expelled from Lake Forrest and began to his career as a full time musician. Bedecked arrived on Chicago “hot” jazz scene at about the same time as musicians such as King Oliver and Louis Armstrong. In Chicago Bedecked was already gaining a reputation for his improvisational “play around the note” style and his unique tone, and he found work, first with The Wolverines and then with the respected Jean Colette Orchestra. This was a good Job, but he lost it after only a few months because he couldn’t read music well enough to keep up with a hectic reflections band’s recording schedule.
This is where Big gift for his musical ear could not help him. Attempting to remedy the situation, he enrolled at the university of Iowa, signing up for several music classes. But he refused to take a required religion and ethics course, consistently missed classes, and picked a drunken fight with a college football player. Within a month he was expelled. Big music was truly amazing for his time, his style was completely opposite Louis Armstrong. Armstrong played was usually “hot” and played loudly with high notes, whereas Big played in a ore subdued manner with low and melodic notes.
Bedecked was known for putting solos and creating a fluid sound. He had a unusual way of stringing together note choices. Big was way ahead of his time and influence many people for the next couple of decades. He played and gave the audiences another option to listen to. Bedecked developed a beautiful and original style. His cornet playing, noted for Its brilliant phrasing and its clarity of tone. Bedecked also played and composed at the Plano throughout his working life, his famous pieces Include In a Mist, Flashes, Candlelight’s, and In the Dark.
Their use of functionalism, whole-tone scales, and parallel 7th and 9th chords reflect his Interest In Impressionist harmonic language. BIG Bedecked played cornet on four number one hit records In 1928 recorded with the Paul Whitman Orchestra: “Together”, number one for two weeks, “Ramona”, number one for three weeks, “My Angel”, number one for SIX weeks, and “01′ Man River”, with Being Crosby on vocals, was number one for one week. By contrast, Louis Armstrong did not have any number one records in the sass. “01′ Man River” would originality made him one of the first white Jazz musicians to be admired by black performers.
Louis Armstrong recognized in him a kindred spirit and said “Lots of cats tried to play like Big; anti none of them play like him yet. “, and Rexes Stewart exactly reproduced some of his solos on recordings. Miles Davis is also known to have tried to find people that played with big Bedecked. Bitterness’s influence can be heard in the trumpeter styles of Red Nichols, Bunny Iberian, and Rexes Stewart. Years of bootleg liquor and hard years on the road put him in state of poor health, which was the other thing Bedecked was known for.
In a profession where hard drinking was routine his alcohol consumption was legendary, and he soon descended into alcoholism. When he couldn’t get corn-mash whisky or gin, he would apparently drink pure alcohol mixed with lemon drops; he started drinking in the early morning and didn’t stop till he passed out at night. Weakened by his excesses, Bedecked began to have to take time off from playing with Whitman – though the bandleader kept a place for him and continued to pay him, a testament to his brilliant showmanship.
Bedecked suffered several breakdowns and bouts of pneumonia, one of which finally killed him, aged only 28. Although he was largely unknown to the general public at the time of his death, he acquired an almost legendary aura among jazz musicians and enthusiasts. He still having a impact on today’s world, Davenport holds an annual Big Bedecked Memorial Jazz Festival where people come to remember and hear his music. Big Bedecked was one of the most influential musicians of his time. He will always be remembered for the way he played and not or his life style.