Spokesman Steve Trainor says the crowds don't just sit and tap their toes to the music of the 1910s through the '30s. "They are virtuosos who get people off their feet cheering for them."
For example, the New Orleans Night Owls is a band made up of seven musicians, three of whom lead their own bands. The Dave Bennett Quartet is led by a clarinetist who’s played with the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall. And he says, "The Graystone Monarchs is led by Davenport drummer Josh Duffee, who’s in demand all over the world. Jeff Barnhart is a superb entertainer, as much comedian as pianist."
Bix fans will enjoy a couple of traditional performances without needing tickets. Trainor says that includes a concert tomorrow Thursday afternoon at three at the Putnam Museum. And a gravesite concert on Saturday morning, a Bix fest tradition since 1971.
This will be the 51st Bix jazz festival, the longest-running music festival in the Quad Cities area. It'll be held Thursday through Saturday at the Rhythm City Casino Events Center in Davenport. More details are online at BixSociety.org.
The festival and jazz society are named after Davenport native, Leon “Bix” Beiderbecke, who is considered the most innovative cornetist of the 20th century.
