BASS DRUM
A lower-pitched drum that began as a large marching drum but was soon modified to be used in orchestral and concert band works. The bass drum remained an important part of marching band instrumentation and was used in New Orleans brass bands. When early jazz bands began performing in clubs and more stable venues, the bass drum was converted into a more stationary instrument and became a building block for the modern drum set. The bass drum is played by the right foot through the use of a beater that is attached to a foot pedal. The drum was eventually modified so that tom-toms could be mounted on it and it could also be used as part of the drum set.
BASS GUITAR
Another name for the electric bass. It is frequently used in the fusion and jazz-rock styles in addition to other popular music. See also BASS.
BATISTE, ALVIN (1932–2007)
Born in New Orleans, Batiste studied the clarinet as a youth and performed with a young Ornette Coleman. After a brief period of active playing in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Batiste became an educator for almost 20 years, although he considered his academic work to take away from his performing career and elected to retire from education in the 1980s. Batiste worked steadily in the 1990s as both a performer and composer. Batiste played with both Ed Blackwell and the New Orleans Philharmonic Orchestra in the 1990s.
BATISTE, LIONEL “UNCLE” (1931–2012)
A bass drummer and singer, Batiste was a longtime member of the Treme Brass Band in New Orleans, Louisiana. He appeared in numerous television shows and commercials and in the HBO network series Treme. Batiste was well known as an impeccable dresser, most often wearing shined shoes, necktie, pocket square, and a derby on his head. He was a fixture on the New Orleans scene beginning in the 1940s and continued to play up to the time of his death.
BATTLE OF BANDS
Still done today, though no longer as frequently as in the past, a battle of bands is an event in which several groups compete by attempting to outplay one another for a specific prize. Originating in New Orleans, many touring bands of the 1930s would gather in specific New York ballrooms to compete with one another. See also SAVOY BALLROOM.
BEAT
A musical term used to describe the steady pulse of time. In some popular music, the beat is always emphasized by the bass drum or cymbals and is heard on every beat of a given measure. In classical music and some freer forms of jazz, the beat is internalized or conducted rather than being dictated by specific instruments. A lot of popular music is based on music that has four beats per measure, although it is common to see some dance music that only has three, such as a waltz. See also GROOVE.
BEBOP
A term used to describe a specific style that was developed in the 1940s, it would frequently feature complex melodies based on expanded harmonic structures and technical, fast improvisation. While bebop adhered to harmonic rules and remained tonal despite the frequent use of passing harmonies, much of the music created during the bebop era sounded quite frantic at the time in contrast to the polite nature of the music of the 1930s. Important bebop musicians include Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Bud Powell. Bebop was a significant shift in jazz improvisation and became the most imitated and copied style of the 1950s. See also CLARKE, KENNY (1914–1985); MINTON’S PLAYHOUSE; MONK, THELONIOUS SPHERE (1917–1982); MONROE’S UPTOWN HOUSE; PETTIFORD, OSCAR (1922–1960); POTTER, CHARLES “TOMMY” (1918–1988).
BECHET, SIDNEY (1897–1959)
Born in New Orleans and first developing his musical skills on clarinet, Bechet was mostly self-taught before he began working in New Orleans bands as a teenager. After Bechet discovered the soprano saxophone while on a trip to Chicago, he decided to permanently switch to the instrument and became one of the first and most influential voices on it. Bechet toured Europe in the 1920s, in addition to working with Duke Ellington and leading his own groups. Considered to be a master improviser, Bechet soon became an icon not only to saxophonists but to all jazz musicians.
Bechet toured frequently with his own groups in the 1930s and after a failed attempt to bring back the New Orleans style that had fallen out of favor for swing and eventually bebop. Bechet’s popularity overseas grew, and he decided to relocate to France in the 1950s. Bechet remained in France for the rest of his career and was considered to be a jazz hero there. Bechet succumbed to cancer in 1959. See also SAXOPHONE.
BECHET LEGACY
Founded by Sidney Bechet protégé Bob Wilber, the Bechet Legacy was a tribute group in the early 1980s. The group did little touring and recording but did reunite several times in the 1990s for various concerts.
BEE HIVE
An important jazz club in Chicago during the 1950s, it featured top touring acts and was featured in a recording of the Clifford Brown–Max Roach Quintet. The Bee Hive was so popular that it inspired a record label in the 1970s to adopt the same name.
BEHIND THE BEAT
A term used by jazz musicians to describe the phrasing style of purposefully delaying a note as to not sound in time. Musicians often play behind the beat to achieve a sense of rhythmic tension. Tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon is one of the most notable musicians to frequently use this technique.
BEHOUNEK, KAMIL (1916–1983)
Behounek was a self-taught accordionist who played both jazz and popular music. He also worked as a band- leader, arranger, and composer. He originally learned to play by imitating recordings and BBC radio broadcasts. In the 1930s, he worked in Prague performing with the Blue Music Orchestra and Karel Vlach, among others. During World War II, he was forced by the Nazi regime to go to Berlin and write arrangements for German bands. After briefly returning to Czechoslovakia in 1945, Behounek once again moved to Germany and continued writing big band arrangements for numerous bandleaders and continued to perform with his own group. These performances included appearances in Bonn and, in 1948, West Germany for U.S. soldiers’ clubs. He recorded several albums during his career, mostly in the folk style. His autobiography, Má láska je jazz (Jazz is my love), was published three years after his death. See also ACCORDION.
BEIDERBECKE, LEON “BIX” (1903–1931)
Born in Davenport, Iowa, the self-taught cornet player Beiderbecke was first exposed to jazz through records and his visits to clubs in Chicago. Beiderbecke’s unfortunately short yet influential career was defined by the groups and musical relationships he forged in the 1920s. The two most notable collaborations Beiderbecke had were those with saxophonist Frankie Trumbauer and with the orchestra of Paul Whiteman as a featured soloist.
Beiderbecke was considered to be a significant figure because of his unique cornet style and ability to solo successfully in a style that differed from that of Louis Armstrong. Beiderbecke played the cornet, which has a warmer, darker tone than the trumpet. Despite suffering from alcoholism, Beiderbecke had a successful run and freelanced with several important artists in the late 1920s and early 1930s, including Tommy Dorsey and Benny Goodman, before dying at the age of 28. See also WOLVERINES.
BEIRACH, RICHARD (1947–)
Born in Brooklyn, New York, pianist Beirach studied at two of the more prestigious jazz schools, the Berklee College of Music and the Manhattan School of Music, before catching on with several important jazz groups in the 1970s. Beirach spent time with Stan Getz and also established a musical