Sidney Bechet, one of the giants of early jazz, wanted to lead. Bechet, like fellow jazz pioneer Jelly Roll Morton, was a Creole of Color. A couple of good profiles — from AllMusic and the Red Hot Jazz Archive — paint a vivid picture or the artist, who settled in France to escape the racism of the U.S.
Here is the start of his profile at AllMusic:
Sidney Bechet was the first important jazz soloist on records in history (beating Louis Armstrong by a few months). A brilliant soprano saxophonist and clarinetist with a wide vibrato that listeners either loved or hated, Bechet’s style did not evolve much through the years but he never lost his enthusiasm or creativity. A master at both individual and collective improvisation within the genre of New Orleans jazz, Bechet was such a dominant player that trumpeters found it very difficult to play with him. Bechet wanted to play lead and it was up to the other horns to stay out of his way. (Continue Reading…)
More can be found at Black Then:
Sidney Bechet was one of the greatest jazz musicians of all time. Bechet was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, in May 1897 to a musical family. His father was a shoemaker who played the flute, and his brother played the clarinet and trombone. Bechet exhibited extraordinary talent on the clarinet by the time he was 10. (Continue Reading…)
The clips are from early and late in his career. St. Louis Blues is above and the same song — preceded by American Rhythm — is below.
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