Customer Reviews
Ten thousand stars to the music... - By: Eddie Condon, 03 Sep 2007 
...but only 3 for this boxed set, an average grade between -
Minus: muddy sound on the remastering. Plus: wide selection of tracks.
A Legend In His Short Lifetime - By: B. McCanna, 29 Jul 2007 
I'm tryingin my reviews to tread the roads less travelled, but it would be remiss of me to pass over this 4-CD set, particularly when it has not attracted a single review to date. If you've never heard a recording by Bix you don't know what you've missed, & if you have you'll never forget it. He was unsurpassed for purity of tone, & his skill transcended mere improvisation, transmuting the most uninspired tunes into melodies of great beauty, seemingly without effort.
This compilation covers his first recordings with the Wolverines, the Sioux City Six, & the Rhythm Jugglers, the best of his recordings with Jean Goldkette & Paul Whiteman, interpolated by those made by studio groups under his own & Frank Trumbauer's name, the two Broadway Bellhops sides, & finishing up with the two Hoagy Carmichael sides.
This was a musician who claimed never to play the same solo twice, but the one thing that's missing is an alternate take or two (and there are many) to show the extent to which Bix's solos altered dramatically from one to the next. But that's a small reservation which does not detract from the impact of the set as a whole.
Individual discs are housedin slipcases, & are accompanied by an extremely detailed 56-page booklet setting out his career & full discographical details. An absolute bargain.
