Flashes (song)

"Flashes" is a 1931 jazz composition for solo piano by cornetist Bix Beiderbecke. It is the third work in a series of four compositions for piano composed by Bix Beiderbecke during his career.

1931 sheet music cover, Robbins Music, New York.
"In the Dark" and "Flashes" released by Jess Stacy as a Decca 78, 18119A, 1941.

Background

Bix Beiderbecke did not record "Flashes" himself but copyrighted the composition on April 18, 1931, along with "In the Dark", also a piano work, as "A Modern Composition for the Piano". Bill Challis assisted with the transcription for piano. "Flashes was recorded by jazz pianist Jess Stacy on November 15, 1935. Jazz trumpeter Bunny Berigan recorded it in 1939 and released it as a 78 single on RCA Victor, 26121-A. In 2010, pianist Bryan Wright recorded the work on piano along with the three other piano compositions by Bix Beiderbecke, "In a Mist", "Candlelight", and "In the Dark".

In 2020, Juliet Kurtzman and Pete Malinverni recorded an arrangement of "Flashes" for violin and piano on the album Candlelight: Love in the Time of Cholera.

Notable recordings

The composition has been recorded by Jess Stacy, Bunny Berigan, Ry Cooder, Dick Hyman, Patrick Artero in 2006, Bernd Lhotzky, Bryan Wright, Dill Jones, jazz guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli on his 1986 Stash album Solo Flight, Geff Muldaur in 2003, Helmut Nieberle in 2005, and Tony Caramia on the 2005 album Zebra Stripes.

Album appearances
  • Bix Beiderbecke: Bix Restored, Vol. 1, Origin Records, 1995
  • Bix Beiderbecke: In a Mist: His Best Works, Definitive Classics, 2007
  • Geoff Muldaur: Geoff Muldaur's Futuristic Ensemble: Private Astronomy: A Vision of the Music of Bix Beiderbecke, Shefa, 2003
  • Juliet Kurtzman and Pete Malinverni: Candlelight: Love in the Time of Cholera, 2020

Sources
  • Berton, Ralph. Remembering Bix. Harper & Row, 1974.
  • Castelli, Vittorio, Evert (Ted) Kaleveld, and Liborio Pusateri. The Bix Bands: A Bix Beiderbecke Disco-biography. Raretone, Milan, 1972.
  • Collins, David R. Bix Beiderbecke: Jazz Age Genius. Morgan Reynolds, Inc., Greensboro, North Carolina, 1998.
  • Evans, Philip R. and Linda K. Evans. Bix: The Leon Bix Beiderbecke Story. Bakersfield, Calif.: Prelike Press, 1998. ISBN 0-9665448-0-3.
  • Lastella, Aldo. "La vita e la leggenda di Bix Beiderbecke". Nuovi Equilibri S.R.L., Roma, 1991.
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