In a Mist

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"In a Mist"
Inamistokehredjoe.jpg
Single by Bix Beiderbecke
B-side "Wringin' an' Twistin'"
ReleasedOctober 1927
RecordedSeptember 9, 1927, New York City
Genre Jazz
Length2:46
Label Okeh, Vocalion
Songwriter(s) Bix Beiderbecke
Bix Beiderbecke singles chronology
"For No Reason at All in C"
(1927)
"In a Mist"
(1927)
"Borneo"
(1928)

"In a Mist" is a 1927 composition for piano by Bix Beiderbecke.

Contents

Background

"In a Mist" was first recorded by Beiderbecke as a piano solo on September 9, 1927, in New York and released as OKeh 40916 backed with "Wringin' an' Twistin'" which was recorded with Frankie Trumbauer and Eddie Lang.

Bix Beiderbecke performed the composition on piano accompanied by Roy Bargy and Lennie Hayton at Carnegie Hall on October 7, 1928, at a jazz concert presented by Paul Whiteman.

Style

"In a Mist" mixes elements of late impressionism with early jazz.[ citation needed ] While written in C-major, the piece is heavily chromatic. Beiderbecke mostly plays on the fourth and fifth, often inserting sharp or flat accidentals, while avoiding the tonic to increase tension. Harmonically, the piece features melancholic, rich chords; the swing tempo gives the piece a joyful quality. These tensions drive the piece, finally settling on a hopeful C-major.[ citation needed ]

Cover versions

UK 78 single release of "Bixology (In a Mist)" on Parlophone, R 3504. Bixology 78 Parlophone UK.jpg
UK 78 single release of "Bixology (In a Mist)" on Parlophone, R 3504.

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References