One of the many myths told about Bix Beiderbecke is that he played out his tragically brief career in the company of inferior musicians who didn't understand his advanced musical ideas. Bix & Tram neatly demolishes that canard by presenting four CDs of Beiderbecke playing with saxophonist Frankie "Tram" Trumbauer, who not only understood what Bix was trying to do, he also had more than a few smart ideas of his own. The bulk of these tracks were recorded for the Okeh record label between 1927 and 1929--mostly under the name of Frankie Trumbauer and his Orchestra--and include some of the finest white jazz players of the day, such as Eddie Lang, Adrian Rollini, and Jimmy Dorsey. On selections like "Singin' the Blues" and "Riverboat Shuffle" Beiderbecke's cerebral coronet is perfectly balanced by Trumbauer's lyrical saxophone. JSP has done an excellent job of cleaning up these old recordings and has included some succinct but informative liner notes. Bix & Tram is a fitting tribute to one of the most enduring musical partnerships in jazz history. --Michael Simmons