Davenport welcomes tribute to local jazz icon

  • 2015-07-02
The German American Heritage Center in Davenport recently unveiled a mural that depicts jazz musician Bix Beiderbecke, a Davenport native.

The mural, which is on canvas measuring 30 by 10 feet, is displayed on the side of the heritage center building.

Bruce Walters, a local artist, did the original work and was Illinois Artist of the Month for June. The Center's Janet Brown-Lowe said the portrait is on display to help promote the exhibit which will be at the center for the summer. The title of the exhibit is ‘Zeitgeist—Bix Beiderbecke and the Spirit of His Times’.

The center says Beiderbecke has connections to both the German community and to the Quad Cities—the nickname for five important cities in the area that straddles the border of Illinois and Iowa, with Davenport being one of them. His German roots go back to his great-great-great grandfather, who immigrated to the United States in the 1950s. Beiderbecke's ancestors, grandparents, and parents were prominent in the community of German immigrants in Davenport.

The Beiderbecke exhibit runs from July 5 to August 29 at the German American Heritage Center in Davenport.

Center officials might consider working with brochure printers to create a booklet about Beiderbecke's life, his music, and his and his family's involvement with the German community in the Quad Cities area.