Davenport is the center of the Jazz universe this weekend

Thousands of Dixieland Jazz lovers from as far away as Japan will be tapping their toes to the tunes on the Mississippi riverfront in Davenport for the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival, which opens today. Ray Voss is president of the Bix Memorial Society which is hosting the global throng of music mavens.There will be 11 bands performing, one from Australia, in addition to a number of state and local bands, performing in four venues. This is the 32nd annual Bix Fest and marks 100 years since the coronet player, pianist and composer was born in Davenport. Voss says the music may have been written some 70 or 80 years ago, but it still has an infectious characteristic that draws people in and hooks them. He says the quality and creativity of it makes the music better and he says its’ played from the heart, not from the charts. Bix died in 1931 at age 28 but Voss stresses the music lives on — and is timeless. He says there was a time when this type of music was considered the latest thing, and many young people who are just discovering it find they absolutely love it. The festival runs through Sunday evening. For information, surf to “www.bixsociety.org” or call (563) 324-7170.