(Leon Bismarck) (1903-1931) US jazz cornetist, composer, and pianist. A romantic soloist with the bands of King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, and Paul Whiteman, Beiderbecke was the first acknowledged white jazz innovator. He was influenced by the classical composers Debussy, Ravel, and Stravinsky.
His reputation grew after his early death with the publication of Dorothy Baker’s novel Young Man with a Horn 1938, based on his life.