Hello Ken. There will be no shots fired by me at this theory of yours. In fact after reading this it makes it a lot easier to possibly accept the fact Bix might be on Cradle of Love. You have presented a very good scenario with rational facts about just how Bix could have been on the session. I really appreciate your opinion on this as it provides something that was sadly lacking (at least what I haven't read before)which is the WHY or possible circumstances that could have occurred that lead to Bix being on the recording. Your step by step anaylsis of possible events leading up to the recording makes a good case for the recording to have actually happened.
I would like to draw a correlation with this event to the incident of Bix sitting in with Wingy Manone band at My Celler c. Feb 5-6 1930 mentioned in Evans and Evans on page 498.
You mentioned "He would have been regarded by the boys as their hero and the opportunity to record with him just couldn't be missed"
That means to me when Bix was around musicians wanted to have him play with them or have him sit in. He was their hero as you say. (ok, I'm dense, everybody else here already knows that but me)
At My Celler they put the spotlight on Bix and had him sit in.
If the musicians at My Celler recognized their hero and had him sit in then that tells me musicians wanted to get Bix involved in whatever they were doing.
So if Bix was in Chicago by that reasoning Muggsy and the boys would want to get Bix to record with them if they had a scheduled date. And as you pointed out "the opportunity to record with him just couldn't be missed."
What you have given me are very good possibilities as to WHY Bix might be on Cradle of Love.
There are many components relating to the possibility of Bix being on that record:
The solo has to sound like him or forget it
It has to be possible he was in the city when the record was made
He has to have been physically able to make the record and Emrah helped me with that one.
Plus there has to be some events or circumstances supporting a reason for him to be on the record.
Thanks to you Ken for supplying that.