Klarinet Archive - Posting 000496.txt from 1995/04

From: Thomas Labadorf <Labadorf@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: Why not?
Date: Thu, 27 Apr 1995 18:15:16 -0400

On Apr 27, Fred Cicetti said:
---
Does any jazz clarinetist play a Buffet with tighter mouthpiece and hard
reeds? Most of the members of KLARINET lean toward the classics and the
"darker" sound. Do any of you use a Buffet and a classic set-up to play jazz?
---

A few thoughts about why jazz clarinetists sound the way they do:

*Jazz is much more a mental art than an audible one. When you're blowing
over a few chords, much more of your concentration is spent on scales,
arpeggios, turn arounds, II7 V7 I, ideas, etc. than on your tone.

*A light set-up is easy to play, and gives more flexibility for jazz nuences.
[Remember, the origin of jazz comes from black folk and work songs. These
songs became the blues and were "sung" on instruments with the same (or as
close as possible) inflections.] With an easy blowing reed comes the
flexibility to do this on clarinet and, (sorry, Dan) a bright sound.

*On that same line, Jazz is an expression of what you are thinking. The
instrument is only the tool used to portray your thoughts. Listen to Eddie
Daniels or Charlie Parker or any other successful jazz artist, and you know
what I mean. When I hear great jazz players, I hear their ideas. The medium
doesn't seem to concern them (or me) much at the time except that it's not
inhibiting their expression of ideas.

All this sounds a bit abstract compared to your question, but I think they
lead to why jazz clarinetists sound the way they do. I don't see why a legit
sound wouldn't work in a jazz setting as long as it feels free enough to
allow your ideas to flow. I would almost prefer a legit clarinet sound with
jazz.

Tom L.