Klarinet Archive - Posting 000029.txt from 1995/08

From: CLARK FOBES <reedman@-----.COM>
Subj: Ben Goldberg and "SNORKEL"
Date: Wed, 2 Aug 1995 13:09:48 -0400

Those of you who do not live in the San Francisco Bay Area may not know
about Ben and his rather amazing clarinet playing.

Ben shows up in a lot of avant garde situations and is currently
playing with a group called "SNORKEL". I heard Ben (with SNORKEL)
Monday night at a club in SF called "The Elbo Room". This group
consists of Ben on clarinet & bass clarinet, and a trio consisting of
electric guitar, bass and drums. The music thay play is mostly written
by members of the group with some Ornette Coleman tunes thrown in. The
music they play is in the realm of "Free" jazz. The performance Monday
nite was exciting and intellectually engaging. This is serious Jazz.
All four performers demonstrated amazing control and skill over their
instruments and a level of ensemble sensitivity that could only be
described as transcendent.

Ben's playing is virtuosic and extremely exploratory. This group
just returned from the North Sea Jazz festival and has a CD hitting the
stores soon. The title of the CD is "Junk Genius". It may be binned
under Ben's name.

Another interesting setting to hear Ben in is "The New Klezmer
Trio". Although the music has some grounding in Klezmer music, it bears
no resemblance to traditional Klezmer music. This group consists of
Clarinet, bass and drums. Again, the music is quite contemporary.

I will try to keep the list posted on performances by Ben and other
interesting clarinet music happening in San Francisco.

Claek W Fobes