Klarinet Archive - Posting 000225.txt from 1996/06

From: "Edwin V. Lacy" <el2@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Jazz Clarinetisits?
Date: Sat, 15 Jun 1996 02:03:24 -0400

On Sat, 8 Jun 1996, Adam Michlin wrote:

> What about an Alto Saxophone player who wanted to play with the orchestra.
> There is plenty of the orchestral music that has Alto Saxophone in it, but
> it's not commonly known. Should a student be doomed never to play in an
> orchestra? I think not. Most likely, a compromise would be worked out
> allowing the saxophone player at least a chance to play in an orchestra.

How? I have played most of the saxophone solos in the orchestral
repertoire, such as the Old Castle movement in "Pictures," "Bolero,"
Bizet's "L'Arlesienne Suite," etc. Then, there are a very few works
which use saxophones briefly as a section, such as Gershwin's "Rhapsody
in Blue." Certainly these works would have to be classified as difficult
enough that only the very best high school orchestras, or "all-star" type
goups can play them. For 99% of high school saxophonists, this
realistically just doesn't represent an opportunity to play in an
orchestra. There have been a couple of books published which contain
"orchestral excerpts" for saxophone. Except for a dozen or so works,
the literature involved would have to be considered fairly obscure, mostly
quite difficult, and definitely, none of them are high school orchestra
material.

> On the contrary, Jimmy Hamilton was hired to play the clarinet. He doubled
> on the tenor sax. Both ensemble wise and solo wise he was primarily there
> to play clarinet. Barney Bigard was also hired for the same reason. Both
> men were only (relatively) so-so tenor players.

True, Hamilton and Bigard were primarily featured on the clarinet. In
particular, Hamilton was hired during the time when the clarinet was
featured prominently as a solo instrument in swing bands. The influence
of Goodman, Shaw, Herman, etc., had made that an expected texture in the
music of the era. Jimmy Hamilton gave Ellington the opportunity to
feature the clarinet in a similar way. But, still, when he played the
clarinet, he was mostly an improviser; when he was used as a part of the
section, he ususally played saxophone.

Now, if the high school or college jazz band has a clarinetist who can
improvise solos of the quality of the ones played by the players we have
mentioned here, it is a fairly easy thing to feature them in many jazz
arrangements. This still does not make them integral parts of the
ensemble, when the band is playing published arrangements without
clarinet parts.

> >Also, the fact that the clarinet is used in Dixieland jazz is irrelevant
> >here - unless the school has a Dixieland band rather than a standard "big
> >band" jazz ensemble.
>
> This I have to agree with. It is, however, relevant to the general
> misconception that clarinet isn't a jazz instrument.

Well, what are the most used instruments in jazz? I think most would
agree that these would be the saxophone, the trumpet and trombone, piano,
guitar, bass, drums, .... the voice. Where does the clarinet come in
this list? In terms of a listing from most used to least used, clarinet
would not rank in the top half dozen or so. Why? Not because clarinet
players or their instrument are being discriminated against, but for the
same reason that the oboe, bassoon, violin, etc., are not used as much as
the others - because jazz players prefer the sounds of the other
instruments of jazz for the things they want to express. In case anyone
is wondering, I didn't decree this state of affairs - but it is ignoring
the obvious truth of the matter to deny that it exists. By the way, it
isn't necessary here to list the few jazz artists on some of these
instruments - I know about Stephane Grapelli, Ray Nance, Joe Kennedy,
Fred Katz, Paul McCandless, etc., etc. They are all still exceptions to
the general rule.

> Right, and the band sounding good is the most important issue. Who cares if
> the students learn anything. Ahem. I apologize for the sarcasm, but I have
> had personal experience with band directors who have exactly this attitude.

Excuse me, but in what dream world do you conceive a situation where the
students are learning, but the sound of the band is not a factor?

> There's simply no reason a musician (regardless of instrument) should be
> denied the opportunity to learn to play jazz. If there isn't enough money
> to have
> more than one ensemble, then (qualified) students should be able to play
> jazz. Period. And I only say qualified in that they needed to be skilled in
> their instrument, not that they play the "right" instrument.

A very fine sentiment, and I don't think anyone will argue about students
being afforded the "opportunity to learn to play jazz." But, as a
matter of practicality, how is this to be accomplished? Should the
director write all the arrangements so that everyone who wants to play
can do so, no matter what instrument they play? Show me one director
who has the time to do this. Do you know of a source of arrangements
and compositions which will accomodate this educational philosophy? If
so, you owe it to all band directors to tell them where this music can
be obtained. Do you suggest that the teaching of jazz should be based on
learning improvisation only, with no emphasis on ensemble performance, so
that all instruments can participate? Show me a program where this is
possible, and where the students can be motivated to do this over a
substantial period of time without being balanced with some kind of
ensemble experience. The ensemble has many benefits for the students -
I guess I won't take time to enumerate them here.

> The more variety of musical settings a musician is exposed, the better.
> It's up to the band director to balance the settings so that everyone gets a
> chance, not just those playing the currently annointed "jazz" instruments.

"Balance the settings?" What does that mean? Again, you are
demonstrating that it is easy to sit on the sidelines and pontificate,
but if you were "in the trenches," with the necessity of teaching such a
group yourself, I think your attitude might change rather quickly.

> The clarinet *is* customarily used in jazz. Even in jazz bands. Just
> because the teacher has only seen watered down high school big band charts

Is that it? Is it only "watered down" arrangements which do not include
the clarinet? I would be very pleased to suggest several thousand
published compositions for jazz band which are of extreme difficulty,
even for professionals, and which do not include clarinet parts.

> doesn't make it ok for the teacher to discourage a student (*any* student)
> interested in playing jazz. A little work and the teacher could find
> something that would at least give the student a chance to play a little jazz.

Where? If those sources exist, I want to know about them.

> I did end up doubling on saxophone somewhat later, but I learned to
> play jazz on the clarinet.

What did you play? Did you play transposed saxophone parts on the
clarinet, or perhaps trumpet parts? Did you play Glenn Miller-type
arrangements with clarinet lead in the saxophone section? Was your jazz
education experience one of improvisation only without consideration of
the techniques of ensemble performance? Do you know how many published
arrangements today include clarinet parts?

I know that there are excesses on both sides of this issue. I'm just
trying to argue the side of practicality, while balancing those views
with a desire to see as many students as possible to learn about jazz.

I have considerable experience with what can happen to those who are
studying to be music educators, but who play one of the traditionally
non-jazz instruments, and who don't participate in jazz as students. A
former classmate, a French hornist, considered the playing of jazz to be
beneath the dignity of the horn. As a result, he never learned anything
about how jazz works. As you can imagine, his first teaching job was in a
school which had a tradition of a fine jazz program. I heard his jazz
band perform, and believe me, the results were painful for all
concerned.

Now, I ask you, what is the solution in such a case. Should the jazz
band director in his college have written special arrangements to include
the French horn, and then tried to induce him to participate? Or, should
he have allowed the hornist to play trombone parts or trumpet parts on
his instrument? Or, should the horn player have learned enough about one
of the other instruments to be able to participate in the jazz program at
least a little bit? I would be interested in your solution.

Ed Lacy
*****************************************************************
Dr. Edwin Lacy University of Evansville
Professor of Music 1800 Lincoln Avenue
Evansville, IN 47722
el2@-----.edu (812)479-2754
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